EXECUTIVE PAGES
Lightweight carpet Desso's latest development is the new lightweight carpet; a revolutionary product with a maximum weight reduction of over 40% compared to market standards. The Stratos Fuelmaster is a Wilton woven nylon carpet with a weight of 1100 grams per square meter or 33 oz per square yard. This is 350 to 800 grams less than conventional nylon carpet. The new product is made with sustainable and eco-friendly yarn and offers exceptional value for money without compromising on technical performance. Desso's R&D team was able to develop a yarn – consisting of BCF polyamide 6 and econyl (which is made of 100% recycled content) fibres – that performs well in terms of all critical criteria, such as durability, staining and shrinkage. The new lightweight carpet is available in 36 colors. Self-adhesive carpet For easier handling and installation, Desso has developed self-adhesive carpet. This eliminates the need for tape, enabling not only easier and faster installation, but also faster removal without leaving any residue on the floor. Initially developed for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the new self-adhesive carpet made Desso one of the few officially approved suppliers for this type of aircraft. Further development resulted in the option to apply self-adhesive backing to any aviation carpet available at Desso, meaning that it is available for nylon, wool and a blend of 80% wool and 20% nylon, with unlimited design possibilities! “The carpets in KLM’s airplanes are being replaced every five to six months, resulting in 35,000 square meters of carpet waste on a yearly basis. Rather than discharging this to traditional waste incineration, 80% of the waste (which equals 28,000 square meters of carpet) is taken back from Schiphol Airport and used as secondary fuel for the cement industry,” Jansen said. KLM and Desso are planning to expand the Carpet TakeBack Programme™ to Transavia and other companies within the KLM Group. “At the same time we are also continuously taking steps forward in the development of a Cradle to Cradle carpet for airplanes as well. We are progressing toward a 100% Cradle to Cradle® strategy in 2020,” Jansen added. To many people outside the industry, flooring within an aircraft may seem like a relatively simple element of a cabin’s interior. However, behind the colour, fabric and design are important considerations made towards sustainability within the manufacturing process – choices which have the power to affect a company’s social, financial and environmental objectives to a great extent. Light as a feather Another company aware of environmental pressures is Gerflor, which is based in France and has been manufacturing aircraft flooring since 1948. “We are recognized as a specialist and a world leader in resilient flooring solutions. Our company creates, manufactures and markets innovative, design-led and eco-responsible solutions for flooring and complementary interior finishes,” said Mélina Plassart, Aviation Product Manager at Gerflor. Gerflor developed what it says is the world’s lightest non-textile floor covering, called, Batiflex AV135. All Batiflex floor coverings offer superior anti-slip properties, dimensional stability, durability, ease of installation, cleaning and maintenance. “Qualified and selected as a standard baseline for the Boeing 787 program, the Batiflex AV 135 helps provide competitiveness and success to NCM-JULY 2013 16