Background The manufacturing of ceramic tiles generates an estimated three million tonnes of waste per year in Europe. Waste emerges from different stages of the production process, including from the forming, firing, glazing, grinding and polishing activities, as well as from broken or sub-standard products that have to be discarded. The manufacturing process changes the composition of the materials – clay, glazes etc. - meaning a significant percentage cannot be re-used in the manufacturing process. Using ceramic waste material as low-value fillers in the construction industry is one of the few options available. As a result, large amounts of waste are sent to landfill. The ceramic sector needs to find solutions to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. As well as changing consumption patterns, it may be necessary to develop new products to make use of the available materials. Technological innovation can help explore these possibilities. Objectives The LIFE CERAM project's main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving zero-waste from the ceramic tile manufacturing process. To achieve this, it aims to develop a new ceramic tile product made out of ceramic manufacturing residues. The project is targeting zero waste from a life-cycle perspective. The project seeks to develop a new type of ceramic tile for outdoor use, such as urban paving, making use of a high content of ceramic waste in the body and glaze. The wastes from other energy-intensive processes – such as power plants and glass manufacturing – will also be tested. The project will quantify and characterise all the wastes currently generated in the manufacture of ceramic tiles and related activities – including body composition suppliers, glaze producers and polishing facilities. It will do the same for wastes coming from other energy-intensive processes within a 100 km radius of the ceramics cluster in Castellón. The researchers will design body and glaze compositions for the new product, which will allow for the use of all types of ceramic waste. The new glazes will be obtained by mixing different residues, ceramic and non ceramic, including up to 20% recycled glass. They will also design a highly sustainable process for manufacturing the new tiles, using existing dry milling and granulation technologies. They aim to move from laboratory-scale tests to successfully demonstrate industrial-scale feasibility. Expected results: Zero waste in the manufacture of ceramic tiles; Total recycling of the following approximate waste values generated by a ceramic tile company: o Green scraps: 3 500 t/year o Fired scraps: 1 000 t/year o Glaze sludge: 1 500 t/year o Polishing sludge: 350 t/year o Dust from the kiln filters: 3.5 t/year Total recycling of the following approximate waste values generated by a glazing company: o Frit residues: 450 t/year o Glaze sludge: 350 t/year o Dust: 50 t/year Recycling of the following approximate waste values from other industrial processes: o Fly ash: 350 t/year o Recycled glass: 600 t/year A reduction in the consumption of primary raw materials, with associated reductions in environmental and economic costs; Reductions in water consumption (65 %), energy input (60 %) and CO2 emissions (55 %), with associated cost savings.