A new manufacturing partnership being introduced at the Marmomacc stone exhibition in Verona this month (21-24 September) introduces a polished version of a new kind of engineered stone.

The material is called Echotect. It combines marble and quartz with recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) derived from used plastic bottles. It can be made into floor and wall tiles, countertops, internal boards and external cladding, and is itself 100% recyclable.

NSS reported in February last year that the new material had been perfected after nine years of development by Shell Research. It was being brought to market by Echotect, headed by Stephen Eastwood, formerly MD of Rugby Cement and Adsteam Europe and was first shown at Ecobuild this year.

Now MBD, the Italian polishing company, has joined with Echotect to perfect a 4-10mm thick, gloss finish surface, suitable for kitchen and bathroom work surfaces and internal and external building applications.

The Echotect materials will be unveiled at Marmomacc as part of MBD’s display. It will be the first chance to see the Echotect material finished with the MBD polishing equipment, which is specially designed to work with extremely thin products.

As part of the co-operation, an MBD polishing plant has been installed on permanent loan at Echotect’s Swiss factory just outside Zurich.

Now, with the polishing line in place, Echotect is refining both its matt and high gloss finishes and is in talks with distributors in the UK and continental Europe to bring the products to market.

Echotect say they a broad range of companies across the engineered stone and building materials sectors are interested in the material. Echotect want to sell plant for others to set up in the same way as Breton has done for engineered quartz. Stephen Eastwood, CEO of Echotect BV, told NSS: “This is another exciting milestone in the journey of bringing Echotect’s unique products to market. We are hoping the lightweight, decorative aesthetic will prove popular with architects and interior designers.

“With no compromise in terms of moisture and heat resistance, Echotect products will become the obvious choice for the eco-conscious consumer.”