Aspecta, a division of HMTX Industries, announced that the global flooring brand has pioneered the expansion of information provided on a Declare label – equivalent to a nutrition label for building products - by adding embodied carbon data to its Aspecta Declare labels. Because embodied carbon in building products is a component of the carbon footprint of a building, architects and designers are increasingly considering embodied carbon in the material selection process. 

Said Rochelle Routman, HMTX’s chief sustainability & quality officer, “Embodied carbon is a critical factor in climate change, because it is locked in place as soon as the materials are installed in a building. Operational carbon emissions, on the other hand, can be reduced over time by energy efficiency devices and programs. Reducing embodied carbon is the next wave in reducing the climate impact of buildings.”

Said Lin Gao, sustainability & QA manager, “As the first and only hard-surface flooring manufacturer to publish embodied carbon on our Aspecta Declare labels, HMTX clearly demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to sustainability and transparency, as well as serving our customers.”

As HMTX works toward a more comprehensive carbon-neutral program, the company’s manufacturing partners in Asia are already taking steps to reduce the embodied carbon of its products:

HMTX’s primary factories in China reuse all scraps and trimmings from manufacturing back into the products, which conserves energy because this volume of material does not have to be made from virgin vinyl. 

HMTX’s Elegant Home-Tech factory in Zhangjiagang, China uses reclaimed steam from a local steel mill to help heat presses. Both Elegant Home-Tech and HMTX’s YiHua Run Dong factory in Zhangjiagang, China use separate hot and cold presses to conserve energy, as a greater amount of energy is utilized when the same press has to be repeatedly heated and cooled. Additionally, YiHua currently generates solar energy with on-site photovoltaic panels, and Elegant Home-Tech will be adding solar panels during an upcoming expansion.

Elegant Home-Tech re-uses non-potable water for production and captured rainwater from a water recycling pool, thereby conserving energy because the water does not need to be treated.

To learn more about Aspecta, visit aspectaflooring.com.