Cement grout is a factory prepared mixture of cement, aggregate, and other bonding ingredients used to fill joints, or the spaces left between tiles. Once cured, it is fire-resistant, durable, and moisture insensitive.
This transparency summary for the UL certified environmental product declaration discusses the lifecycle impacts, material content, and additional environmental information for cement grout used for tile installation. The assessed lifecycle covered the raw material extraction for grout, as well as transportation, manufacturing, packaging, use and final disposal at the end of life for the material. Impact categories included grout’s affect on the atmosphere, water, and earth, assessing its potential impact on global warming, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone creation, acidification, eutrophication, and depletion of abiotic resources (elements and fossil fuels).
Tile installations using cement grout can last as long as the buildings themselves, and are often reused for multiple generations of building occupants. Post-life applications include clean fill, aggregate for new products, and roadway paving, however this summary took a conservative approach and the analysis assumes that the majority of tile and associated waste would be disposed of in a landfill.