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Recycling: A second life for our floor coverings!

At all stages of product life, we offer collection and recycling solutions. This makes it possible to upcycle production and installation waste and end-of-life waste.  

Sustainability

Production waste

Technical tests, quality rejects and cutting scraps create production waste.

This waste is collected at all Gerflor Group plants on the production lines and then ground into granules and reintegrated into other manufacturing plants. All Gerflor Group plants can be considered as genuine recycling centres.

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Collecting installation waste from the installers

A project typically generates between 5 and 10% waste, depending on the type of product. In France, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavia, we have set up the "Second Life" program to recover project waste from the installation companies:

  • free collection
  • competitors' products accepted
  • only REACH-compliant, non-adhesive flooring

What is the dual benefit of this recycling sector created in 2011? It allows us to offer an innovative service to installation companies while expanding the use of recycled products in our ranges.

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Collecting "non-standard" end-of-life products

Non-standard end-of-life products are products that are glued, mixed with other materials or include components that contain sensitive substances under REACH standards. They have a specific collection and recycling route since they require different technologies and cannot always be reintegrated into Gerflor plants.

The PVC Next program, together with the European recycling center AgPR, knows how to deal with this waste.

The collected products are ground into granules and reintegrated into the manufacturing of products in other sectors (traffic cones, pipes for structural works on buildings, etc.).

AgPR upcycles up to 2,500 tons per year.

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Searching for new solutions for tomorrow

The third aspect of our commitment to the second life of products is our involvement with the European Resilient Flooring Manufacturers' Institute, regarding ERFMI research projects for new recycling solutions. Two projects are involved with the recycling of glue-down flooring that is not REACH-compliant:

  • Circular flooring, backed by the European Union, aims to develop recycling technology on an industrial scale by dissolving flooring to recover PVC resin
  • OREADE, an incinerator project, enables salt to be recovered from end-of-life flooring
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A unique partnership with Paprec to recycle collected materials

Since 2017, we have partnered in a joint venture with the recycling leader PAPREC to create a plant in France for recycling installation waste and "clean" end-of-life products.

Called Floor to Floor, this plant sorts and prepares collected waste. The recycled material is then reintegrated into the composition of new Gerflor products.

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Other stages in the life cycle of our products

Stringent product certifications and labels

Our policy in terms of sustainable development has already enabled us to obtain stringent product certifications and labels. These standards recognize our efforts in terms of: 

  • floor covering durability: UPEC A+ 

  • sustainable development: Cradle to Cradle 

  • reduction of pollutant emissions: Blue Angel, M1, A+, floor score 

Our products also contribute to obtaining environmental standards for buildings: LEED, HQE 

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Gerflor, the flooring group

Gerflor creates, manufactures, and brings to market innovative, decorative and eco-responsible complete solutions for resilient floors, wall coverings, and accessories, from installation to finishings for commercial environments.

 

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