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A Guide to Sustainable Flooring – by GECA Sustainable flooring has become a rising trend in 2020, so how do you find these environmentally and socially preferable products? And what can you do to show that your flooring is a cut above the rest?
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very day, we walk upon different types of floors, wherever we live, work and play. Not only is it important that suitable flooring is selected for its intended use, but it is becoming more important to Australians to understand the impact those floors have on the environment, our health, and the people making them. Flooring, like any other product, requires a process of design, manufacturing, testing, distribution and end of life. To be truly sustainable, it's important to look at the impacts along this entire product lifecycle. How were the raw materials sourced? What chemical treatments and dyes were used? How much energy was required during manufacturing? Who made the product, and did they have safe working conditions? Does the flooring emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs)? Where does it end up? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions might not always be positive, and the flooring product you purchased may incidentally contribute to illegal harvesting, climate change, modern slavery, health issues like respiratory conditions, waste and pollution, for example.
Flooring April/May 2020
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