By Matthew Spieler
Aside from walking on a grass surface in your home or office, can a floor, let alone the materials used to install and maintain it, be green and sustainable? What about the companies making these products? Can they run eco-friendly operations that make the world a better place?

For those who follow the flooring industry on a regular basis, the short answer to these questions is: 100% yes. If only the long answer was that easy. Unfortunately, though, the industry’s overall green efforts and advancements remain one of the best kept secrets out there simply because flooring is not “sexy” enough for the TV talk shows and national publications. Plus, preconceived notions and unfounded negative publicity about the industry play a part in consumers, designers and specifiers not recognizing truth from fiction.

That’s where the long answer comes into play. Not only can the flooring industry say yes to all the above questions, manufacturers and suppliers have been setting the example on how to produce sustainable, earth-friendly products without sacrificing style or performance before there ever was a green movement.

For instance, one year before the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was formed and six years before it launched its first Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 1.0 pilot, the carpet industry had developed the Green Label testing program, now known as Green Label Plus. This voluntary initiative set limits on emission levels for numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from carpet, adhesives and cushion. Not only has the program been continually revised and expanded upon, the state of California approved Green Label Plus certification in lieu of its own Section 01350 criteria for low emitting materials.

Both the carpet and resilient sides of the industry were the first two building-related products to have national sustainable standards developed and recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The laminate flooring industry is currently in the process of receiving the multi-attribute distinction. The wood flooring industry has lead the charge for sustainable standards of small, family owned forests, along with a nationally recognized program for mills to receive recognition for their green efforts.

Beyond these industry wide efforts, of which there are many more, manufacturers have invested heavily in their own programs to make their operations among the greenest any industry has to offer and their products cutting edge when it comes to being eco-friendly.

Governmental honors
This can be seen by the numerous accolades and green awards bestowed upon many of the manufacturers and organizations affiliated with flooring. From the federal government, flooring manufacturers have been honored by many entities, some more than once, some as the first-ever under a particular program or for a building-related product including:

• Department of Energy—Energy Saver and Green Power Leadership in conjunction with the EPA and center for Resource Solutions;
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—Presidential Green Chemistry Award, SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award and Environmental Champions;
• General Services Administration (GSA)— Evergreen Award.

Along with the flooring industry being recognized within the U.S., it has received various international honors from such places as the United Kingdom and Australia. Like the federal government, individual state agencies and governments, as well as individual cities and even utilities, have recognized various flooring companies, and include:

• California—Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP), Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), Climate Action Registry’s Action Leader, South Coast Air Quality Management District and City of Industry’s Award for Waste Reduction;
• Georgia—Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention, Air & Waste Management Association, and the Department of Natural Resources’ Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia Program;
• Maryland—Businesses for the Bay Excellence Awards to reduce the amount of pollution entering Chesapeake Bay;
• New Jersey—Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Stewardship Program; Source Waste Reduction and Resource Management; Business & Industry Association’s award for excellence in environmental quality; Chemistry Council’s safety, health and environmental performance, and Salem County Utilities Authority’s first Environmental Management Award;
• North Carolina—Sustainability Award;
• South Carolina—Department of Commerce’s Recycler of the Year and Department of Health & Environmental Control’s Best Industrial Recycling Program;
• Virginia—Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards for Manufacturers;
• West Virginia—Department of Environmental Protection.

Third party recognition
Besides receiving recognition from various governmental entities, flooring manufacturers have been honored by a host of independent, third party sources such as:

• Alliance for Sustainability—Sustainability Awards;
• Carolina Recycling Association—Business Recycling Program Award;
• Keep America Beautiful—National Recycling Award;
• Leonardo Academy—Cleaner and Greener Program;
• Medinge Group—Top Brands with a Conscience;
• National Pollution Prevention Roundtable— Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award;
• Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia— Sustainability Mentor of the Year;
• PennFuture—Green Power Award;
• RadTech, the Association for Ultraviolet and Electronic Beam Technologies— Award for Sustainable UV/EB Technology;
• Society of Plastics Engineers—Environmental Stewardship, Innovation;
• U.S. National Recycling Coalition—Best New Product;
• World Business Academy—Global MindChange for Business Responsibility.

Third-party recognition has also come from a host of publications not related to the flooring industry, such as:

• Buildings & Building Interiors—Environmental Innovative Solutions Award;
• Corporate Knights—Best 50 Corporate Citizens list in Canada;
• Elle Magazine—The Green Awards;
• Environmental Business Journal—Business Achievement Award;
• FacilityCare Magazine—Symposium Distinction Awards;
• Fast Company—Fast 50 list of companies for profit-driven solutions to “What Ails the Planet;”
• Newsweek—500 Largest Public U.S. Green Companies;
• Time—Heroes of the Environment.

Corporate America honors flooring From financial stock portfolio firms to the world’s largest retailer, the industry has been recognizes for its green efforts, including:

• IW Financial/Sustainable Productivity Seal of Approval (SUPR Seal)—B2B Industries Best in Environmental Sustainability;
• Portfolio 21—Top 10 Green Companies;
• Walmart—Vendor Award for Sustainability. Created in 2008, the first award given out went to a flooring manufacturer.

One of the reasons why the flooring industry has and continues to receive all these accolades is because of the proactive, leadership role it has taken with respect to forming alliances and getting involved in various national programs and initiatives.

It is not just getting involved. In many cases, flooring mills and/or associations are among the first to join a particular program. And, it is usually not just an individual effort.

For example, a number of manufacturers are charter members of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC); the Climate Registry and Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII), not to mention being members of the Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF) and the Tropical Forest Foundation.

In addition to actively joining, flooring executives sit on a number of these groups’ boards. In fact, Tim Cole, director of environmental initiatives and product development for Forbo, is currently USGBC’s chairman.

Clean air
One final tidbit: Over the last decade, the state of Georgia has improved its air quality the most of any state, with Texas coming in second.

What does that have to do with flooring? Flooring is Georgia’s largest manufacturer and employer. Considered the “carpet capital of the world,” it is home to 70% of the world’s carpet production. In recent years, it has seen laminate, and wood, bamboo and cork manufacturing enter the scene. And, a vinyl plant is set to go online soon.

As for Texas, it is home to some of the industry’s largest wood and vinyl manufacturing plants and, up until this past October, a laminate factory.

The point of all this? How many home or office furnishing products can be recycled in a closed loop fashion? What about even containing postconsumer recycled content? How many industries have voluntarily worked individually and collectively to establish national landfill diversion programs or green rating systems recognized across private and public entities? And how many regions where a manufacturing industry is grouped so heavily together can say its atmosphere is cleaner now than it was a generation ago?

If you remove the flooring industry from the equation, it is a very, very sparse list. Generally speaking, the flooring industry not only leaves a small carbon footprint compared to its size and scope, it provides some of the friendliest, healthiest products in the building industry.