Story at a glance:
- Add these 18 sustainable kitchen products to your kitchen for an eco-friendly space to cook, entertain, and gather.
- A custom backsplash from Oceanside Glass and Tile infuses kitchens with beauty and environmental responsibility.
- Wolf Gourmet appliances offer energy-efficient technology to lower energy consumption, while products like Newton Coffee’s hand press espresso machine top off a perfect sustainable kitchen.
When designing a kitchen, finding the right faucet is just as important as picking out the right nontoxic paint color for the walls. The kitchen is a crucial space in any residential project, both as a social space and as a sustainable one, as it contains some of the most energy-intensive appliances and practices.
Finding the best products can make or break the kitchen. From appliances to materials, here are 18 of our favorite sustainable kitchen products for the perfect eco-friendly kitchen.
1. InSinkErator
InSinkErator reduces the amount food waste headed for the landfill. Photo courtesy of InSinkErator
The InSinkErator disposal system is, to be frank, a must in any dream kitchen. “An InSinkErator disposal has always been a product of convenience, but that convenience comes with the sustainable benefit of diverting millions of tons of food waste from landfills,” Ron Sing, director of brand and integrated marketing at InSinkErator, told gb&d.
Down the line, this means fewer methane emissions and a healthier world, all thanks to this small, hardly visible feature of the kitchen.
2. Formica
Formica’s charred formwork comprises this dining surface. Photo courtesy of Formica Group
Formica’s laminate surfaces show a commitment to innovation and sustainability while also being visually and materially interesting. Clients can expect unique solutions to their surfacing needs, be it countertops or cabinetry.
Formica partners with GREENGUARD, LEED, and FSC to ensure their products are developed with the environment in mind—to be energy-efficient, reduce carbon emissions, and increase the use of eco-friendly materials throughout the life of their products.
3. Element Designs
Element Designs shelves come in various colors and styles. Photo courtesy of Element Designs
These aluminum and glass shelves incorporate long-lasting and energy-efficient LED lights and are recyclable. They are painted using low-VOC, water-based paints and are designed for longevity in the home. Plus, Element Designs shelves look cool and sleek in the kitchen or anywhere else.
4. Oceanside Glass & Tile
Oceanside’s recycled glass tile makes a gorgeous custom backsplash. Photo courtesy of Oceanside Glass & Tile
Oceanside Glass & Tile offers gorgeous tiles and mosaics made of up to 98% recycled content that make a stunning backsplash. “Sustainability is one of the things I’m most proud of about this company. It’s the norm for us,” Oceanside President Vincent Moiso told gb&d.
In manufacturing, the company reuses and recycles water, the firing furnaces run on natural gas, and employee health is prioritized.
5. Gerber
The Melrose Wall Mount Pot Filler. Photo courtesy of Gerber
Gerber’s modern plumbing fixtures are manufactured to maximize water efficiency. The company is a longtime partner of EPA Watersense to create the performance guidelines for fixture certification. Gerber continues to set high standards for water efficiency, and offers all of the big stops for the ideal kitchen setup, including the Melrose Wall Mount Pot Filler.
6. Newton Coffee
Newton Espresso is designed to fit in any countertop space. Photo courtesy of Newton Espresso
This nonelectric, hand press espresso maker complements the sustainable kitchen. Shortlisted for Dezeen’s design awards and winner of the HOME design award 2017, Newton Espresso is easy to use, durable, and simple.
7. Metroflor
Metroflor’s tile solution offers low-toxicity flooring to add texture to any space. Photo courtesy of Metroflor
Metroflor’s low-toxicity flooring is quality, durable, and above all environmentally conscious. Metroflor manufactures and distributes its flooring, from vinyl tile to LVT, sustainably and transparently, with material transparency, carbon reduction, and water/energy conservation at the heart of the business.
8. SMILE
SMILE is modular and can be changed and adjusted to suit all varieties of spaces. Photo courtesy of ChopValue
SMILE shelf by ChopValue recycles chopsticks to create a modular, customizable shelf perfect for the leftover wall space in any kitchen. The shelves are made from locally sourced recycled chopsticks and recycled construction steel, making this “adult Lego” carbon negative.
