Sustainability & Certifications
What Our Certifications Really Mean — and Why We're Proud of Every Single One
At Better Stone, sustainability isn't something we talk about — it's something we prove. Here's a guide to the independent certifications behind Synterra Surfaces™, and what they mean for your home, your family, and the planet.
When Queensland homeowners are choosing stone benchtops in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, or the Gold Coast, questions about safety and sustainability are coming up more than ever — and rightly so. At Better Stone, we introduced Synterra Surfaces™ to the Australian market because we found a surface that could answer those questions with independent, third-party proof. This article breaks down exactly what our certifications are, which organisations award them, and what they mean in practical terms for the engineered stone and man-made stone surfaces in your home.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do
From the moment Better Stone was established, our commitment to sustainability has shaped every decision we make. It's not a feature we added — it's the foundation we built on. When our director set out to find the right stone surface to bring to the Australian market, the non-negotiables were clear: the product had to be genuinely safer, genuinely more sustainable, and able to prove it through independent certification.
Synterra Surfaces™ met every one of those criteria. It carries GREENGUARD Gold certification for indoor air quality, NSF certification for food safety, and is produced under an ISO 9001 accredited quality management system. Below, we explain what each of those certifications actually means — because we think you deserve to understand exactly what you're investing in.
Our Certifications
- GREENGUARD Gold is awarded by UL Solutions — one of the world's most respected independent safety science organisations, with over a century of testing and certification experience. The GREENGUARD Gold standard represents the highest available threshold for chemical emissions from products used in indoor environments.
To earn GREENGUARD Gold certification, a product must meet strict limits on the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and over 360 additional chemicals into indoor air. The Gold tier is specifically designed for environments where the most vulnerable people spend significant time — schools, childcare centres, and healthcare facilities.
For families in SEQ, this matters because we spend the vast majority of our time indoors. The surfaces in our homes contribute to the air we breathe every day — particularly in kitchen and living spaces where stone benchtops are most commonly used. A GREENGUARD Gold certified surface gives you confidence that your stone isn't contributing harmful compounds to your home's indoor environment.
What this means for your home:
Synterra Surfaces™ have been independently tested and certified to meet GREENGUARD Gold standards. The air quality in your home won't be compromised by the surfaces in it.
- ISO 9001 Accreditation
ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for quality management systems, maintained by the International Organization for Standardization. It's one of the most widely respected quality frameworks in the world, adopted across industries from aerospace to healthcare to advanced manufacturing.
Accreditation means the production of Synterra Surfaces™ operates under a rigorously documented, independently audited quality framework — covering everything from raw material sourcing through to finished slab consistency. It's the assurance that every process is controlled, every standard is documented, and every batch is produced to the same verified specification.
For stone surfaces, this translates directly into consistency — in colour, in density, in surface finish, and in structural integrity. It also underpins every other sustainability claim: you can't reliably deliver a safe, high-quality surface without the systems in place to ensure it, batch after batch.
What this means for your home:
Whether you're ordering a single slab or specifying Synterra Surfaces™ across an entire project, ISO 9001 accreditation means every slab meets the same consistent standard.
The sustainability story behind every slab
Our certifications tell you what Synterra Surfaces™ meets. The production story tells you what it stands for. Beyond the independent certifications, here's what goes into every slab we offer:
Built for Queensland homes and conditions
We're a local Queensland business, and Synterra Surfaces™ perform exceptionally in the conditions SEQ homes face every day. The subtropical heat, coastal humidity, and intense UV light that homes across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast are exposed to demand surfaces that are genuinely engineered for longevity — not just designed to look good in a showroom.
- UV protected finish — resists colour fade in Queensland's intense sunlight
- Water resistant — reliable performance in humid coastal and hinterland conditions
- Heat resistant — handles the demands of a busy Queensland kitchen every day
- Scratch and impact resistant — Mohs hardness of 6.0+ for everyday family life
- Stain and chemical resistant — built for Queensland's indoor-outdoor lifestyle
- Lifetime warranty — because we stand behind every surface we offer
Synterra Surfaces™ are available in 3220 x 1620mm slabs, across collections from Essentials through to Boutique and Premium, with a dedicated Outdoor+ Collection engineered specifically for Queensland alfresco spaces and outdoor kitchens.
Visit our showroom based in Caloundra, request samples, or book a call with one of our reps. We're proud of every certification Better Stone carries - and we're happy to walk you through them.
