Interview Costa Nova “In our view, the sooner we act, the stronger and more competitive the industry becomes”
A leader in producing sustainable tableware, the Costa Nova Industria Group has paved the way for others to follow. Seeing sustainable manufacturing as an opportunity for progression, the company has not held back, investing €16 million in the opening of a new factory. Miguel Casal, CEO and owner, Costa Nova Industria Group gives insight into why sustainable practices are a necessity and not simply a ‘nice to have’… We are really interested in your investment of €16m in the Ecogres – Cerâmica Ecológica factory which is dedicated to sustainable stoneware production. When did you realise Grestel must “do more” in terms of leading the way in sustainable tableware production? Innovation and sustainability have always been part of our DNA at Costa Nova Industria Group. From day one, back in 1998, when we founded Grestel, the group’s flagship factory, we felt a strong responsibility to do more - to create more innovative products, rethink how we produce them, and set new standards for sustainable manufacturing in our industry. More than a brand or a product, Ecogres is a concept, a factory, and a philosophy. Grestel has always been deeply committed to sustainability, both industrially and socially. The Ecogres factory
is the ultimate example of best practices in sustainable ceramic manufacturing, one of the most advanced industrial facilities in the world in terms of energy efficiency. Ecogres, this is a registered trademark of Costa Nova / Grestel – Produtos Cerâmicos, S.A. (Portugal), developed in partnership with the University of Aveiro – tell us more about how this project developed, and would you agree it changed how you do business? Ecogres was born from our company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and our R&D partnership with the University of Aveiro. This unique raw material, made from recycled components, is created by collecting, recycling, and reusing clays and glazes from Grestel’s own operations, as well as waste from other industries. Today, Costa Nova’s catalogue includes 11 collections crafted from
Did you know? Costa Nova’s catalogue includes 11 collections crafted from Ecogres, serving both retail (B2C) and hospitality markets. 34 Sustainability by TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL
Ecogres, serving both retail (B2C) and hospitality markets. Many other brands have also added Ecogres collections to their portfolios, which we manufacture through our private label department. It was the success of these collections, combined with our ongoing focus on innovation, that led to the establishment of a dedicated facility for producing this recycled clay body. The plant began operations in early 2023 and now produces 24,000 pieces per day, employing 235 people, while the Group employs 1,090 people and manufactures a total of 60.000 stoneware pieces per day. From a personal point of view, when did you truly realise the tabletop industry needed to change its method of production? And how long before you started to implement those changes at Grestel/ Costa Nova? We were among the first factories in Portugal - and globally - to manufacture tableware using a single-firing system. From there, we continuously pursued glazes with lower percentages of sintered materials; optimised our
factory layouts for greater energy efficiency; excess kiln heat for drying processes and reintroduced it into the firing circuit - a process that also enhanced machinery efficiency and benefited the industry as a whole - and achieved 100 per cent water recycling within production. Sustainability and efficiency have always been a continuous process and investment. Most recently, we were pioneers in testing hydrogen energy for the firing process with intermittent industrial kilns. Because producing more sustainably requires investment, do you think the industry – which, for the most part, is suffering right now – is holding back on all the changes it can really make? At Costa Nova Indústria Group, we’ve always seen sustainability as an opportunity rather than a constraint — an investment that delivers efficiency, innovation, and long-term resilience. Of course, many companies in the industry are currently facing challenges due to the social and geopolitical climate, which has particularly affected retail sales. Sustainability also means profitability and