At the midpoint of the year, leading European carpet manufacturer, Desso, has already achieved its Cradle to Cradle 2009 aims. The innovative manufacturer is well on track to produce 100% of its carpet tiles according to its Cradle to Cradle vision by 2020.
"The aim was to certify three Cradle to Cradle carpet tiles this year. But now nine, or 22% of our sales volume in carpet tiles, have already been certified" according to Stef Kranendijk, CEO of Desso.
"Our aim is to make a closed cycle for our products. In order to achieve this we recently put in place a take back programme. Carpets that are at the end of their life cycle will be collected and processed into raw material for new carpets. By collecting used carpets from clients, we can prevent the carpet ending up in landfill or plain waste incineration," continues Stef Kranendijk.
In addition to Pallas, Desso’s first Cradle to Cradle carpet tile, the company has now certified the following products; Flavia, Flux, Palatino, Penta, Trapez, Tempra, Torso and Madison, bringing the total Desso Cradle to Cradle portfolio to nine. This was a major operation as each aspect of the product has to meet the Cradle to Cradle standards. Moreover, all suppliers have to use materials which are within the provisions of the Certificate.
Certification involves five different aspects of testing. First of all the product transparency is investigated. The materials a product is composed of, and their effects on health and the environment are examined. In addition, an analysis is made as to whether the various materials can be recycled, or even better, upcycled. Next, the amount of energy and water that is required for the production process is assessed. Finally, what kind of ethical and sustainability initiatives the organisation is pursuing is investigated.
Desso is committed to this demanding process and has spent a lot of time and energy in recent years on meeting these five dimensions. For example, all materials of Desso’s certified carpet tiles have been screened independently by the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (EPEA). Desso is close to reaching the stage of recycling both the yarn and backing of the carpet tiles it produces on each occasion, without losing its raw material, quality or value.
In cooperation with EPEA and MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) Desso also increased the pace of its research and analysis of its products. “We have already been studying and analysing Cradle to Cradle certification for some time. Based on this experience we certify the carpet tiles per product group, and no longer per product. This will speed up certification considerably” concludes Kranendijk.
Desso has been a trusted source in carpet manufacturing for over 80 years, with applications in offices, public buildings, schools, hospitals and aeroplanes.