Quality and Environment

Quality and Environment

With a love with its roots in antiquity, and great respect: this is how Ragno has always regarded “earth” in the sense of both ceramic raw material and our planet itself. Loving ceramics also means loving nature. Ragno directs its production strategy towards ecosustainable goals, with a responsible attitude to the environment and its stakeholders.  

The rational, intelligent use of natural resources and energy and investment in plants with state-of-the-art technologies enable us to minimise environmental impact, by using waste materials and water in the production cycle.
Environmental awareness has led Ragno to obtain certification for a number of product lines, which are eligible for LEED® credits.
Ragno views environmental protection, and the safeguarding of its employees’ physical and mental health and safety, as an essential prerogative, going hand in hand with its commitment to the development of sustainable research.



EMAS
The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme EMAS is a voluntary management tool which allows companies to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance.
Marazzi Group was Italy’s first ceramic coverings manufacturer to obtain certification, in 1998.
EMAS is one of the voluntary tools set up in 1992 within the framework of the European Community’s Fifth Environmental Action Programme.

LEED®
Marazzi Group S.p.A. is a member of the Green Building Council Italia*, the association that promotes the culture of sustainable, energy-efficient, environment-friendly construction and helps to improve people’s quality of life by means of the LEED certification standard. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards set the prerequisites for the construction of eco-compatible buildings capable of operating in a sustainable way, and self-sufficient in energy. Developed in the United States, LEED certification has now spread to 40 nations worldwide with over 1,500 certified projects and certification underway for a further 12,000.

Certiquality UNI
Ragno products have been awarded the right to use the UNI conformity mark to guarantee the quality of ceramic tiles. This mark certifies that the products bearing it comply with specific technical standards established by the UNI norms. The mark is based on the application of the UNI EN standard, drawn up by the CEN (Comité Europeen de Normalisation) technical committee and adopted by the UNI (Italian Standards Authority and a CEN member), which guarantees the quality standards required and the test methods. In the countries that have approved them the UNI EN standards replace the existing domestic norms, favouring the unification of international standards and the free circulation within the European Common Market only of the products that provide specific quality guarantees. The right to use the mark involves periodic audits of the company’s operations and the quality of its products, involving the organisation and control of production and the test methods necessary to keep products’ conformity constant over time. UNI is aligned with the main quality marks used in the various European countries.
Keymark
The Keymark was created by the CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) in order to provide a common European quality mark. The Keymark is a product quality mark based on a third-party certification system, which certifies that a product meets the requirements of the relevant European standards. It is granted further to a certification procedure comprising:
- conformity tests on the product;
- evaluation of the documented product quality control system;
- an audit of the production location.
Since it is a European mark, tests are performed in accordance with the relevant European standards. The Keymark’s advantages are clear: the products which bear it have an undisputable Europe-wide quality guarantee, with no need for expensive, lengthy repeated tests and inspections. In the context of the single European market, it is a top priority to achieve product certification based on regulations which are:
- clearly defined: they are documents written, developed and approved by European experts;
- unified: the rules of an individual state are superseded by a body of standards accepted throughout Europe.

Compliance with NF standards
A mark that demonstrates the finished product's conformity to the NF standards with correlation of technical characteristics with the intended use.

The four letters refer to:
U: resistance to foot traffic wear
P: mechanical resistance to the shifting of movable and fixed objects
E: resistance to water
C: resistance to commonly used chemicals.

CE Marking
Marazzi Group S.p.A. has fulfilled the requirements necessary for use of the CE marking on its products. The relative commercial documentation is available for consultation by dealers, professionals and users on the product web pages of this site.
CCC Certification
CCC certification, introduced in 2002, applies to products both imported to and produced in China for use on the country’s market. Information concerning CCC Certification generally relates to health and safety. In the case of ceramic tiles, reference is made specifically only to porcelain tiles having water absorption of 0.5% or less. Certification is obtained through institutions specifically accredited by the Chinese authorities, all based i China.

 

 

Ecolabel
European Union environmental quality mark, obtained by Marazzi in 2004, awarded to products which meet and comply with environmental standards, such as the rational use of energy resources and natural resources, low atmospheric and wastewater emissions, waste management and more effective consumer information.



  ISO 9001
As long ago as 1994, the Marazzi Group was one of the first firms in the industry to obtain ISO 9001 Quality certification, opting for certification of its product design and development, production processes, products and services with the highest technical content.
  ISO 14001
During 2004, the Marazzi Group obtained ISO 14001 international certification which sets the prerequisites for the implementation, development and maintenance of an environmental management system, undertaking to control the environmental impacts of its production process with a view to continual improvement.