Our partnership with Tarkett began in 2014. Since then, Tarkett, a worldwide leader in innovative flooring solutions, has been supporting our work as an Associate Partner Member. For more than a decade now, Tarkett has strived to close the loop and thoroughly applied Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) principles throughout their activities. 98% of their raw materials – representing more than 5,000 materials – are third-party assessed for their impact on human health and the planet, based on Cradle to Cradle® criteria.
And they succeeded! A few months ago, they announced that they are fully closing the loop on commercial carpet tiles in Europe thanks to a pioneering partnership with Aquafil. The two companies presented this significant step towards circular economy at Tarkett’s carpet tile facility in Waalwijk, the Netherlands. Its unique recycling center creates two streams of materials that can be recycled and transformed into high-quality resources for new products.
Tarkett has developed breakthrough technology at its Waalwijk facility and is now able to separate the two principal components of carpet tiles – yarn and backing, while retaining more than 95% yarn purity. This level of purity is vital in ensuring that the polyamide 6 (PA6) yarn can be recycled by Aquafil and later transformed, together with recovered fishing nets, into regenerated ECONYL® nylon yarn.
“The way the oceans have been fished – leaving waste behind and harming sea life and the environment – is a very stark example of poor habits – says Ernst van de Weerd, General Manager Benelux. We are delighted to support the Healthy Seas initiative, which fits in with Tarkett’s commitment to change the game with circular economy, as they provide flooring made with healthy materials that can be recovered, recycled and transformed into new products, therefore reducing use of waste and reducing their impact on the planet.”
