Eco Mark Product Category No.109“Tile-block Version2.10”
Certification Criteria―Applicable Scope―(1) Ceramic tiles
Ceramics tiles corresponding to categories “Ceramic tile” of JIS A 5209 or“Ceramic tile” of ISO 13006.
(2) Bricks and blocks
Bricks and blocks corresponding to such categories as “Common bricks(including recycled materials defined in ‘3. Terminology’ below as the raw
material of bricks)” of JIS R1250, “Clay pipes” of JIS R1201, “Ceramic
masonry units for buildings” of JIS A 5210, “Pre-cast plain concrete
products” of JIS A 5371Class I (covered conduit concrete block for paving
and boundary, drain ditch for road surface, concrete-block retaining wall,etc.), “concrete blocks for buildings” of JIS A 5406, “glass blocks (hollow)”of JIS A5212, and “Interlocking blocks” of JASS 7M-101 of theArchitectural Institute of Japan (common interlocking block, permeableinterlocking block, interlocking block for vegetation, interlocking block for
guiding visually handicapped persons and water-retentive interlocking
block), “Chrome brick” of JIS R2301, “Magnesia brick” of JIS R2302, “Fireclay
brick” of JIS R 2304, “High alumina brick” of JIS R 2305, “Insulating fire bricks”
of JIS R2611.

(3) Other tiles and blocks
Products made of aggregates bound by binding material such as resin,which corresponds to (1) “Ceramic tiles” or (2) “Bricks and blocks” above.

Established: September 1, 2003
Last revised: March 15, 2024
Expiration: August 31, 2026

Japan Environment Association
Eco Mark Office

NOTE: This document is a translation of the criteria written in Japanese. In the eventof dispute, the original document should be taken as authoritative.

109 V2 Criteria

Eco Mark Product Category No.109“Tile-block Version2.10” Certification Criteria
Japan Environment Association
Eco Mark Office
1. Purpose of Establishing Certification Criteria
Looking at the material flow in Japan, 2.04 billion tons of resources are usedannually (total volume of resources used), 50% of which are consumed and disposed.
Of all wastes disposed, 0.22 billion tons are recycled. Equivalent to 10% of the total
volume of resources used (White Paper on the Environment, 2001), it demonstrates theconsiderable efforts still required to realize a recycling-oriented community.
To promote recycling throughout the entire community against this background,the Basic Law for Establishing the Recycling-based Society was enacted in January
2001. This law summarizes the priority of waste reduction measures in the order of (1)reduced emission, (2) reuse of products and parts, (3) recycling as materials, and heatrecovery. Since the reuse and recycling processes can sometimes consume substantial
volumes of resources, the need to reduce wastes first and foremost by facilitating long life products and simplified packaging is emphasized.
Product Category No. 109 “Tile-blocks Made from Recycled Materials” establishedin 1997 recommends the use of recycled materials for manufacturing tile-blocks to
reduce the consumption of natural resources, as well as the effective use of constructionwastes, incineration ash, and sewage sludge as a means of waste recycling. Version 2.0of this product category continues to focus on promoting waste recycling by increasing
and spreading the use of tile-blocks made of recycled materials, in addition to giving
consideration to indicating the correct uses and management methods of products andthe reduction of packaging material to contribute to product reuse.

2. Applicable Scope(1) Ceramic tiles
Ceramics tiles corresponding to categories “Ceramic tile” of JIS A 5209 or “Ceramic tile”
of ISO 13006.
(2) Bricks and blocks
Bricks and blocks corresponding to such categories as “Common bricks (including
recycled materials defined in ‘3. Terminology’ below as the raw material of bricks)” of
JIS R1250, “Clay pipes” of JIS R1201, “Ceramic masonry units for buildings” of JIS A
5210, “Pre-cast plain concrete products” of JIS A 5371Class I (covered conduit concrete
block for paving and boundary, drain ditch for road surface, concrete-block retaining
wall, etc.), “concrete blocks for buildings” of JIS A 5406, “glass blocks (hollow)” of JIS
A5212, and “Interlocking blocks” of JASS 7M-101 of the Architectural Institute of Japan(common interlocking block, permeable interlocking block, interlocking block forvegetation, interlocking block for guiding visually handicapped persons and water-

