As one of the largest materials finishes to be specified, floor coverings will inevitably have a significant impact on an interior’s overall carbon footprint. Given the importance of sustainable carpet tiles for workplace interiors, our focus for this blog is on the key questions to ask when evaluating how environmentally sound a carpet tile product really is. Here’s our checklist of 7 key questions to ask.
The EU estimates that the construction sector is responsible for 5-12% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 35% of its total waste generation. In the UK, the government estimates that the built environment is thought to be responsible for an astonishing 25% of the UK’s GGH emissions. With climate change one of our planet’s most pressing issues, this is at the top of our list of questions to ask.
The Embodied Carbon rating, usually found on a manufacturer’s product specification, will provide a point for comparison. Typically expressed as an A1-A3 rating, this Cradle to Gate figure expresses a product’s footprint to the point in which it is ready to ship.
While carbon off-setting programmes have enabled some progressive manufacturers to offer carbon neutral products, as part of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the construction industry will be required to focus in the future specifically on the embodied carbon of the product itself based on its material content, its manufacture and supply chain.
(You may also be interested in reading our blog HOW CARPET TILE RECYCLING CAN HELP ACHIEVE YOUR CARBON AND ESG GOALS)
Major Frequency - Low Carbon Carpet Planks
Taking responsibility for the end of a carpet product’s life to ensure that it doesn’t end up in landfill should be a minimum environmental commitment for any carpet manufacturer.
Today, this doesn’t just mean options for carpet tile recycling. For sustainable carpet tile specification, it is important to think holistically about the circular economy and whether the carpet is designed at the outset for potential re-use.
Initiatives such as Milliken’s N/XT Life Circularity Programme, maximise the environmental and social value of the product where carpet tiles are recovered, cleaned and given a new life. High performance products can be re-used through either charities and social enterprises or via specialist ‘second life’ suppliers for commercial re-sale.
When considering a carpet tile’s re-use potential, it is crucial to determine firstly, whether the product been engineered for longevity – how long is its wear warranty? And secondly, how easy will it be to recover in the future? Choosing a glue-free installation will ensure the product and the sub-floor are protected from damage and the carpet tile recovery volume can be maximised.
Depending on the end use you are specifying for, used carpet tiles through one of the specialist second-life carpet tile vendors referenced earlier could also be an option worth considering.
Also see our blog EMBRACING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: HOW CARPET RE-USE WORKS
Wireframe carpet tiles with TractionBack® glue-free installation
Carpet tiles are constructed from multiple components, the two primary elements being the yarn content for the face fabric and the backing material.
Carpet yarns - For commercial carpet tiles, exposed to high levels of foot traffic, the yarns are usually man-made fibres – typically nylon for durability, but also may be polypropylene or polyester. Recycled or regenerated versions of nylon yarns are now increasingly available and generally make no compromise on the yarn’s performance. Thrive® matter and Econyl® are example of sustainable fibres made from waste and recycled nylon, which can themselves be potentially recycled again and again.
Carpet backings - Carpet tile backing materials vary widely, some feature hard backings from polyolefin or bitumen-based materials, while others have an additional softer cushion-based backing material. The choice of backing material will impact the final product’s performance in use: its comfort, acoustic and long-term wear properties. As with yarn, backing materials exist in varying degrees of recycled content and performance properties. Again, the ideal solution is one engineered to deliver all the required performance properties during the lengthy lifespan of the product while still being composed of low carbon materials with a high degree of recycled content.
It should be simple to establish how environmentally responsible a manufacturer’s production processes are. Do they have a robust and transparent sustainability reporting system that is easily accessible? If not, why not? A credible sustainability report should provide environmental commitments and goals on all the key metrics - GHG emissions, waste management, water usage and use of renewable energy. Reports that conform to the Global Reporting Index standard help to avoid vague greenwashing.
Look out for products manufactured according to core international environmental and social standards : ISO140001, to ensure Environmental Management systems are in place; ISO50001 to ensure Energy management standards and energy reduction targets are in place to drive down climate impact, and BES6002 for transparency on ethical labour sourcing throughout the supply chain.
