We spoke to Ross Dight, Technical & Sustainability Director UK&I at Tarkett:
What does it mean to be Sustainable?
Sustainability is a broad term and takes on various meanings to individual businesses. One area which features prominently when we talk about sustainability is the circular economy, a method of eliminating waste and reusing resources in a renewable, cyclical fashion. But what are the fundamentals of circular economy and how can businesses utilise it to be greener?
In 2015, as part of a study with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the sustainability consultancy McKinsey discovered that adopting a regenerative approach such as the Circular Economy could boost Europe’s resource productivity by 3 percent by 2030, generating cost savings of €600 billion a year and €1.8 trillion more in other economic benefits. The Circular Economy has shown significant prospects in recent years, no doubt for these tangible economic advantages and other benefits including reduced pressure on the environment, greater innovation and lower
emissions.
For the construction industry in particular, the Circular Economy is an alluring method
that will displace the current ‘throw it away’ culture for a long-term solution that offers ample value. According to DEFRA’s (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) 2018 edition of the 2014 UK Statistics on Waste, construction, demolition and excavation (CDE) was responsible for 59% of the UK’s 202.8 million tonnes of waste.
It’s a sprint, not a marathon
The industry’s journey is still in its earliest stages, and indeed many businesses are starting to take the important steps to be more Sustainable. But, in order to continue on this trajectory and maximise productivity, efficiency and innovation are key. Feeding the wider, collective aim for fully circular buildings – something which has been seen on projects in the Netherlands – requires
individual businesses to change their habits. Tarkett is committed to changing the game with Circular Economy and has implemented an eco-innovation strategy based on Cradle to
Cradle® principles, fully aligned with a Tarkett Human-Conscious Design™ approach.
This strategy has been filtered down to product innovation. The DESSO Origins Carpet Tile collection provide a truly sustainable answer. They are made with 100% regenerated ECONYL® yarn and at the end of their lifecycle, they are 100% recyclable in Tarkett’s own carpet recycling centre – the first of its kind in Europe. The tiles also come with Tarkett’s EcoBase® backing as standard, which contains upcycled chalk sourced from local water providers and has achieved a Cradle-to-Cradle Certified™ Silver level. The Cradle-to-Cradle certification is a globally recognised measure of safer, more sustainable products made for the Circular Economy.
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