Syndecrete Pre-cast Concrete Aggregate

The company's promotional material is the epitome of environmentally friendly packaging—like a Ben & Jerry's annual report. The article reprints sent were even bound in a jacket made from corrugated cardboard. So we were quite intrigued by the product. Syndecrete™ is a lightweight, pre-cast, architectural concrete composite used in kitchen countertops, sinks, tub surrounds, tile flooring, and new-age furniture. What makes it interesting enough to cover in EBN is its composition. Syndecrete is cement-based, but western coal flyash (a waste product from coal-fired power plants) is substituted for roughly 20% of the cement, and waste polypropylene fiber from a carpet manufacturing plant is mixed in to provide reinforcing. Other recycled materials are often added in, such as metal shavings and recycled glass chips, but these are added mainly for the unique aesthetic style the company is seeking.

Currently, all Syndecrete products are custom-made and targeted toward wealthy, style-conscious customers. While products are not sold on a square-foot basis (everything is custom, remember) a 2"-thick kitchen countertop will cost an average of $75 to $100 per square foot! Company president David Hertz said, however, that he would like to expand the use of Syndecrete by offering lower-cost standard sizes and designs. If that happens, the product could become a competitor to the Corian®-type products and, though EBN has not done any detailed analysis, Syndecrete would almost certainly be better from an environmental standpoint.