Cosentino’s Latest Material Innovation Could Transform Sustainable Design

A leading manufacturer of surfaces, Cosentino’s products are invariably beautiful, resilient, and suited to a wide range of purposes. Whether you are looking for a kitchen countertop or a unique flooring or cladding system, you will find a reliable solution in one of Cosentino’s lines of synthetic or natural surfaces.

Among architects and builders, Cosentino surfaces are known to be innovative and high-quality, but one should also add visionary and socially conscious to the list of descriptors. Their newly developed HybriQ+ Technology, used for their versatile Silestone surfaces, blends premium minerals, quartz, and recycled materials with a sustainable manufacturing process that uses 99% recycled water, 100% renewable electric energy and a minimum of 20% recycled materials in its composition. Cosentino uses the term “Circular Economy” to describe their sustainable approach to resources.

All said and done, this process produces ZERO water waste. That’s right, zero with a Z. In 2022, this is welcome news indeed. The past few years have seen new attention given to the issue of water conservation as global water shortages have become a mounting problem.

The World Wildlife Federation summarizes the situation bluntly, writing that “Many of the water systems that keep ecosystems thriving and feed a growing human population have become stressed. Rivers, lakes and aquifers are drying up or becoming too polluted to use. More than half the world’s wetlands have disappeared.” They add that global climate change has put even more stress on the world’s water supply, and that “By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. And ecosystems around the world will suffer even more.”

The need for sustainable manufacturing practices is, to put it simply, an imperative. Cosentino illustrates this point quite vividly in their new campaign to promote HybriQ+. Early on in the clip, a sobering montage plays showing plastic bottles washed onto beaches, clear cut forests, and other examples of the destructive impact humanity has had on the globe. The message is poignant: alternatives must be found, and fast, if our species will be able to secure a high quality of life in the coming decades.

The rest of the video provides insight into the HybriQ+ manufacturing process, cross-cutting images of the raw materials Cosentino recycles with scenes of the laboratories in which the company’s research and development team discover new ways to conserve resources in their manufacturing process. This video is a testament to the power of technology and human ingenuity to overcome even dire obstacles.

The video closes with a simple slogan flashing on the scene: “Welcome to our revolution.” And it’s true – such an approach to manufacturing is revolutionary, especially in an era when it is easy to save money by pushing costs onto the planet. As the company notes, “We take care of the present to secure the future.”

Cosentino believes that consumers need not compromise quality in the name of sustainability. In fact, those Silestone surfaces that have been produced with HybriQ+ technology are among the most beautiful the company has ever produced. The company explains that “the new mineral composition enables never before-seen effects in color depth, texture and tone.” Indeed, Cosentino has long proven that synthetic materials can be just as elegant and intricate as natural materials.

Moreover, Silestone is engineered to withstand the harsh daily use that kitchen countertops are subject to, including stains, acid and everyday nicks and scratches. Silestone also comes with a 25 year warranty. This alone is cause for celebration for the eco-conscious among us. Materials that are built to last will not find their way to a landfill anytime soon.

We recommend spending time on the Cosentino website to explore the myriad patterns and colors that are available. The website also includes great photos of their surfaces in action in real spaces for inspiration. There really is something for any design aesthetic, to warm Mediterranean hues to the industrial gray that has proven so popular in modern homes. Silestone also comes in three textures: polished, suede (or matte), and volcano. The latter is really cool, featuring a rustic, rough texture that would add warmth to a kitchen.

As Cosentino points out in their promotional material for HybriQ+, “the kitchen has become the heart and soul of our homes. It is where we cook, work, study, and share memories. It is only natural that the next world-changing idea will come from the kitchen.” So next time you need a sustainable surface for a kitchen redesign, Cosentino Silestone with HybriQ+ should be top of mind.

To learn more about Cosentino’s HybriQ+ Technology and request a quote, click here.