Sustainability and beauty: FMG ceramic surfaces for spaces in 2020

Striving for maximum environmental sustainability is one of the main trends of contemporary design, a primary objective for addressing social and climate issues and for laying the foundations for a better living environment. As an international landmark in the ceramic sector, Iris Ceramica Group has always placed the issue of sustainability at the heart of its production with all of its brands. In order to produce high-tech ceramic and porcelain, Iris Ceramica Group uses clays, feldspar sands, silica and quartz. These are raw materials which are spread in a capillary way across the earth’s crust, and not at risk of running out. Following the legislation of many foreign producing countries, the company follows the indications of the extraction plans for the recovery of these raw materials, so as not to radically change the landscape and to reforest large areas. Also, within the production facilities of Iris Ceramica Group’s brands, recycling and containment policies have always been in place, for the lowest possible impact on the production processes thanks to the closed-loop system. In fact, the companies owned by the Group reuse “so-called ‘green’ (unfired) waste products, which are the most significant in terms of quantity, reintroducing them into the production cycle”.
  FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti, one of Iris Ceramica Group’s leading companies, has been “building according to nature” since it was founded in 1998. FMG’s design vision translates into maximum respect for the balance between man and nature, with rigorous choices and environmentally-sustainable behaviour, but also with total attention to the certifications and legislation in force. By observing what happens in nature, FMG works in the research field, creating numerous collections of technologically-advanced products, with characteristics and performance which significantly improve upon the natural properties of marble, granite and quarry stone (for example, by removing imperfections such as porosity, schistosity and variations in colour). All this is made possible through the proper use of the same elements used in nature, with industrial processes that reproduce its logic and characteristics (pressure, fire, high temperatures) but in greatly reduced timeframes. The result is a compact and impermeable material, the result of exclusive technology, which is capable of faithfully reproducing the most beautiful, rare and precious marbles, granites and stones, suitable for all uses and any style of contemporary living.   FMG at Cersaie 2019   Present at the landmark exhibition in the world of ceramics, Cersaie 2019, FMG recently shared with Iris Ceramica an Area-17 Architecture & Interiors stand “where relation and exhibition coexist to the point where they blend into one another”, following “the contemporary scenario where spaces for business are increasingly the result of a process of hybridisation”. Maintaining its vocation for research, innovation and an environmentally-sustainable vision of design, FMG presented, together with its new releases in the world of surfaces for 2020, an area dedicated to one of the main technologies of its holding company, Iris Ceramica Group: Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™, the only ceramic tile in the world for floors and walls that has an anti-pollution and bactericidal action certified under the ISO 10678:2010, ISO 27448-1:2008 and ISO 27447:2009 standards. Even for outdoor applications, coverings made with ACTIVE slabs “have hydrophilic characteristics because the moisture in the air prevents dirt from adhering to them, practically eliminating the need to use chemical detergents for cleaning, resulting in an additional anti-pollutant effect”.
  As regards the new offerings from FMG, we are pleased to present a gallery featuring the charming Moonstone collection which, as the name suggests, is inspired by the lunar surface, with all the irregularity and variability of its faces. Thanks to its material texture, characterised by a light microstructure, “Moonstone embodies the sheer concreteness and resistance of lava stone on full-body technical porcelain”. With White and Black at opposite ends, Moonstone’s colour range uses a neutral palette and includes the Moon Grey, Beige and Brown variants, for a total of 5 colours. The finishes are Natural LAVA, Structured SLATE and Polished SILK (which can also be used outdoors); the sizes are the traditional 30x30cm and 20x20cm. And, as a further option, there are also 30x30cm mosaics as tesserae or strips. Moonstone is a versatile floor and wall tile, ideal for high-traffic residential and commercial environments. A product which is perfectly in line with the demands of contemporary design, capable of lending spaces an elegant appeal which is, however, also easy to match with a wide-ranging array of furnishings, following a tradition of surfaces with soft and satisfying colours.

Marco Privato