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109 V2 Criteria
retentive interlocking block), “Chrome brick” of JIS R2301, “Magnesia brick” of JIS
R2302, “Fireclay brick” of JIS R 2304, “High alumina brick” of JIS R 2305, “Insulating
fire bricks” of JIS R2611.
(3) Other tiles and blocks
Products made of aggregates bound by binding material such as resin, whichcorresponds to (1) “Ceramic tiles” or (2) “Bricks and blocks” above.

3. Terminology
Recycled
materials
Post-consumer
materials

Post-consumer materials or pre-consumer materials, or the
combination of both.
Materials falling under either of the following categories andwhich have undergone the required pre-treatment.
(1) Materials or products disposed of after they were used as
goods.
(2) Melted slag from municipal garbage.
Pre-consumer
Materials falling under either of the following categories andmaterials
which have undergone the required pretreatment.
(1) Materials or inferior goods generated in the disposal routeof the manufacturing process of products. Excluded is reuse ofrecycled materials generated in the same process (in the sameplant).
(2) Solid materials removed for water purification (sewersludge, waterworks sludge and sludge at the bottom of a lakeor marsh) and construction sludge
Standard mixture The percentage of recycled materials used in respect to all theamountmaterials (including sub-materials such as additives, andbinding materials like clay, resin and cement) used for
manufacturing a product (weight %); thus,
standard mixture amount = recycled materials/all materials ofa product.
For products containing water, naturally dried weight shall be
used. For fired products, figures calculated by excluding theweight lost by firing shall be used.
For products using cement such as blocks, mixing water shallbe included in the total materials, and figures calculating thesematerials shall be used; thus
standard mixture amount = recycled materials/all materials
including the mixing water of a product.
Interlocking block Products which correspond to “Interlocking block” of JASS 7Mfor vegetation
101, and are used for landscaping (for example, blocks filledwith earth and used for planting grass). However, this excludes
products for which cavities are created depending on themethod used for installing several blocks.
Lightweight
Aggregate used for reducing concrete weight and improving
aggregate
adiathermancy, the absolute dry density of which is less than

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109 V2 Criteria
2.0 g/cm3 for coarse aggregate and less than 2.3 g/cm3 for fineaggregate.

4. Certification Criteria and Certification Procedure
4-1. Environmental Criteria and Certification Procedure
To show conformance to the individual criteria item, the respective AttachedCertificates shall be submitted.
(1) Products shall use “recycled materials” that are defined above and shall also beprocessed as designated according to the material category given in (attached) Table
1[Certification Procedure]
For recycled materials, documents certifying the contents of materials anddetails of the pre-treatment implemented, issued by the material supplier, shallbe submitted.
(2) The percentage of the recycled materials mentioned above for tile-blocks shall be
at least the standard mixture amount shown in Table 1. “Glass blocks (hollow)” shallcontain 100% glass cullet. However, products that are made of several recycledmaterials or products that fall under several categories of Table 1 in terms of thestandard mixture amount shall satisfy the standard mixture amount based on the
proportional mixture using the following formula.
mixture amount of a

