Inalco’s Commitment to Sustainability: Ecolnalco
Sustainability in the construction and interiors industry is too often a brochure claim rather than a manufacturing reality. Inalco has taken a different position. Through its EcoInalco programme, the brand has embedded environmental responsibility into the physical composition of its materials, its production processes and its long-term investment strategy. The result is a surface that carries its environmental credentials not as a marketing footnote but as a technical specification.
At PietraCasa, sustainability matters to us and to the clients we work with. It is one of the reasons Inalco MDi occupies such a central place in the collections we design and supply.
WHAT IS ECOINALCO?
EcoInalco is Inalco’s public commitment to the environment and to society. It encompasses all the human and technological resources directed at preventing the possible negative impacts of the company’s activities, ongoing controls of manufacturing processes, and the necessary investment to ensure sustainable development in keeping with the firm’s principles.
It encompasses all the human and technological resources directed at preventing the possible negative impacts of the company's activities, ongoing controls of manufacturing processes, and the necessary investment to ensure sustainable development. Inalco
This is not a certification acquired at a point in time and left to sit on a shelf. EcoInalco is an ongoing operational commitment, built into the day-to-day controls of how MDi surfaces are manufactured. EcoInalco is much more than a commitment. It is a reality and a pledge to the planet and to the future, backed by continued investment in innovations that ensure sustainable development in accordance with the company's principles.
The material: over 95% Natural minerals
Sustainability begins with what a material is made from. MDi is composed of natural minerals at its core. Each surface is made of high-purity natural minerals, carefully selected and processed using an exclusive production system that prioritises environmental care.
The sintering process used to produce MDi combines these minerals under high temperatures and pressure, creating a fully vitrified slab without the use of petroleum derivatives or chemical binders. No synthetic adhesives, no fossil fuel-derived compounds, no toxic substances introduced during manufacture.
Inalco's innovative production process, specifically designed to produce MDi, creates a more exclusive and personalised surface for each project, produced under demanding standards of sustainability, recycling and energy efficiency, as a result of the company's environmental awareness.
H2O full digital technology: Printing without pollution
One of the most significant technical developments in the EcoInalco programme is the introduction of H2O Full Digital technology for surface decoration. Thanks to H2O Full Digital, which uses water-based inks, products with superb definition are obtained without any pollutant emissions. This technology also reduces water consumption during the production process.
For context, conventional ceramic decoration processes have historically relied on solvent-based inks that release volatile organic compounds during firing. H2O Full Digital eliminates that entirely. The surface quality is not compromised in the process. The definition achieved through water-based digital printing is extraordinary, and the seamless through-body design that MDi is known for is fully maintained.
Emissions: Well below legal limits
Manufacturing a large format ceramic slab is an energy-intensive process. Inalco does not obscure that fact. What it does is manage it rigorously. Regular actions and strict checks are carried out aimed at reducing emissions and keeping them to minimum levels, with resulting figures far lower than the legally established limits.
This goes beyond compliance. It reflects a manufacturing culture that treats emission reduction as a continuous operational target rather than a regulatory threshold to meet and move on from.
Waste recycling: 95% Back into production
Perhaps the most striking sustainability figure associated with Inalco MDi production is its approach to manufacturing waste. 95% of the waste from the production process is recycled in the manufacture of other products and raw materials.
In a sector where offcut waste, kiln dust and production rejects are frequently sent to landfill, this figure represents a genuinely closed-loop approach to material use. The waste generated in making one MDi slab becomes the raw input for something else. That circularity is built into the process, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Energy efficiency and technological investment
EcoInalco is not a static programme. It is sustained by ongoing capital investment in production technology. By investing in new technologies, a higher output is possible, reducing the consumption of both energy and natural resources used in the product manufacturing process.
Inalco works every day to achieve excellence and to discover new horizons, combining large surfaces, thin thicknesses and textures that transmit unique sensations, all within a framework of sustainable development.
The development of thinner MDi formats, including the 4 mm and 6 mm slabs, is itself a sustainability initiative. Less raw material is used per square metre of finished surface. Installation weight is reduced. Transport energy is lower. The surface performs the same function with a smaller material footprint.
LEED points and specification for green building projects
For architects and developers working to LEED certification standards, Inalco MDi is a specifiable material that contributes to green building points. This makes it relevant not only for its aesthetic and technical qualities but for its role within the broader sustainability credentials of a project.
If you are working on a project with environmental certification requirements, PietraCasa can advise on how Inalco MDi supports those targets as part of the overall surface specification.
Why this matters when you specify through PietraCasa
The materials we design and supply carry the values of the projects they go into. When a client chooses Inalco MDi through PietraCasa, they are selecting a surface whose sustainability credentials are traceable, measurable and independently verifiable. That matters increasingly to homeowners, interior designers and architects who are thinking carefully about the environmental impact of what they specify.
The added value of Inalco MDi does not reside only in its aesthetic appeal, but also in the brand's commitment to consciously crafted design, inspired by nature's essence. Inalco
It is a material that looks extraordinary, performs exceptionally and is produced responsibly. That combination is rare. It is why EcoInalco is not simply a programme we acknowledge but a reason we specify Inalco MDi with confidence.
To discuss Inalco MDi for your project, contact the PietraCasa studio on studio@pietracasa.uk or visit us in Poole, Dorset.