Responsible Use of PVC

Hard-wearing, long-lasting and endlessly recyclable: three reasons we love PVC flooring

One of the biggest ways you can do your bit for the future of our planet, is to select a product that lasts and that can be recycled almost ad infinitum. It’s why we’re fans of PVC use in flooring. It’s a durable material that can stand many years of wear and tear without needing to be replaced. PVC also has insulating properties and is fully suitable for high demanding spaces with specific maintenance requirements, so it’s a great choice for environments like hospitals and schools where hygiene and sterility are crucial.

As committed followers of the Cradle to Cradle® methodology and a circular economy, we apply the same sustainable thinking to all our PVC products. We assess every material we use and we’re always on the hunt for something even better to continuously optimise our formulations. That’s why we’re 100% phthalate-free* and offer low to ultra-low VOC standards contributing to healthier spaces and good indoor air quality.

We’re also developing ways to make PVC even more sustainable now and in the future. Post-consumer PVC** is already eligible for our trailblazing take-back and recycling ReStart^® programme. We’re also innovating with glue-free PVC flooring both click and loose-lay to enable even more successful post-life recycling.

And we continue to explore breakthrough PVC formulations, for example, our new generation of iQ Natural substitutes 100% of fossil-sourced vinyl with bio-attributed vinyl BIOVYNTM***.It’s all part of our commitment to offer you flooring solutions that promote healthy environments without costing the Earth.

_{* At the end of 2019, 100% of our vinyl production sites in Europe, North America, Serbia and China use phthalate-free plasticiser technology, except recycled content for certain products.
**Pilot project in Sweden on post-consumer homogeneous flooring, produced after 2011.
*** Produced by INOVYN, BIOVYNTM is the world’s first commercially available bio-attributed vinyl. It is recognized by the RSB, an independent body that recognizes the ’bio-attributed’ status.
**** Over the lifecycle of the product; verified by an independent third party according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Advanced Products Standard.}