mixture amount of b

standard mixture amount ofrecycled material category aA(%)/60+

standard mixture amount ofrecycled material category b+

B(%)/50≧ 1≧ 1

Products corresponding to JIS R1201 "Clay pipes" having a recycled material weightpercentage less than the standard mixture amount by up to 5 percentage points shallbe accepted.
For products using recycled lightweight aggregate, calculate the mixture amountusing the value calculated by the following formula.
Conversion formula of the mixture amount in the case of recycled lightweightaggregate:
1.7 / (Unit volume weight of recycled lightweight aggregate [g/cm 3])×(mixture amount[weight %] of recycled lightweight aggregate)[Certification Procedure]
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109 V2 Criteria
A product weight certificate shall contain a kind(s) of recycled material(s), mixture
ratio of a recycled material(s) to other material(s), total weight proportion(minimum guaranteed value) of all recycled materials, and a method ofmanagement.
(3) In manufacturing the applied product, related environmental laws andregulations and pollution control agreement (hereinafter referred to as the“Environmental Laws, etc.”) must be followed with respect to air pollution, watercontamination, noise, offensive odor, and emission of hazardous substances in thearea where the plant performing the final manufacturing process is located.
In addition, the state of compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. for the past
five years from the date of application (whether there is any violation) must bereported. If there is any violation, proper remedies and preventive measures shallhave been already taken, and the related Environmental Laws, etc. must thereafter
be followed appropriately.
[Certification Procedure]With respect to the compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. in the area
where the plant performing the final manufacturing process is located, acertificate issued by the representative of the business of manufacturing theapplied product or the relevant plant manager (entry or attachment of a list ofnames of the Environmental Laws, etc.) must be submitted.
In addition, the applicants shall report whether there is any violation in the past
five years, including a violation subject to administrative punishment oradministrative guidance, and if there is, the following documents in a and b mustbe submitted:
a. With respect to the fact of violation, guidance documents from administrative
agencies (including order of correction and warning) and copies of written
answers (including those reporting causes and results of correction) to such
documents (clearly indicating a series of communication);b. Following materials (copies of recording documents, etc.) concerning themanagement system for compliance with the Environmental Laws, etc. in 1)-5):
1) List of the Environmental Laws, etc. related to the area where the plant islocated;2) Implementation system (organizational chart with roles, etc.);
3) Bylaws stipulating retention of recording documents;
4) Recurrence prevention measures (future preventive measures);5) State of implementation based on recurrence prevention measures (result ofchecking of the state of compliance, including the result of onsite inspection).
(4) Production processes with firing or fusion shall give consideration to the volumeof CO2 emission.
[Certification Procedure]
Emissions of CO2 (excluding the pre-treatment stage of raw materials, andcomparisons limited to the part of production that differs from when natural
materials are used) per average product ton weight in the manufacturing of fired
or melted products shall be indicated with a comparison of fired or melted products
not using recycled raw materials.