While perhaps more expensive, a higher quality carpet tile, engineered to perform will not only last longer, but could have a second life in another building. As referenced earlier, when considering carpet re-use potential, a product’s wear warranty is a good point of comparison on its estimated lifespan. The longer the wear warranty, the longer it will perform in-situ if required, and if not the greater its potential for re-use. Cushion-backed carpet tiles are designed to last longer by absorbing wear from foot traffic.
Depending on how much use the carpet tiles will get, maintenance may also be important for a product’s longevity. Carpet tiles with surface treatments to protect against soiling and staining will retain their appearance for longer and are easier to clean.
Finally, it is also worth noting that an effective entrance flooring system can make a considerable difference to the lifespan of a building’s floor coverings. Protecting against dirt, grit and moisture being brought inside, a good barrier system will prevent floor coverings being damaged and will help maintain its useful life.
Typically for work environments, carpet tiles are specified for their flexibility and ease of installation. However, it is worth noting the waste savings on installation that carpet tiles offer when compared to broadloom carpet (on a roll).
With its minimal requirement for cutting, modular carpet wastage on installation is estimated to be around 1-5%. For broadloom carpet, depending on the room size, wastage can be anything from 10% for open spaces, to as much as 50% for small, or awkward size rooms. That’s a lot of material to go potentially straight to a skip! Beyond their ease and flexibility, wastage alone carpet tiles are a much more economical and sustainable option.
Designing out waste – has the product been wastefully over-engineered? A carpet tile backing that sufficiently absorbs wear will help to reduce the amount of yarn required in the face fabric – so check a product’s backing performance and face weight.
Manufacturing waste –does a manufacturer have policies to recycle waste generated during its manufacturing processes? Are they committed to continually finding ways of reducing waste?
Installation waste – beyond the waste saved in choosing modular, are adhesives required for the carpet tiles to be installed? Glue-free carpet installation systems that require little to no adhesives on installation, not only make the carpet tiles easier to recover, they save waste on installation by eliminating unnecessary adhesives and packaging.
TractionBack® glue-free carpet tiles for carpet re-use
External certifications will provide some assurance that a product’s stated environmental credentials have been independently certified or verified. Of the many national and international bodies that assess manufacturer’s materials and process, these are some key ones to ask about:
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) - a product’s entire lifecycle including climate impact verified by an independent third party such as IBU- Germany’s Sustainable Building Association.
Material transparency - Declare® is a voluntary labelling program and database operated by the International Living Future Institute. Products listed as part of their Living Building Challenge™ have all ingredients ‘declared’ up to 100 parts per million (that’s 99.99% transparent) as either Red List Free or not.
Cradle to Cradle assesses and certifies products globally based on 5 criteria: Material Health, Material Reutilization, Renewable Energy Use, Water Stewardship and Social Responsibility.
Indoor Air Quality – a number of organisations certify products in accordance with strict international test protocols for low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and harmful chemical emission levels which could impact indoor air quality. Among the most recognised are CRI Green Label Plus and GuT (the German based Environmentally Friendly Carpet Association) which represents manufacturers whose products have been stringently tested.
Many Third-Party Green Building schemes reward the use of products with these certifications including:
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the US-based green building council’s wide ranging environmental certification program used worldwide.
WELL Building Standard - The International WELL Building Institute takes a holistic approach to health in the built environment through the assessment of 10 aspects including Air, Water, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort and Sound Acoustic, Materials, Mind and Community.
BREEAM (The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) –looks at factors like water use, waste management and air quality as well as material impacts.
SKA – the environmental assessment for Office Fit out which comprises of 104 good practice measures across 8 areas of sustainability including energy use, carbon emissions, materials, waste and well-being.
Positively answering some, if not all, of these questions, will go a long way to ensuring that you are specifying a truly sustainable carpet product and playing your part in the fight against climate change.