9. BLANCO SOLON
BLANCO is known for its beautifully designed faucets and sinks. But another important offering is their easy to clean, dishwasher-safe Solon organic waste system, which won the iF Product Design Award. The system sits right in the countertop for easy integration in the kitchen. Although Solon is a sustainable product itself, BLANCO also prioritizes sustainability in manufacturing, where they have cut back on water use by 50% and continue to reduce emissions.
10. Haand Ceramics
Haand Cloudware features a blue and white glaze designed to resemble the sky. Photo courtesy of Haand
Haand ceramics are a prime finishing touch in the kitchen. Made by hand, the ceramics are designed for durability and beauty with a non-VOC glaze and recycled clay. Their new Cloudware collection brings light and joy into the kitchen with patterns inspired by Wedgwood Jasperware and the North Carolina sky.
11. Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics’s Winter Collection is designed to symbolize hope with a bright daffodil yellow. Photo courtesy of Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics are another option for high-quality, beautifully designed ceramics. In the home Heath adds a touch of color and texture to all of its dishes for an invigorated dining and cooking experience.
With each collection, Heath comes closer to its zero-waste goal by recycling as much clay as possible and incorporating greywater recycling to its manufacturing process. Heath also collaborates with restaurants to design entire lines of dishware tailored to the needs and aesthetics of a space.
12. Custom Metal Home
Custom Metal Home’s stainless steel countertops are very durable. Photo courtesy of Custom Metal Home
Custom Metal Home makes tables, range hoods, shelves, and more, but above all they specialize in custom metal countertops made from stainless steel, zinc, or copper. Premium, expert handcraft makes these countertops sleek and sturdy for years to come, and each is manufactured in the US.
13. Onyx Airtight Storage Container
Even after the design is up and the kitchen is in use, sustainability comes into play in food storage. These stainless steel containers by Onyx offer food storage that is both reusable and recyclable, hitting two of the three famous Rs at once. Plus, they look fantastic stacked up in the fridge or sitting on the counter ready to eat.
14. Coterie
-
- Coterie furniture repurposes wood to form pieces full of character and style. Photo courtesy of Coterie
-
- Coterie uses Amish furniture-making techniques. Photo courtesy of Coterie
Finish up the kitchen with a custom table crafted by Coterie, a Chicago-based furniture company. Coterie specializes in working with reclaimed wood to create pieces from conference tables to ceiling panels. The company’s expertise in craftsmanship sets them apart as they recycle materials to create custom designs for their clients.
15. Le Creuset
Le Creuset released its newest color, Deep Teal, in 2020. Photo courtesy of Le Creuset
Le Creuset is known by its vibrant, defining colors, but they also happen to be a pretty sustainable option for high-quality cooking materials, considering their incredible durability and long lineage, often passed down from generation to generation.
Le Creuset offers lines in various materials, including recyclable stainless steel and nontoxic enamel cast iron, perhaps its most popular and influential offering.
16. Wolf Gourmet
Wolf Gourmet strives for sustainability throughout its business practices. As a company, more than 75% of Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove’s stainless steel is recycled material, Sub-Zero and Wolf manufacturing produces no wastewater, ozone-forming hydrocarbon solvents are significantly reducing in the manufacturing process, and nearly all shipping containers are returnable.
Wolf Gourmet appliances’ notable red dials and perfect symmetry work fantastically in the kitchen, and with sustainable manufacturing and an Energy Star rating, they do fantastic work for the environment, too.
16. Ferv
This insulated kettle cuts down on electricity consumption by keeping water boiling hot for up to four hours.
Ferv’s sleek look suits the modern kitchen and its vacuum flask technology means it is capable of keeping a boil inside while still being comfortable to the touch on the outside.
18. Crossville Tile
This kitchen design by Susan Serra features Crossville tiles made to look like natural wood. Photo courtesy of Susan Serra
These sustainable tiles add personality and texture to floors, walls, and countertops in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Crossville tile’s porcelain stone, glass, and natural stone tile are great for kitchen floors because they are durable and can be specified to fit LEED certifications.
The company is a net consumer of waste as they take back tiles for recycling in order to keep them out of landfills, and is certified Petal by the Living Product Challenge.
