Sustainable alternatives to the backing of carpet tiles

Traditional types of backing contain components being harmful to the environment and our health, like latex, bitumen, and PVC. Therefore, more and more players in the carpet industry say farewell to these harmful components and they introduce sustainable alternatives to the market. At LEOXX we also aim to keep reducing the environmental impact and we take mayor steps to a collection with an environmental-friendly backing. The newest evidence of this is our new FLEXX carpet tile collection, which helps architects and interior designers to shape a sustainable work and living environment with an as low as possible impact on both people and the environment.

TRADITIONAL BACKING OF CARPET TILES

Carpet tiles are just like wall-to-wall carpet equipped with a backing. Kinds of backing being used most traditionally for carpet tiles are backing on the base of bitumen or PVC. To embed the yarn on top of the backing a precoating is being used. The main component in this precoating is (synthetic) latex. Bitumen, PVC and latex all three are materials being harmful to the environment and/or our health. For bitumen it’s the fossil resources it’s being made from, being crude oil. For PVC the use of plasticizers (amongst which phthalates) and other harmful substance are a troublesome factor. The issue with synthetic latex is that it’s made from petroleum and that it contains harmful chemical substances.

TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE BACKING

You understand: about time to make the switch to a sustainable backing. We see more and more carpet manufacturers say farewell to the old backing options and develop sustainable alternatives. LEOXX is not standing still on this topic. Therefore, we recently have presented our new FLEXX collection, corresponding to our sustainability ambitions towards a better future. FLEXX is our greenest carpet tile collection ever and consists of multiple collection books. For now, these are FLEXX no.1 and FLEXX no.2, complementing books will follow starting mid 2023. The entire collection is assembled, from yarn to backing, from sustainable and environmental-friendly materials. What that means exactly for the backing, we’ll explain below.

FLEXX NO.1: UNIT BACK

FLEXX no.1 is a collection of tufted modular flooring, equipped with a sustainable backing called Unit Back. This innovative backing is odorless and exempt of latex, bitumen, and PVC, without making concessions to performances. The replacing component in Unit Back is TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). In comparison to many other kinds of rubber, TPE is 100% recyclable. After production, the material can be grinded into small grains, that can be used as resource again to create a new product. TPE furthermore does not contain halogens or harmful plasticizers, which is better for the environment and our health.

view FLEXX no.1 

FLEXX NO.2: RAF (RECYCLED ACOUSTIC FELT)

FLEXX no.2 too is a collection of tufted modular flooring but equipped with RAF: an acoustical backing made of 100% recycled PET felt. PET felt is made of recycled PET bottles and offers excellent acoustic performances for pleasant work and living spaces. With an innovative production technique, used plastic bottles are first being shredded into PET flakes. Afterwards, these flakes are being manufactured with a special process into soft fibers that are a part of the PET felt backing. PET felt isn’t just made of recycled material, but also has the environmental-friendly to be regenerable. This means you can recycle the PET felt after it’s lifespan again as a resource for new PET products. Think of the incorporation into car interiors and sound reducing materials. Furthermore, the RAF backing is just like the Unit Back exempt of latex, bitumen, and PVC.

view FLEXX no.2 

MORE INFORMATION?

Do you want to know more about the sustainable backing and the composition of our FLEXX carpet tiles and planks? Contact your LEOXX account manager or send your question to our inside sales department at info@leoxx.com or +31(0)30 635 1000.