GREEN FLOORING
choose a car, as the information we need to make the decision is clearly defined; this level of transparency is needed in the flooring industry.
conducted by an independent third party using a standardised method, making it the most reliable way to compare products within an industry.
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ave the time to a product to assess ans they require formation in order to ed decision to meet ustomer.
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Manufacturers throughout the construction industry are now required by the government to produce EPDs as standard, which should improve transparency for specifiers.
IDENTIFYING AREAS OF IMPACT While contractors don’t have the time to consider the entire supply chain when specifying sustainable products, it is important that they are aware of the basic facts of a product, and need a basic understanding of where the biggest impacts are in the process, in order to be able recommend the most effective sustainable solutions to their customers.
One of the biggest environmental impacts in the flooring industry is the use of natural resources in the construction and materials used to make flooring products. Virgin nylon yarn in the composition of carpet tiles accounts for around 50% of the overall impact of the product. New technologies, as well as an increasing awareness of sustainable alternatives, mean that manufacturers can now reduce the use of natural resources in a product, without impacting on its performance or quality.
Manufacturers can reduce this usage by switching to alternative resources, such as bio-based or low-carbon materials. Using recycled content in products, and using less yarn, by adopting technology which creates a more dense construction, can also significantly improve the sustainability of a product. Post-consumer waste is a more sustainable alternative to virgin
nylon, and it reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill.
But there is more to consider when it comes to the sustainability of a product. Flooring contractors and specifiers therefore need to be aware of the manufacture process used in the construction of products. Suppliers that switch to renewable energy sources, such as wind, biogas and solar power can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of their processes, which will ultimately improve the sustainability of the product.
Contractors also need to consider how sustainable a product’s distribution is, as transportation accounts for a significant amount of carbon emissions. A recent report, ‘The New Industrial Model’, commissioned by Lavery & Pennell, stated that 24% of trucks on the road are empty, but, due to lack of transparency in the supply chain, specifiers and contractors are often unaware of the extent of these inefficiencies.
POWER TO COMPARE The introduction of EPDs as standard will play a crucial role in driving sustainability in the flooring industry, by ensuring that manufacturers are continually pushing themselves to meet, or go beyond, targets set by the government, in order to keep ahead of the curve. Keeping contractors abreast of this information will help the industry meet these targets sooner, by making sustainable products more accessible to the contractor.
www.interface.com
It is important that manufacturers look at sustainability from the
contractor’s perspective. It is easy to
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