SPECIAL FOCUS RENOVATION ON A BUDGET A Lasting Investment Aidan Bell, Co-Founder of sustainable materials company Envirobuild, https://www.envirobu
ld.com/
explains why it is important to think about the sustainability of the material when purchasing flooring, and how making an investment now can help to save money in the future.
Sustainability is becoming a pressing concern for all sectors, especially in the construction and building industry - which accounts for around 60% of the UK’s entire waste output. This wave of change towards sustainable thinking is starting to take shape right across the sector; with two thirds of construction businesses now more committed to sustainability than they were 12 months ago.
in the backing, as well as being manufactured using 100% renewable energy.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765914/resources-waste-strategy-dec-2018.pdf https://www.edie.net/downloads/Mission-Possible--Achieving-a-sustainable-future-for-CONSTRUCTION-built-environment/369
EnviroBuild’s new range of Sisu LVT flooring, launching in July, is made up of 85% recycled PVC. This creates durable, low-maintenance indoor flooring with a variety of authentic stone and wood finishes that cost a fraction of real marble or hardwood, not to mention the positive environmental impact.
Likewise, the public’s attention is shifting. David Attenborough and Netflix’s documentary ‘Our Planet’, which explores the devastating effect of climate change on the environment, was the most popular show on Netflix in April in the UK. Additionally, a 2018 survey by YouGov found that over 25% of respondents had avoided buying a product or using a service in the past year because of its negative environmental impact, an increase of 65% on the previous year.
Both consumers and the industry are starting to wake up to the fact that our throwaway attitude towards product consumption is unsustainable. When it comes to flooring renovations, making sustainable choices now is not only an investment for the home, paying off in terms of cost, it is also one for the planet – something you cannot put a price on.
The environmental credentials of flooring are increasingly important, not only the raw materials themselves but also when considering the entire lifecycle of the product: from manufacturing processes to energy consumption, as well as potential future uses.
Sustainable choices are becoming more affordable because manufacturers have to meet this growing demand. Manufacturers often wait for others to take the lead, so it is up to every person to keep pushing the boundaries to secure the most sustainable solutions.
In recent years, we have seen the growing popularity of composite materials in flooring, often containing recycled plastic and wood content, as an environmentally-friendly alternative to hardwood. The growth in this market not only gives a product which is far cheaper and lower maintenance than traditional hardwood, but it also significantly helps to stem the tide of damaging deforestation.
When considering new flooring, durability and warranty are important considerations that should go alongside its environmental credentials, as quality, long-lasting materials will be the most cost- and resource-effective.
Products that include recycled content are also going to have more appeal to the sustainable customer base. For example, Forbo creates vinyl tiles that use recycled material
26 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors
The click system is also thermally conductive with underfloor heating. Underfloor heating is an energy efficient investment because it generally operates at a lower temperature and heats rooms more efficiently than traditional radiators, meaning that it is both cost- and energy-saving.
Fitting floors creates waste; from samples left lying around that inevitably end up in the bin, to offcuts and old floors being thrown in the skip. However, adopting sustainable strategies and business models can help to divert flooring waste from landfill.
Forbo offers a ‘Save a Sample’ service which allows customers to return their flooring samples. With 85% of samples returned suitable to be resent out to customers, this has proven to be an effective strategy for resource management.
Additionally, British flooring manufacturers Altro and Polyflor launched Recofloor in 2009, a vinyl flooring take-back scheme which reprocesses smooth offcuts, safety offcuts and smooth uplifted flooring into new flooring as well as traffic management products. They have been able to collect over 4,500 tonnes of materials since its creation, equivalent to 207 football pitches.
Recycling carpet tiles is also an effective way of saving materials from landfill. Being fairly easy to reuse and recycle, this makes them a very reasonably priced, as well as sustainable, solution for floor renovations.
As customers become more reluctant to simply throw things away, creating alternative schemes to recycle and re-use your materials will become increasingly important.
It is clear that sustainability is becoming vital to customers and more and more flooring manufacturers are thinking of ways to save resources – be it through increasing recycled material content in their products or integrating innovative business models into their strategy. Customers are demanding more from them, and as sustainability becomes increasingly affordable it is becoming more possible to fulfil their requirements – without costing the earth.
www.envirobuild.com
www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com
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