Environmental Trade Off Made Easier Thanks To Innovative New Products

By Author: Burofloor
Total Articles: 3
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Environmental issues are rarely far from the news headlines these days and the need to be eco-friendly seems to have become part and parcel of our everyday lives.

Whether that involves changing the light bulbs at home or sorting our recyclable rubbish from household waste for composting, the move towards sustainability is almost inescapable.

Even if we try and turn a blind eye to environmentalism at home, businesses are finding it even harder to ignore their responsibilities towards the environment when it comes to the products or services they provide and there own day-to-day activities.

As part of this many firms are looking at improving their ‘green’ credentials by reducing the environmental impact of the buildings from which they operate. To recognise this a new standard has been set for best practice in the buildings, known as the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).

As well as looking at obvious design features such as insulation and energy efficiency, BREEAM also takes into account less apparent aspects of a building such as the ‘whole-life’ sustainability ...
... of the materials used in construction.

This attention to detail now extends to materials used inside the building, including floor coverings and even office furniture.

As a result a number of companies are turning to recycling plastic in the manufacture of commercial carpet tiles and office flooring as a more sustainable alternative to more traditional carpet coverings. These innovative new products are helping many companies to achieve BREEAM standards that will, in turn, boost their environmental credentials.

One such carpet tile manufacturer has introduced a number of ‘green’ products that use a carpet fibre created by yarn manufacturer Aquafil. Distributed in the UK by commercial flooring specialist Burofloor, the firms minimum 70 carpet tile finally made its appearance in the company’s product range, which contains a minimum of 70% recycled material.

According to a spokesman for Bürofloor, it is not just the pile of the carpet tiles that is important, the composite backing is also undergoing something of a revolution and is now made from 100% recycled material. Furthermore the manufacturing process itself has been reviewed, with raw materials sourced closed to the point of production to reduce the impact of their transportation.

However, as with many things relating to the new era of environmental awareness there is a trade off. Whilst the new recycled eco carpet tiles perform just as well as more traditional floor coverings in terms of durability, there is a more restricted choice in terms of colour due to the complexity of the dying process.

Floor coverings are, of course, just one aspect of building design that count towards the BREEAM standard, but it is something that all businesses can look at as a practical way to improve their environmental credentials.

Other simple steps they can take include looking at more environmentally friendly commercial furniture that is manufactured using wood from sustainable forests and even recycled materials. Such products are covered by the Furniture Industry Research Association certification scheme, which ensures products meet strict quality and sustainability criteria.

As previously stated such environmental decisions often present businesses with a real dilemma as the green option is rarely the cheapest option. However making the extra investment today could lead to real financial benefits tomorrow. When moving to new premises, or refurbishing old ones, firms can save a fortune in utility costs as well as enjoying the PR benefits of been seen as a environmentally aware enterprise - marketing departments across the globe use the ‘green’ label as a significant selling point.

Furthermore, new regulations from Europe place great emphasis on energy efficiency, care for the environment and in the years ahead businesses of all types will need to improve their environmental performance to avoid falling foul of new laws.

At least with so many environmental-friendly products available, including recycled carpet tiles, the big trade-off has become a lot easier.

About the Author :- Simon Lawrence is Managing Director of Bürofloor, a UK company specialising in commercial carpet tiles for offices and shops. Having worked in the carpet industry for more than 35 years, from production and design through to senior management, he set up Bürofloor in 2001 to provide commercial users with access to test-compliant contract standard carpet tiles.