One of Europe’s leading carpet manufacturers has become the first to develop eco-innovative materials and processes to recycle an entire carpet product back into carpet tiles, and been awarded a prestigious environmental accolade.

Desso, with an international presence in more than 100 countries, has adopted pioneering Cradle to Cradle® principles that will result in all its products ending their usable life by being either completely biodegraded or recycled at the end of their useful lives where the used raw materials are healthy for humans and the environment.

In line with this strategy, the company has launched EcoBase®, a carpet backing that is entirely made from positively-defined materials (1) that can be safely and entirely recycled back into new carpet backing (2). EcoBase® has enabled the first entire carpet tile product to achieve Cradle to Cradle® Silver Certification, a unique accolade for Desso.

Using carpet tiles with Desso’s EcoBase® can earn up to four “Innovation in Design” points for projects seeking certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System. It has also been awarded a TÜV certificate (3) for its suitability for allergy sufferers.

As part of its €multi-million Cradle to Cradle® investment strategy, the company has developed Refinity®, a mechanical process to separate yarn and other fibres from carpet backing so that both material streams can be reused – with the yarn being recycled as new yarn, and the EcoBase® backing into new carpet backing.

A short film on Refinity® can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgNA_oPE-AA Alternatively, you can view the film on a smart phone by scanning the QR barcode (Note: the enabling app is downloadable for free).

In 2008, Desso entered into partnership with the Hamburg-based Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) - www.epea.com, the brainchild of Cradle to Cradle® co-founder Michael Braungart.

Cradle to Cradle® brings a new methodology to the design of processes, products and services, by looking at raw materials both in terms of their intrinsic value and how, at the end of a product’s useful life, it can be taken apart and recycled – or “up-cycled” into products that may have a value and sophistication beyond that of its original use.

The Cradle to Cradle® cycle is especially challenging in the carpet industry, with estimates suggesting that 2% of landfill waste is made up from old carpeting. However, by sourcing sustainable raw materials, introducing new manufacturing methods and collecting used carpets from customers (apart from PVC), Desso is getting closer to completing that virtuous circle. The objective is that at the end of Desso carpets' useful lives, their components will be disassembled and reused without being down-cycled or, worse, simply thrown away or incinerated.

The millions of square feet of carpet that are landfilled every year represent an enormous waste of natural resources – particularly since it takes 50 years for natural fibres such as wool to break down, and 250,000 years for man-made fibres such as nylon to degrade.

Stef Kranendijk, Desso’s chief executive, said: “In early 2008, we decided to go beyond sustainability in carpet production to the phasing out of any negative environmental impacts and putting natural processes first. By taking inspiration from nature’s continuous cycles of development, replacement and rebirth, EcoBase® products bear the true identity of the Cradle to Cradle® philosophy.

“By 2020, all our products will be designed in accordance with Cradle to Cradle® principles and produced using 100% renewable electricity. Our goal is a bold one but EcoBase® is substantial proof that it is also achievable,” he said.

Note: the QR barcode is at upper right.

(1) Positively defined = all ingredients have been assessed as either Green (optimal) or Yellow (tolerable). To maximise the eco-effectiveness of product design and redesign, the Cradle to Cradle® Design Protocol is used to assess the raw materials in products and production processes, analysing and evaluating them for 19 different criteria related to human health and the environment. Chemicals in the raw materials are then optimised by positively selecting replacements for those characterised as ‘red’ (non-acceptable) and using ‘green’ chemicals (optimal) as they become available.

(2) For more information visit www.mbdc.com

(3) TÜV Nord Systems GmbH & Co. KG - Certificate to use the test mark Suitable for Allergic Persons for its Polyamide (PA) EcoBase® products.