When you consider the bigger picture, you may think your choice of floor covering is pretty insignificant, but purchasing a new carpet is an environmental decision. By deciding on a brand or a product you also decide on the resources used, pollution caused, carbon dioxide emitted and disposal of waste - so your choice is about more than simply style, function and cost.
The environmental benefits of modular flooring
Interface pioneered the concept of modular carpet, which in itself offers greater flexibility and a number of sustainable benefits over broadloom carpet:
- Carpet tiles can be fitted and removed quickly and easily, dramatically reducing installation waste
- They’re easily maintained by replacing individual worn tiles rather than the whole floor, thereby extending the useful life of the product
- Carpet tiles can easily be uplifted for recycling or reuse elsewhere
Looking for a carpet tile with low environmental impact?
There are many different issues to consider throughout the whole life of a carpet, from production to disposal:
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1. Pile height/weight Providing the same performance and durability with less yarn can substantially improve your carpet’s environmental footprint. |
2. Recycled yarn Yarn manufacture is energy intensive and using recycled yarn avoids the use of high-impact virgin materials based on oil. |
3. Recycled backing We reduce the amount of virgin, oil-based materials in our backing by increasing the content of low-impact alternatives or recycled backing. |
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4. Manufacturing Efficiency Efficient processes and practices can reduce energy use, emissions, water consumption and waste generation, and using renewable energy sources further reduces environmental impact. |
5. Transport Manufacturing locally instead of shipping products between continents is key to cutting transport impacts. Smart logistics, efficient vehicles and shifting transport from road to railways, ship or barges also reduces the overall impact. |
6. Installation impacts Minimising on-site impacts from off-cut trimmings and adhesives is achieved through innovative solutions, such as random design carpet tiles or glue-less installation. |
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7. Durability A carpet that lasts for ten years has almost half the impact of a product used for five years. But a product with a 20 years guarantee might get replaced in 5 years’ time. Using the right product for the right use is key. |
8. End of life alternatives Offering a high-value end of life solution, such as our close-loop recycling or reuse, is better than incineration or landfill. Recycling each component into the same component is preferable to down-cycling into a material of lesser value. |
9. Independent 3rd party verification The availability of 3rd party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) – based on product Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) – provide assurances about the accuracy and comparability of environmental product data. |
Our sustainable products and services
We offer a range of innovative products and services that can help you reduce the impact of your carpet throughout its life cycle.
Find out more about our sustainable products and services.
Choose your carpet based on environmental credentials
The established method for understanding the environmental impact of a product is LCA. Interface conducts LCAs on every one of our carpet products and can help you make decisions based on the environmental information these provide.
Read more about environmental performance based on product LCA.
Improving the sustainability rating of your building
Many green building standards now recognise environmental leadership in building design, and choosing our products can make a difference to the sustainability rating of your building.
Read more about how our carpet tiles can contribute to your green building project.
For more information on Interface commercial flooring, please call 08705 30 40 30 or email us