The certified safety of Active Surfaces® for the Hospitality Industry

When working with foodstuffs, product hygiene and process safety play an increasingly important role in safeguarding our health. In particular, the sanitization and cleaning of surfaces and worktops are essential to people’s safety, not just in the home, but even more importantly on industrial and public premises.

In Italy, the hospitality industry encompasses about 405,000 small, medium and micro enterprises. Bars and restaurants represent the most numerous categories, and are also the places where worktops and floor and wall coverings require the highest levels of safety and hygiene.

To meet this need, Iris Ceramica Group offers Active Surfaces®, the innovative, high-performance ceramic coverings designed to the highest quality standards. Active Surfaces® technology harnesses the photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide, which, when combined with silver, turns a simple ceramic panel into an eco-active material with anti-bacterial, anti-viral (including anti-Covid-19), anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning properties.

Furthermore, two important “food contact” certifications confirm that these materials can be used in direct contact with foodstuffs with the utmost safety, regardless of the type and formulation of the food they come into contact with.

The certifications were issued by a BELAC-accredited laboratory (BELAC is a certification institute for EU Member States, which specializes in testing materials used in food preparation environments), and prove that Active Surfaces® is a reliable ally not only in architecture, but also in all sectors where there is contact with foodstuffs.

Research also highlights the excellent results relating to the usability of Active Surfaces® in industrial and professional sectors that involve food processing and require high standards of safety and hygiene. In this respect, the study certifies that these materials remain safe and hygienic even after long hours of contact with food, unlike, for example, polymer-based materials that can be damaged by the use of knives directly on their surfaces. This clearly demonstrates that Active Surfaces® by Iris Ceramica Group is suitable for prolonged use as a worktop material in hotels, restaurants and bars.

The results achieved by Active Surfaces® in the “food contact” arena are further evidence of the substantial Research & Development, supported by detailed scientific documentation, that goes into Iris Ceramica Group materials. These innovative materials therefore transcend the traditional boundaries of architecture, design and furnishing, to offer totally safe, hygienic food preparation surfaces, not only in the home but also in professional and industrial environments, making them the ideal ceramics for use in kitchens and dining areas in the hospitality industry.

Active Surfaces® gives tangible expression to the vision of Iris Ceramica Group, which has been developing pioneering coverings and applications for over 60 years, with a forward-looking mindset and the drive to explore new avenues and blaze new trails for ceramic.

For over 10 years, Active Surfaces® has combined design, science and creativity to develop coverings that are not only innovative, sustainable and attractive, but that also improve personal well-being while respecting the environment.