KENNESAW, GA.—Calling a product green is one thing, proving it is another. The debate over what constitutes sustainable will rage well into the future as new technologies and testing methods shape scientific understanding on the topic. To help move the discussion forward, Invista is proposing a new way to measure life cycle analysis (LCA).

Using the premise sustainability “begins with products that last” it commissioned third-party cradle-to-gate LCA on manufacturing processes for its Stainmaster and Antron fibers and combined them with real life performance tests.

Inivsta also tested similar residential and commercial carpets made from competitive fibers to offer a “well rounded” evaluation of how products constructed with either Stainmaster or Antron branded fibers can consume less energy and give off fewer greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the products.

Cradle-to-gate is an assessment of a partial product life cycle from manufacture—cradle— to the factory gate, before it is transported to the consumer.

There are two other common types of LCA—cradle-to-grave, in which a product is evaluated from manufacture to its final use such as decomposing, going to the landfill or being burned, and cradle-to-cradle, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is recycling it back into identical new products, but cradle-to-gate is the most common for looking at a product’s eco-profile.

During an exclusive phone conference with FCNews, Invista officials explained the company took the cradle-to-gate concept one step further by defining it as the time period from when a new carpet is installed until it needs to be removed due to unacceptable appearance and/or performance. Invista developed its eco-profile in accordance with international standards.

Bobby Berrier, newly appointed global sustainability director for Invista’s Performance Surfaces & Materials business, said the company feels combining the two testing procedures will “help our customers better understand the environmental benefits of our products. Combining third-party cradle-to-gate LCA with our carpet performance studies helps provide a clearer view of these products’ potential environmental impact.”

Most recently Invista’s vice president of commercial, N.A., Berrier noted “product performance through first life is important as longer-lasting products can benefit the environment by reducing the need for replacement and additional manufacturing.”

Diane O’Sullivan, Invista’s commercial marketing director, said for the past two-and-a-half years the company has been testing products made with its branded fibers against similar products using real world installations.

In comparing products, she said Invista was diligent to match them in terms of type of construction, even down to the coloration. “Testing, methodologies and results were thoroughly vetted within different company divisions prior to release.”

As such, Invista’s testing, which showed Stainmaster and Antron carpets can have up to 40% lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, have been certified by Scientific Certification Systems.

While Invista feels combining LCA and performance based testing is a better way to understand sustainability, O’Sullivan admits this is only “a great first step. We are working on other initiatives such as understanding end use requirements. We believe in focusing on a multi-attribute certification and not just a single attribute, such as having recycled material and saying it’s sustainable.”

Tony Morakis, Invista’s residential marketing director, added when it comes to the green movement things are starting to happen quickly on the residential side as well.

He explained over the next several months the fiber maker will be coming out with a series of initiatives to strengthen the residential business’ position under the “Green Living with Stainmaster” theme. “That will be our [green] banner on the residential side that year.”

Berrier said the theme is part of an overall corporate effort, “Sustainability Begins with Products that Last,” that lists four pillars aimed at integrating into Invista’s daily activities and what it delivers to customers.

These include: enduring materials—providing quality items that last, and can even include recycling; sustainable performance—takes engineering performance, and incorporates environmental attributes that allow you to keep a product longer; responsible manufacturing— combining eco and safety excellence, and being a good corporate citizen in the communities in which it is located.

“This new way of looking at sustainability is an important step...to provide long-term value to society while pursuing environmental excellence.” he concluded.

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