Paris – Tarkett recently released its Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility (CSR) report, showcasing the company’s sustainability commitment and progress. This non-financial performance statement has been audited by an independent third-party organization, KPMG. In 2018, Tarkett not only reduced its environmental footprint, but also contributed positively to global societal challenges, inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and by the 10 principles of UN Global Compact.

“At Tarkett, we are committed to serving our customers through our eco-design capabilities and longstanding dedication to sustainability,” said Fabrice Barthélemy, CEO of Tarkett. “We are deeply convinced that there is an urgency to shift models to preserve the world's finite natural resources and capital. Our goal is to establish a circular economy in the flooring industry.”

98% of Tarkett’s raw materials, more than 3,000 materials, are third-party assessed for their impact on people’s health and the environment based on Cradle to Cradle criteria. 97% of Tarkett flooring has low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions, i.e. 10 to 100 times lower than the strictest standards. By the end 2018, 100% of Tarkett’s vinyl production sites in Europe, North America, Serbia and China use non-phthalate plasticizer technology.

70% of the raw materials Tarkett uses do not contribute to resource scarcity, being abundant in nature, rapidly renewable or recycled. 134,000 tons of recycled materials are used as raw materials, representing 10% of the volume of purchased raw materials. 102,000 tons of flooring were collected from 2010 to 2018 through ReStart, Tarkett’s flooring collection program in Europe and North-America. Greenhouse gas emissions (per square meter of manufactured product kgCO2e/m²) were reduced by 8.5% in 2018 versus 2010. 27% of the energy consumption comes from renewable sources, such as biomass, geothermal, solar or purchased ‘green’ electricity.

Through Tarkett Cares, the company encourages all employees to spend up to two days per year of their work time on charity initiatives. In 2018, 1,300 employees were involved in 170 initiatives and over €800,000 contributions were made to community initiatives. Through Tarkett Academy, over 23,000 professionals or students were trained in flooring installation techniques from 2012 to 2018.

For more information, visit www.tarkett.com.