76 2017 | TECH marketplace to find manufacturers’ and distributors’ discontinued prod- ucts and other dealers’ overstocks at 50% to 90% off list price. This service also can be used by con- tractors who may have made errors in their estimates and find signifi- cant material left over when the job is completed. Anyone in the trade can be a buyer or seller on Xintory, so contractors now have a market- place to offer their excess material to other contractors throughout North America. Xintory is only open to the trade and does not sell to the pub- lic. The company guarantees 100% satisfaction on every transaction. www.xintory.com Tools, accessories, apps and services Sustainable, Eco-conscious products Jeff Moen, sales & marketing director FILA USA www.filasolutions.com In the surface care category, the mar- ket trend is towards sustainable chemis- try, which seeks to improve the efficien- cy with which natural resources are used. As well as encompassing the design, manufacture and use of “effi- cient, effective, safe and more envi- ronmentally benign chemical prod- ucts and processes,” it also stimu- lates innovation. FILA’s unique contri- bution centers around its Green Line products, designed for safety and minimal environmental impact, using green production methods pow- ered by solar energy. The Green Line includes neutral cleaners and water- based sealers. As well as providing comparable performance to tradi- tional formulations, new sophisticat- ed treatments like these offer other benefits too. For example, water- based sealers can be applied over residual moisture, which can result in considerable time and cost savings on site. Benefits like these open up multiple opportunities for the floor- ing contractor, the retailer and the end user. Arthur Mintie, senior technical services manager LATICRETE www.laticrete.com To aid in the development of green building products, LATICRETE has made advancements to nearly 20 of its cement-based mortars and grouts packaging, including a plastic that boasts recyclability and reduced breakage. While most products on the market must be disposed of after a year, the updated plastic packaging allows distributors and contractors to store these mortars and grouts for up to two years, drastically reducing disposal costs for unused, expired inventory. New developments within the tile and flooring industry are mon- itored and regulated according to multiple certifications and dec- larations including Health Product Declarations (HPD), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and UL GREENGUARD Certifications. These documents help manufacturers cre- ate — and help buyers identify — tile and flooring installation materials’ impact on the environment. Establishing a first for the tile and flooring industry, LATICRETE is cur- rently the only company with a full product specific EPD for its cement self-leveling underlayments, cement grouts and cement mortars. By devel- oping such EPDs, LATICRETE is on the leading edge of sustainable innova- tion by providing transparency about the life-cycle impacts of their prod- ucts. Our commitment to sustain- ability doesn’t stop here; LATICRETE strives to eventually develop addi- tional product specific EPDs for the entire LATICRETE portfolio. Dan Marvin, director of technical services MAPEI Americas www.mapei.com Two trends are huge here – install- The issue of sustainability is a growing one that spreads across many industries today. The tile business is no different, and the pair of major developments in the industry concerning sustainable products should surprise no one. One, of course, is the ever-growing reactivity of install- ers to the silica utilized in both grouts and mortars. Accordingly, with the emphasis placed on the industry by the new OSHA requirements taking hold in 2017, reduced silica and lower dust factors in a variety of products are making their debut. Also becoming much more of a focus is the openness regarding what exactly is being used to make the prod- ucts currently being used throughout the industry. As you read further, you will learn more about what manufacturers are doing to make their products safer for contractors to work with and other industry professionals to use. – Louis Iannaco