Next generation tiles redefining sustainable material choices

Sustainable materials shaping future spaces

As part of B Corp Month, we are continuing to explore the material innovations helping to reshape how the design industry approaches sustainability.

Recently, members of the SpaceInvader team visited Dekiln, a growing start-up focused on developing some of the most sustainable tile solutions currently emerging in the market. As the first design studio to visit their showroom, it provided an opportunity to engage directly with the product, understand the thinking behind its development, and offer feedback at an early and influential stage.

Dekiln’s tiles are engineered with over 95 percent recycled content and achieve a 94 percent lower CO₂ footprint compared to traditional ceramic tiles. This represents a meaningful shift in how materials can be specified, particularly within commercial and hospitality environments where durability, performance and sustainability must align.

Seeing the materials up close offered valuable insight into both their aesthetic potential and practical application. Beyond the product itself, the visit highlighted the importance of collaboration between designers and material innovators. Early dialogue allows new solutions to be tested, challenged and refined, ensuring they are viable for real-world use across a range of project types.

From a lab-based set-up to ambitions for scaled production, Dekiln’s journey reflects a wider movement within the industry towards more responsible manufacturing and specification. For SpaceInvader, this reinforces the role design studios can play not only in selecting materials, but in actively shaping the future of what is available.

Being a B Corp is not only about outcomes, but about the decisions made throughout the design process. Material selection is a critical part of that responsibility, influencing both environmental impact and long-term performance.

We are looking forward to exploring how next-generation materials like these can be integrated into future projects, supporting clients in creating spaces that are both high-performing and more sustainable by design.

To learn more about our purpose and how our B Corp journey continues to shape the way we design and specify, explore our approach to responsible design here.