InterfaceFLOR lays ground for global carpet take-back scheme

Press Release

Carpet tile manufacturer plans to reuse or recycle old products from across Europe and the Middle East

InterfaceFLOR plans to recover used carpet tiles from across Europe for reuse or recycling as part of a landmark deal signed with waste management firm SITA.

The company is extending the take-back ReEntry scheme it currently runs for customers, which it says has diverted more than 100,000 tonnes of used carpet from disposal since 1995.

InterfaceFLOR and SITA said that they will develop an energy recovery service for used broadloom carpet and carpet tiles not suitable for recycling, either incinerating the carpet in a waste-to-energy facility or using it as fuel and raw material for the cement industry.

The ReEntry scheme will be first exported to the Netherlands, before expanding to cover more of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) over the next 18 months.

"Like us, [SITA] sees what many classify as waste as a future raw material and a business opportunity," said Lindsey Parnell, president and chief executive of InterfaceFLOR in EMEAI.

"At a time when commodities are in short supply and costs are spiralling, it is more important than ever to make maximum use of what we have."

InterfaceFLOR estimates that 30 million square metres of oil-based carpet tiles are sent to landfill or incinerated in Europe each year, which it says is environmentally and financially unsustainable.

InterfaceFLOR's Mission Zero initiative aims to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by 2020. Over the past 15 years it has reduced waste to landfill by 82 per cent, saving $438m in waste costs, and ensured that over 40 per cent of the raw materials that go into its products are recycled or bio-based.

"Our ultimate aim is to close the materials loop so that our used products become the raw materials for our new products, making us an entirely self-sufficient and sustainable business," said Parnell.