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109 V2 Criteria(5) Elusion of hazardous materials from products shall meet the requirements of all
designated toxic substances in Attached Table 4 (December 26, 2002, Environment
Ministerial Ordinance No. 29) of the enforcement regulations of the environmental
standard concerning soil contamination. However, eight substances designated byelusion standards for goods manufactured at room temperature, melted products,
and fired products using only recycled materials subject to melting treatment are:cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, mercury, selenium, boron, andfluorine.
[Certification Procedure]
Documents certifying test results implemented by third party testing centers or
public institutions shall be submitted.
(6) The content of hazardous materials in products shall satisfy the requirements ofall designated toxic substances in Attached Table 5 (December 26, 2002,
Environment Ministerial Ordinance No. 29) of the enforcement regulations of theenvironmental standard concerning soil contamination. However, eight substances
designated by content standards for goods manufactured at room temperature,
melted products, and fired products using only recycled materials subject to melting
treatment are: cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, mercury, selenium,
boron, and fluorine.
[Certification Procedure]
Documents certifying test results implemented by third party testing centers or
public institutions shall be submitted(7) Products shall be recyclable after use, or discharge and disposal shall be as easy
as current products.
[Certification Procedure]
Documents certifying reasons for conformity to this item issued by the
manufacturer shall be submitted.
(8) Non-baking products of glass-concrete admixtures must conform to alkaliaggregate reaction control measures (August 2002, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
and Transport). Detoxification tests are not required for products that undergo
detoxification processing such as baking and coating after admixture with glass
before being utilized for non-baking products.
[Certification Procedure]Non-baking products of glass-concrete admixtures shall conform to alkaliaggregate reaction control measures, and the following shall be submitted: resultsof detoxification tests on verification of alkali-aggregate reaction and control
measures based on JIS A 1145 (chemical method), JIS A 1146 (mortar bar method),
or JIS A 5308 (ready-mix concrete Annexes 7 and 8), and documents explaining
alkali-aggregate reaction control measures.
For products that undergo detoxification processing such as baking and coating
after admixture with glass and before being utilized for non-baking products, thedetails shall be described in the Application Form for Eco Mark Certification/Use.
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109 V2 Criteria(9) Glass cullet shall undergo edgeless processing (melting, chamfering).
[Certification Procedure]
The edgeless processing method for glass cullet shall be described specifically in
the Application for Eco Mark Certification and Usage.
(10) Product packaging shall be easy to recycle. However, plastic materials used for
packaging shall not use plastics containing halogens in the polymer backbone.
[Certification Procedure]
The product packaging state and packaging material used shall be indicatedspecifically in the attached certificate. (Drawings and photographs can be used in
the description.)(11) Information on the appropriate handling of and storage precautions for tiles,
bricks, and blocks shall be indicated in instruction manuals, product labels, andpamphlets.
[Certification Procedure]
Instruction manuals, product labels, or pamphlets describing handling and storage
precautions of the product shall be submitted.
(12) The product shall not use antimicrobial agents as far as possible. In the case ofuse, the product shall be certified by such as the SIAA Mark of Society of Industrial
technology for Antimicrobial Articles.
[Certification Procedure]Compliance (or lack thereof) with this item shall be indicated in the AttachedCertificate. In the case of using antimicrobial agents, a copy of a certificate etc shallbe submitted.

4-2. Quality Criteria and Certification Procedure(1) The quality of products in this product category shall conform to the applicableprovisions of JIS, JASS 7 and ISO standards for ceramic tiles, bricks and blocks. As
for other tiles and blocks, products shall be of a similar quality as defined under the
JIS and JASS 7 standards that apply similarly.
[Certification Procedure]
Copies of test results or certificates from JIS certified plants based on thecorresponding quality criteria (including dimensions) shall be submitted.

5. Product Classification, Indication and Others(1) Products shall be classified by the product function such as JIS, ISO, etc. indicatedin 2. Applicable Scope and by brand name (product name). The product is notclassified by color or size. However, products using different material shall beapplied to separately.

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109 V2 Criteria(2) In principle, Eco Mark shown as below shall be indicated on the product. Regarding
licensee of Eco Mark Utilization Contract who already own Eco Mark products, theindication of the logo and certification number that have been used is also
acceptable.

(Note for the indication)*For indicating the logo, Eco Mark certification number (eight-digit number) or thename of the licensee using the logo shall be appeared.
* Such expression as “Eco Mark product” can be used following the 2.(2) of the Guide
to Eco Mark Usage.
“Eco Mark product”, “#Eco Mark”, “www.ecomark.jp”, “Eco Mark Certificate”* In accordance with “Environmental Labeling Guidelines” of the Ministry of theEnvironment of Japan, etc., the environmental claims of certified products may be
indicated in association with Eco Mark.
(https://www.env.go.jp/policy/hozen/green/ecolabel/guideline/)* The Guide to Eco Mark Usage shall be followed for any cases not listed above.
(https://www.ecomark.jp/office/guideline/guide/)

Established: September 1, 2003 (Version 2.0)
Revised: Dec. 26, 2003（Eco Mark Usage）
Revised: June 10, 2004 (2. Applicable Products revision of kinds of JIS A 5371)
Revised: July 1, 2004 (statements below Eco Mark , Version2.1)
Revised: October 19, 2006 (deletion of 6. Other Requirements, Version2.2)
Revised: April 13, 2007 (Version2.3)
Revised: August 21, 2008 (4-1.(3), Version2.4)
Revised: November 4, 2009 (Version2.5)
Revised: March 1, 2011 (5.Indication, Version2.6)
Revised: June 15, 2012 (4-1.(12), Version2.7)
Revised: April 1, 2017 (2.Applicable scope, Version2.8)
Extension of Expiration: March 1, 2020
Revised: February 1, 2023 (4-1.(10), Version2.9)
Revised: March 15, 2024 (Applicable scope, Table, Version2.10)
Expiration: August 31, 2026
The Certification Criteria for the Product Category will be revised when necessary.

