Whether you are making or purchasing flooring, your choices can significantly impact people and our planet. GECA’s lifecycle ecolabel standards include criteria for a wide range of environmental issues, human health and social impacts while proving that they perform as promised. Let us explore how our Floor Coverings and Carpets standards can make choosing sustainable flooring easier for everyone

Floor coverings are an essential addition to any building. They have the potential to provide both aesthetic and functional benefits. However, like any other product, they can come with a range of environmental and health impacts.

These impacts occur across the product’s entire lifecycle. The environmental impact of floor covering products primarily comes from the different types of raw materials used, products used for surface treatment and glue, and the energy used during manufacturing. In addition, impacts can occur during use and maintenance and when the floor covering reaches the end of its useful life.

For example, unsustainable practices in the extraction of raw materials can result in a wide range of environmental issues, such as threatening biodiversity in adjacent areas, erosion in coastal areas and riverbanks, or pollution of waterways.

It is also essential that materials and ingredients hazardous to both people and the planet are not added to the final product or used in its creation. For instance, some floor coverings can be treated with fungicides or insecticides that contain carcinogenic substances. Toxic heavy metals and their compounds such as mercury, arsenic, selenium, cobalt, tin, and antimony are also detrimental to the health of manufacturing staff and users of the finished product.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can also be a significant issue for the adhesives and finishes used in flooring. VOCs can trigger various health problems such as respiratory irritation, allergies, headaches, and asthma. Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, is a particularly common VOC found in adhesives and resins, despite its toxicity to humans.

GECA certification removes doubt and confusion and makes identifying environmentally and socially preferable products easier. Products certified under GECA’s Floor Coverings (FCv3.0-2021) standard can also contribute toward achieving credit points for projects certified under the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star Performance tool. In addition, the standard also contributes to meeting WELL features under the WELL Building Certification and is recognised by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s IS Rating Scheme.

The standard sets requirements that aim to provide a benefit by:

• reducing the impacts from raw material sourcing, including avoiding the illegal harvest of wood and fibre
• limiting emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• reducing the use and subsequent release of environmentally harmful substances to the environment at all stages of the product’s lifecycle
• encouraging recovery, reuse, recycling and responsible disposal of product and packaging, including ensuring the product is not treated in a manner that would prevent post-consumer recycling
• preventing the use of specific hazardous materials and heavy metals such as known carcinogens and mutagens
• ensuring workers and suppliers through the supply chain can expect fair pay, equal opportunity, and a safe working environment

This standard applies to a range of floor coverings and carpet underlays that are laid on top of a foundation of concrete or wooden beams and are not part of the building structure:

• Parquet
• Wooden planks
• Engineered wood products, e.g., laminate
• Linoleum
• Bamboo
• Cork
• Rubber
• PET (terephthalate) Plastics
• Bio-based Plastics

Carpets are a versatile addition to many buildings ranging from the home to educational venues and commercial spaces. They have the potential to provide beauty, function, and comfort. However, like any other product, carpets can have a range of environmental and health impacts.

These impacts occur across the product’s entire lifecycle: from resource extraction and fibre production to installation and disposal. Therefore, it also considers all components of the “carpet system,” including the fibre, the backing or padding material, and the glues and adhesives used for binding.

For example, the answer is not always clear-cut when looking at the sustainability benefits of synthetic versus natural fibres. Both natural and synthetic carpet fibres require water and energy-intensive processes and may release harmful pollutants into the environment. Both types can also use significant quantities of hazardous substances during manufacture and have processes that contribute substantially to landfill.

The foam used for carpet backing can include ozone-depleting chemicals or may present a risk to human health by including potentially carcinogenic compounds such as 1,3-butadiene. The backing should also be readily separable from the rest of the carpet, and the manufacturer or retailer should have take-back or recycling schemes in place for their products.

Hence, each step of the product’s lifecycle represents an opportunity to reduce harm to people and planet and increase performance for all types of carpet. In particular, there are opportunities to substantially reduce the volume of carpet-related waste to landfill at the end of the product’s lifecycle, such as embracing the use of recycled materials where possible.

The standard sets requirements that aim to provide a benefit by:

• preventing the use of specific hazardous materials and toxic heavy metals such as known carcinogens and mutagens
• limiting emissions of volatile organic compounds
• reducing the impacts of raw material sourcing
• requiring efficient energy, water, and waste management
• reducing the use and subsequent release of environmentally harmful substances to the environment at all stages of the product’s lifecycle
• encouraging recovery, reuse, recycling and responsible disposal of materials and packaging
• ensuring workers and suppliers through the supply chain can expect fair pay, equal opportunity, and a safe working environment

The scope of this standard applies to the following types of broadloom and modular tile carpets:

• Natural fibre carpets such as wool
• Synthetic polymer fibre carpets comprising of nylon and nylon blends, olefin (polypropylene), polyester, acrylic, polyamide, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
• Blends composed of material that fit into the above fibre types

Other carpet materials that do not directly fit into the above may be considered for certification, provided the product fulfils the requirements of relevant sections of this standard.

If you are interested in applying for GECA certification, or have a question about any of their services head to the GECA website for more details – https://geca.eco.

Article by GECA