Background Ceramic tile production consumes large quantities of non-renewable materials, including sand, feldspars, alumina, zirconia, mullite and clay. Substantial amounts of water are also used, particular in the milling of raw materials and to finish the fired tiles. To produce 1 000 square metres of tiles, between 8-18 cubic metres of water are needed for milling, 7-15 cubic metres for preparing the enamels, and 800 cubic metres for cutting, grinding and polishing. Tile production also generates waste, especially in the form of exhausted lime (about 15 kg per 1 000 square metres of tiles), which is sent to landfill, and glass waste, derived from glass-ceramics or ceramic materials. The complete recycling of glass waste is hindered by the extreme variability of glass composition and by the extremely high content of refractory ceramic or glass-ceramic materials. Objectives The Low resources Low energy project aimed to drastically reduce the use of non-renewable resources in the production of a new family of ceramic-like wall and floor tiles. The main objective was to design a process to recycle up to 80% of unsorted glass-based waste, by using it to replace the raw materials currently used for the production of ceramic coverings. Other aims were to reduce water and energy consumption, reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and lower manufacturing costs during the manufacturing of wall and floor coverings. Results The Low resources Low energy project identified a suitable and reliable supply chain of reusable waste materials able to guarantee a constant production of ceramic-like wall and floor tiles. Several suppliers of waste materials, located within 250 km from the project implementation site (to guarantee fast supply and reduce transportation costs), were identified. The physical and mechanical properties of the recovered waste was analysed, and a stable source of material confirmed that could achieve the 120 tonnes per month threshold supply required. The project team designed and assembled a pilot plant composed of milling, pressing and firing stations, able to produce up to 500 square metres of fired tiles per day, by modifying an existing production plant. Modifications in the milling, forming and firing stations were assessed, to help adapt the process to the characteristics of the newly identified waste mixtures. The final configuration allowed a production of about 500 square meters of tiles per day. Once the optimal configuration is identified, the technical modifications required to the plant are relatively easy to implement and the related costs are moderate, thereby increasing the chances of replicating and transferring the technology to other locations. Due to the high content of glass-based material in the innovative mixture powders, the firing temperature of the process was reduced to about 920°C, with a related reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis carried out at the end of the project confirmed a reduction in the use of non-renewable resources (around 78%), energy consumption (30%), CO2 emissions (0.063 kgCO2/kg fired tile), water consumption (33%) and transportation distance (17%). Energy and consequent greenhouse gas (CO2) reductions derive mainly from the fact that drying is no longer needed. In addition, the produced tiles had good aesthetic properties and acceptable mechanical characteristics. A reduction in the tile production costs of about 10% was identified, which was mainly due to a reduction in energy costs (25%) and raw material costs (18%). The LCA study confirmed a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the proposed technology with respect to the traditional one. The separate contributions of raw materials, waste (end-of-life of the produced tile), and the manufacturing process were calculated for the traditional and innovative Low resources Low energy techniques. The considerable environmental benefits suggested by the project results show that an uptake of the Low resources Low energy approach could help compliance with several EU policy areas, including climate change and CO2 emissions, water use and consumption, energy efficiency, natural resources usage, and waste and hazardous waste management. The project introduced up to 80% of stone and glass-based waste to replace the use of raw materials in the production of ceramic coverings. The unsorted glass-based waste targeted by the project is typically difficult to re-use due to its heterogeneous composition. Moreover, the recent introduction of glass-ceramic dishware has made glass recycling even more difficult, since an optical-based separation of conventional glass from transparent glass-ceramic is impossible. The project developed innovative milling equipment able to grind different compositions of materials, separately treating fragile waste (glass-based) and more complex wastes (e.g. stone cuttings, fired tiles), which allowed the recycling of unsorted glass-based material that would otherwise be sent to landfill. Furthermore, in the proposed technology all the milling operations are dry, reducing the water consumption of the process. The reduction in environmental impact and the lower manufacturing cost demonstrated by the project could bring socio-economic benefits for local communities. It provides an added value through environmentally-friendly technology, important when putting a new product into a competitive market at a time of global economic crisis. The recycling of waste material also reduces the need to import raw materials over relatively long distances (e.g. kaolin from Turkey or Ukraine; zirconia from Australia; feldspars from Eastern Europe). The new technology substitutes up to 80% of these raw materials with inexpensive stone and glass waste diverted from local landfills. The project also created jobs for local people, and contributed to the improvement of technical skills within the workforce. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).