item: bio-luminum tiles
distributed by: coverings etc
material: 100% recycled aircraft aluminum
photos via: top: coverings etc middle: inhabitat and bottom: green launches
comments: these aluminum tiles come from reclaimed aircraft parts. when planes are retired, they go to remote sights called airplane graveyards or bone yards around the country where they sit useless. not anymore. coverings etc, has found a way to re-purpose the aluminum into blocks which can then be made into these tiles. the tiles are very durable which make them a good choice for high traffic floor areas as well as for wall treatments. not only are they 100% recycled, but they are 100% recyclable. the energy used in the recycling process is 5% of what is used in first generation aluminum production. coverings etc is also starting a buy back program so that when customers are finished with the tiles, they can sell them back at raw material cost. it's admirable that coverings etc pushed so hard to find a use for this vast amount of waste material from retired aircraft. it took time, research and design thinking on their part to figure out how the material could be recycled and how it could be made into a beautiful, viable product. thoughtful design at it's best.