Tarkett Pave The Way With New Carpet Tile Recycling Factory In The Netherlands – Forbes

The recycling cycle taking place at Tarkett's new plant in Waalwijk, The Netherlands.

Last week, international flooring manufacturer Tarkett revealed another step towards a closed-loop production system in collaboration with Aquafil, textile pioneers and creators of ECONYL. While they have worked together for a number of years, this development is one which will revolutionise the contract flooring industry. Opening a new carpet tile recycling centre in Waalwijk in The Netherlands, Tarkett are offering the ReStart Take-Back Program: a post-use carpet tile take-back scheme for customers to take advantage of while simultaneously saving tiles from rising landfill levels. In utilising polyamide 6 (PA6) post-use yarn, it takes the partnership to another level of circularity.

With groundbreaking machinery to separate the fibres from the backing, (the two core components of carpet tiles), the key to this approach is the purity which remains after, making it easier for the materials to be recycled. Retaining more than 95% yarn purity after separation, the yarn is recycled by Aquafil and transformed into regenerated ECONYL nylon yarn. The backing, named EcoBase, was created by the company in 2010 and was designed for reuse and recycling from the outset giving it distinct advantage to bitumen-based alternatives. With 100% of Tarketts carpet tiles being recyclable, they are also now able to recycle tiles which haven't been manufactured by them. Thanks to this new technology, each material can be easily recycled in-house or with an external partner.

New machinery created by Tarkett means carpet tiles can be separated by component with such purity ... [+] making it easier to recycle.

This recycling operation not only closes the circle on their production cycle but also impacts their carbon footprint with an impressive 84% saving at the end of its life stage when compared against incineration, the method which has been used to dispose of most commercial carpet tiles. The ReStart take-back and recycling program and the increase of Ecobase backing production capacity are part of a 15 million investment from the global flooring leaders in a bid to create a circular economy within the group to fight against the climate crisis we face today.

One of the key factors to true sustainability is collaboration. To achieve quicker results in preserving and protecting the environment, knowledge and resources have to be shared. This is crucial, not only within an industry, but also between sectors to ensure change can impact a wider audience. Any successful collaboration goes beyond a customer and supplier relationship. states Fabrice Barthlemy, the CEO of Tarkett, reflecting on the partnership. Our vision is to get to a stage where all materials we use are recycled materials with the aim to get it to 30% by 2030. Collaborating with Aquafil helps us to take our mission to the next step. The CEO of Aquafil, Giulio Bonazzi, agrees. Transparency and trust is key in a collaboration, he comments, You have to share the same values and ensure the end goals are aligned with each other in order to make it work.

Post-Use carpet tiles waiting to be deconstructed and recycled at the new Tarkett recycling ... [+] facility.

The Waalwijk plant is the first to separate the materials with such clarity, and its location has been selected to help minimise its impact even further. Located centrally between the UK and the rest of Europe means the transportation of tiles sent to and from the plant is kept to a minimum. Our goal is to reduce our emissions year-on-year through adopting circular systems and green technology. continues Barthlemy. We already use 134,000 tonnes of recycled material each year. Accelerating our take-back program with our customers, which already has more than 400 participants in Europe, is a key focus. We have designed the carpet recycling facility with scaleability and efficiency in mind.

Fabrice Barthelemy, CEO of Tarkett and Giulio Bonazzi, CEO of Aquafil.

Looking at the building and construction industry as a whole, Barthlemy believes we can all take responsibility in reducing its impact. We always have to do more. he says, However, we do need more incentives for the industry. With incineration and landfill being the most cost-effective disposal solutions, this has to change in order for customers to see recycling schemes like this as the most viable option.

Current recycling figures for carpet tiles across Europe are still minimal: 60% of post-consumer carpet tiles end up in landfill, with 37% being incinerated and only 3% recycled. In a bid to change this, Tarkett and Aquafil are leading by example. Sustainable design begins with the end in mind. states Bonazzi. It is a journey and is more than just a recycled material. We have managed to reduce our carbon footprint by almost two thirds over the last 8 years and, through offering cradle-to-cradle solutions, we can positively impact industries to ensure systemic change can take place. Aquafil work with a vast array of designers and brands including names such as Stella McCartney, Napapijiri and Prada. Bonazzi is positive as to how these influential figures are helping to raise awareness around sustainability issues.

The yarn is separated from the backing of the tile with 95% purity making the recycling process a ... [+] lot easier.

Tarkett are keen to continue their movement towards a closed-loop system across all their products. An example is their vinyl production, where they salvage and recycle offcuts direct from sites across Europe. Furthermore, they plan to develop ways to also recycle vinyl post-use. Our aim isn't to make money from these schemes, its an investment for us to improve our systems and take responsibility for what we do. Barthlemy concludes. The biggest challenge is to ensure we engage with end users to salvage as many materials as possible.

The shift from a linear to a circular economy has begun and projects like this provide hope in knowing solutions are available for industries to positively adapt. Whilst time is not on our side, we need to take advantage of these schemes quickly to change industries at a faster pace.

You can find out how to join the ReStart Take-Back Program here.

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Tarkett Pave The Way With New Carpet Tile Recycling Factory In The Netherlands - Forbes