At Gerflor, “We care, we act is more than just a catchphrase”, so says its 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. In this spirit David Collins-Lafferty, Gerflor UK Marketing Manager, comments on the recycling of vinyl and LVT and their contribution to the environment. He says: “There is no doubt that recycling vinyl flooring and LVT does and will continue to play an imperative role in reducing the carbon impact of flooring within the built environment. Vinyl flooring is 100% recyclable, meaning it can be effectively used as a raw material in the production of new vinyl floorcoverings.”
“At Gerflor the PVC floors have approximately 25% recycled materials. Some of their more technical products can contain up to 50% recycled materials! These secondary raw materials can come from manufacturing waste, circular economy (laying waste or end of life) or other industries. All Gerflor recycled components are controlled and compliant with European REACH regulations. The business goal is to continue to increase recycled materials in our products by 2025.”
“The European Union, in their new Circular Economy Action plan, are looking to introduce mandatory requirements for recycled content and waste reduction measures for packaging and construction materials. The wider view now hints that sustainability experts are saying that we should acknowledge that plastics in construction can be a positive thing. Many are exceptionally durable, long lasting, and permanently installed, so they’re unlikely to become marine litter, unlike singleuse plastics.”
For Collins-Lafferty, the importance of recycling and the circular economy approach in the flooring manufacturers’ transition to Net Zero cannot be overstated. The ‘Cradle-to-Gate’ approach to a product life cycle makes a huge difference in reducing embodied carbon emissions. To achieve this, Collins-Lafferty declares: “Factories must continually work to reduce their environmental impact – which covers waste gas treatment, limitation of noise pollution, energy optimisation and green energy use (renewable energies of hydroelectric origins). They must drastically decrease their water consumption and introduce immediate waste sorting and recycling. Very simply put, greener factories mean a greener product.
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