Eco-friendly tiles by using Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) / Siti Alya Aisyah MD Zabri and Nor Asma Hafizah Hadzaman

Tiles are manufactured furnishing materials with technical and aesthetic functions that are commonly used to cover internal walls, ceilings, and floors in buildings. They are available in a wide range of materials, both hard, such as ceramic, porcelain, stone, marble, clay, slate, glass, etc., and soft, such as timber, vinyl, cork, etc. Agricultural practices, especially the open burning of waste materials, can affect the environment as they release harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The release of these pollutants and gases worsens air pollution and increases climate change. Using eco-friendly materials or products is good for the environment and causes minimal harm both to the environment and people. In the context of tile manufacturing, the utilisation of eco-friendly materials involves selecting sustainable sources that can mitigate the impact of climate change, such as utilising agricultural waste instead of burning it. Hence, this study was carried out to develop eco-friendly tiles design ideas, assemble the prototypes of eco-friendly tiles, demonstrate their performance, and showcase entrepreneurial skills. The study utilised both primary and secondary sources, including experiments and extensive literature research from articles and journals.