Cosentino, a producer and distributor of innovative and sustainable surfaces for the world of architecture and design, takes another important step in the development of its Hybriq+® technology with the introduction of Silestone®XM. An evolution for the brand of hybrid mineral surfaces, all Silestone®XM collections brought to the market will have a maximum crystalline silica content of 10 percent.
The development of the pioneering Hybriq+® technology began seven years ago, officially introduced to the market in 2020, and completely transformed the nature of its Silestone® product towards greater safety and sustainability. This new milestone reflects Cosentino’s ambitious research, development, and innovation commitment to the global sector of decorative and design surfaces.
According to the company all of Silestone® products are manufactured through a sustainable production process with 100 percent renewable electrical energy and 99 percent recycled water. Additionally, the composition of all Silestone® products are formulated in a way that significantly reduces the crystalline silica content because of the introduction of new premium minerals and a minimum of 20 percent recycled raw materials. All this, while maintaining the same physical and mechanical performance, and the same high-quality design and color depth.
Last year Cosentino achieved 100 percent of the total production of Silestone® under Q40, which reflects a maximum of 40 percent silica in its composition. At the same time, advancements were made with various colors already created under Q10, with less than 10 percent of crystalline silica in its formulation.
The introduction of Silestone®XM marks a turning point in the manufacturing of mineral surfacing. This year, all of the brand’s new collections that will be launched, as well as the other colors that were already manufactured with less than 10 percent crystalline silica, will be under the Silestone®XM brand. This achievement is Cosentino’s greatest recent contribution to the evolution of the industry, and continues to ensure that it sets the surface industry on the path towards concrete values of greater sustainability, circular economy and safety within the value chain.
Silestone®XM was previewed for the first time at the 2024 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas, one of the most important events in North America for the Kitchen and Bath industry. Two Silestone®XM collections are set to launch later this year including Le Chic Bohe?me, an extension of the acclaimed Le Chic series of 2023, a collection that recaptured the beauty of classic Silestone® textures and veined patterns, and EARTHIC® by Silestone®XM, a capsule collection designed in collaboration with the FormaFantasma studio, a company internationally recognized for research on design and sustainable production processes.
