RECYCLED VINYL FLOORS ARE NO LONGER AS REAL AS UNICORNS

For a time, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used to be a four-letter word in environmentally conscious social circles, but this sentiment is rapidly changing. What used to be considered toxic and harmful to the environment now has a lower carbon footprint than many other flooring materials thanks to recycling and reuse. Beginning in 1989, a study conducted at the University of Toledo determined more than 100 potential uses for PVC after it had been used by consumers; 13 years later, VinyLoop opened up its first plant to efficiently recycle this material for a variety of applications.

VinyLoop Is Eco-Friendly!

For the longest time, the only way to efficiently recycle vinyl material was to sell your old records at the nearest music exchange store. Everything else pretty much just ended up in a landfill somewhere, taking up space with no use whatsoever. Now that VinyLoop has developed a method to effectively recycle vinyl materials via a chemical extraction method, vinyl’s carbon footprint has the potential to be 46 percent lower than it used to be before this process was first introduced in 2002. That being said, with the simultaneous popularity boost of eco-friendly flooring and cheaper alternatives to traditional flooring materials, recycled vinyl flooring complements these distinct attributes very well. Those who are inclined toward eco-friendly floors tend to shy away from vinyl, while consumers who just want a cheap substitute for wood or stone gravitate toward vinyl without too much concern for the environment. With recycled vinyl floors, both of these potential requirements can be met.

VinyLoop Has Set Examples Of Recycling Methods.

Several manufacturers have followed the footsteps of VinyLoop’s unique extraction process and developed their own ways of using closed-loop recycling methods for their own products. Armstrong, for example, has implemented a VCT recycling program that has greatly reduced its carbon footprint, as the program has recycled over 3 million pounds of vinyl tiles to date.

Burke Flooring, a manufacturer of rubber and luxury vinyl tile flooring for over 57 years based in San Jose, Calif., boasts a 67 percent rate of post-consumer recycled materials in all of its products made from PVC. With so many styles to choose from with this manufacturer, many of their vinyl flooring planks emulate the appearance of wood, so you can save time, money, and the environment all at the same time. In addition to luxury vinyl tile that looks like wood, Burke also offers replications of natural stone, ceramics, and black and white tiles in their vinyl selections.

Earthwerks Is Also Dedicated To The Welfare Of The Environment.

Another manufacturer with the welfare of the environment in mind is Earthwerks. Many of their products have received the Green4Life seal of approval, as several Earthwerks collections contain more than 50 percent recycled content. In addition to these Green attributes, many of their floors can also be recycled again after consumer use, further contributing to smarter allocation of resources.

So, before you shy away from luxury vinyl tile as a flooring option because of previous negative connotations associated with PVC, just remember that innovative technology has come a long way into supporting a viable way to recycle this once landfill-doomed material.