Sustainability


keen to adopt more sustainable approaches moving forward. It is this shift in focus that opens doors for care homes to make more environmentally and sustainable decisions in areas which previously would not have been possible.


Floor renovation: a more sustainable future When the term renovation is used in the care home sector, the first thought often turns to buildings and estates, yet what lies underfoot presents another innovative route for renovation – even if it is an option that many are not fully aware of. Renovation has been part of the flooring industry for some time and yet the message that it is a viable alternative to installing a new floor has not been fully transferred to other sectors. There has been a lack of information available to the care home sector. However, this is certainly at a turning point as the barriers preventing care homes from pursing the renovation route are gradually being overcome through more enhanced knowledge and better information sharing. In many sectors, including the care home


sector, when a surface has reached the end of its life cycle, it has typically been replaced with new flooring – a process which has been in play for decades. However, with one of the most promising developments in the industry focusing on extending the material lifespan of a floor, there is clear opportunity for transition.


A floor that looks to be in a terrible condition can be totally transformed through renovation


When care homes embark on a resilient flooring project, replacement is often the first option that presents itself, but it is important to establish whether a brand- new installation is really the best route, particularly as the right flooring can massively impact both staff and residents, and also the environment. For instance, by extending the material lifespan of a floor, and renovating instead of replacing floors, we can prevent products from ending up in landfill. This applies to hardwood floors as well as resilient surfaces such as linoleum, PVC, or rubber. Resilient flooring is a durable, functional, and relatively low-cost material that can stand up to the wear and tear of high-use facilities, and hence has always been used extensively in the care home environment. However, every year, millions of square feet of resilient flooring is replaced. While some of it can be recycled, it still translates to a significant amount of material ending up in landfill. Today, new developments have


positioned resilient flooring in a new light; highlighting how it can in fact be revitalised


and renovated to look and perform like new, at a fraction of the cost and time needed to replace it, while also being kinder to the environment.


Renovation: the figures A report by the Swedish Environmental Institute in 2020 gave a life cycle analysis comparing the environmental effects of renovating versus replacing hard flooring surfaces. The study was a cradle-to- grave assessment, which considered the whole life cycle for both renovated and new flooring. This included extraction, production, and transportation of raw materials and products, installation of flooring and renovation, as well as end of life management of products and waste streams.


The research confirms that renovating


a wood or resilient floor surface is significantly more sustainable than replacing it. In fact, the results show that renovation of wood or PVC floors reduces the carbon footprint by seventy-eight per cent for wood floors and ninety per cent for PVC floors compared to replacement, as renovation enables continued use of existing flooring and required limited processing compared to new flooring. The report stated that the environmental impact of a renovated wooden floor is equivalent to 1.4 kg carbon dioxide per m2 compared to a newly installed floor, which has an average of 6.63 kg. A refinished resilient floor has an impact on climate change of 1.14 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per m2


. Compared to a newly


installed floor which uses an average of 11.42, this produces a carbon footprint that is more than ten times lower for a renovated floor. The energy savings are also impressive. With a renovation, the total use of primary energy resources is 15 MJ/m², including production of raw materials, and resources and trips made by the craftsman, compared to installation of a new floor, where the energy use is a total of 340 MJ/m2


by renovating a floor rather than installing a new one, the energy savings can be as high as ninety-five per cent.


Avoiding landfill


In the past, refinishing a resilient floor such as vinyl or PVC (which is used extensively across care home environments) was not an option. Instead, a resilient floor was stripped and polished multiple times until damage, tears, or dirt prevented it from maintaining the right look or performance. The floor was


June 2022 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 35


. Therefore,


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