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109 V2 Criteria
Table 1: Material category of recycled materials, certification for usage and standard
mixture amount
Category and name of waste etc.
for raw materials of recycledmaterials

Category
Waste
from
mines
and
quarries
Waste
from
metal
industry

Name of recycledmaterials·Waste sand fromquarries andceramics·Micro silica sandgenerated at
separation of silica by
water·Steel slag
·Casting sand
·Ceramic waste·Copper slag
·Ferronickel slag

Note 7)

industria
l wastes

Products formedat roomFired products

temperatureStandard Mixture
Amount Note 5)(weight %)Products
formed at
Fired
room
products
temperature

50%
Applicable without pre-treatment

60%

Note 3)Note 4)·Electric furnace slag
·Coal ash·Disposed plastics·Shells·Disposed lumber frombuildings(sludge excluded)·Disposed rubber·Glass cullet Note 6)·Used refractory bricks·Construction sludge

Other

Pre-treatment required for
certification of recycled materials·Incinerated ashes ofmunicipal garbage·Incinerated ashes ofindustrial wastes·Paper manufacturing
sludge·Aluminum sludge·Plating sludge·Polishing sand sludge
Sewer sludge
Waterworks sludge
Sludge at bottom oflake, etc.

Changedintoincinerated
ashes or melted
slag

Applicablewithout
Pre-treatment

40%

50%

Note 3)

Changed into
melted slag

Changed into
melted slag

Note 2)

Note 2)

Changedintoincinerated
ashes or melted
slag

Applicablewithout
Pre-treatment

60%

Note 3)

Changed into
incinerated
ashes or meltedslag

Changed into
incinerated
ashes or melted
slag
Applicablewithout
Pretreatment

50%

Note 3)50%40%Note 1) Materials which belong to one of the above categories but not specified as waste etc. shall begiven additional certification if deemed by the Eco Mark Committee for Product Certification
as meeting the “Definitions of recycled materials” of this Product Category.

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109 V2 Criteria
Note 2) Pre-treatments recognized to have the same safety as melted slag shall be screened and given
additional certification by the Eco Mark Committee for Product Certification.
Note 3) For melted products containing small quantities of colorants, the weight of colorants shallnot be included in the weight of all materials used for calculating the standard mixture
amount.
Note 4) For hollow glass blocks, the standard mixture amount shall be taken as 100% (weight %)using only glass cullet as the recycled material.
Note 5) For products that are made of several recycled materials or products that fall under several
categories at the standard mixture amount of the above table, calculate the standard
mixture amount using the proportional mixture.
Example) Fired products and melted products using ceramic wastes and sewer sludge:
Ceramic waste

A (%)

Metallic industrial wastes (Standard mixture amount 50%)

Sewer sludge

B (%)

Sludge generated in daily life or naturally (Standard mixture
amount 40%)

In this case, the standard mixture amount shall satisfy (A x 50 + B x 40)/(A + B).
Note 6）A color (solid color, brown, etc.) of a cullet to be used shall also be described.
Note 7）The conditions for discharging construction sludge and acceptance criteria for checking soil
property shall be defined with reference to “Construction Sludge Recycling Manual” (Written
and edited by Public Works Research Institute in December 2008), and only inorganic sludge
that were subjected to appropriate treatment shall be used.

Any construction sludge that

does not conform to the environmental quality standards for soil based on the Environmental
Basic Law and the content standard of specified toxic substances based on the Soil
Contamination Countermeasures Law shall not be used unless it is subjected to proper
processing so that it can conform to these standards.

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