NFT recently polled manufacturers with one question: What is your environmentally sustainable approach to making and marketing products? Their responses follow, along with a short list of their most recent green products.


Anderson Hardwood Floors
At Anderson we are proud to be the first hardwood manufacture to receive the National Wood Flooring Association’s Responsible Procurement Program Certification for sustainability and legal harvesting on all our products. The auditing process to receive this recognition took almost a full year of review by Scientific Certification Systems, the same auditor used by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Rain Forest Alliance.

We were also the first domestic hardwood manufacturer to be GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified and most recently Anderson received MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certification, recognizing the regenerative lifecycle contribution of our products. -John Woolsey, vp marketing & merchandising

Most recent green products:

All Anderson, Appalachian and Virginia Vintage products are Certified Sustainable, Certified Safe for Indoor Environments, Certified Fully Recyclable and Certified Legally Harvested.


APC Cork
APC Cork’s cork flooring uses the material extracted from the bark of the cork oak tree, which only grows in the forests of Mediterranean countries. The largest concentration of cork flooring plantations are found in Spain and Portugal. It is important to note that only the bark is peeled off to be used for cork flooring every decade. The tree itself is never felled. By using cork, we keep the forest alive and the habitat undisturbed.

Most recent green products:

All of APC Cork’s cork flooring and underlayments are environmentally sustainable.

ARDEX Engineered Cements
The ARDEX commitment to sustainability includes the development of environmentally friendly products, reducing the impact our facilities have on their surrounding environments, and supporting and encouraging our employees to act as stewards of our planet and its resources.

We go to great lengths to take into consideration the environmental impact of our products during research and development, through our manufacturing processes, and understanding what effects our products may have on the environment when they are put into use.

Most recent green products:

HENRY GreenLine Adhesives.


Armstrong Flooring Products
Companies like Armstrong, who embraced [environmental] responsibility earlier, will benefit from being able to offer what the market demands. Transparency of information is key and dealers today need straightforward, reliable information to pass on to customers.  They need to rely on manufacturers whom they know and trust, who demonstrate good environmental stewardship in dealings with customers, employees, the government and the community. -Joseph DeZarn, creative director, marketing communications

Most recent green products:

StrataMax; Luxe Plank; Armstrong linoleum; Migrations BioBased Flooring Tile. Armstrong vinyl flooring is FloorScore certified.


Azrock by Tarkett
Tarkett’s approach to sustainability is called Balanced Choice. Every choice we make impacts our clients, their environment and their budget, so we work to create floors that are good for people, the environment and the bottom line. This practice helps make our floors sustainable by using better raw materials, recycling materials, resource stewardship and designing floors that provide people-friendly spaces. -Diane Martel, vp marketing and environment


Most recent green product:

SpraySmart spray adhesive.

CBC Flooring
CBC has responded to the growing demand for green products by accelerating our sourcing of products to meet all levels of sustainability. For example, our recently introduced Salto Unica Recycled Limestone Tile has 80% recycled content, 70% designated as pre-consumer.

CBC is constantly driven to challenge our suppliers to increase recycled content, especially at the post-consumer level; find alternative raw materials to reduce environmental impact during the manufacturing process and lifecycle of the floor; and improve wear surfaces to reduce water use during maintenance, just to name a few areas of concentration. -Chip Braulick, sr. marketing manager

Most recent green products:

Salto Unica recycled limestone tile; WELS sheet flooring.


Custom Building Products
Custom Building Products continues to search for ways to reduce the burden on our environment and promote sustainability. Custom’s Build Green program supplies customers with environmentally responsible products and the peace of mind that they are contributing to a cleaner world.

Custom uses recycled materials whenever possible in manufacturing to help conserve natural resources and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Custom’s complete line of lightweight products, manufactured with recycled material, requires less fuel for transport. Most Custom products provide our exclusive MoldGard protection, an environmentally sound approach to inhibit moisture intrusion and improve indoor air quality.

Most recent green products:

Custom’s Build Green products include CEG-Lite Commercial 100% Solids Epoxy Grout, EBM-Lite Epoxy Bonding Mortar – 100% Solids, LevelLite Self-Leveling Underlayment, EasyMat Tile & Stone Underlayment, MegaLite Rapid Set Crack Prevention Mortar, ProLite Rapid Set Tile & Stone Mortar, AquaMix Sealer’s Choice Gold.


Flexco
Flexco will continue to focus on manufacturing and developing products that are environmentally friendly in 2010. At the present time, all Flexco products contribute to the green effort with the exception of one product. With each market segment that we focus on there are hurdles to overcome, and with over 60 years of experience in the industry we realize that with time comes change. We look forward to the challenges of 2010 and we will definitely be focusing on green and all the changes to come. -Melissa Quick, marketing coordinator

Most recent green products:

All but one Flexco product is environmentally sustainable.


Laticrete International
The building community has recognized the importance of healthy indoor air and we’ve been able to meet this demand with an entire range of low-VOC products. We’ve developed online tools to simplify the submittal process for LEED projects, and helped architects and contractors by providing independent, third-party certification through the GREENGUARD program on our products. -Maria Oliveira, corporate communications manager

Most recent green products:

All of these products are GREENGUARD certified – Laticrete 86 LatiLevel, Sound & Crack Isolation Mat, Hydro Ban, Floor HEAT, 125 Sound & Crack Adhesive, PermaColor Grout, SpectraLOCK 2000 IG.


Mannington Commercial
Mannington Commercial incorporates a rigorous sustainable design approach into our product development process. We take into account how the product is manufactured – utilizing green energy and reducing our consumption of natural resources – as well as accentuating specific environmental attributes of each product, like recycled content and use of renewable resources. -Natalie Jones, vp commercial brand development and creative product

Most recent green products:

Premium Tile VCT n2 VCT initiative – products include ColorPoint, SolidPoint and Brushwork; Audio Spectra Premium Rubber Tile; Stream of Consciousness broadloom and modular carpet; rEvolve modular carpet backing system.

MAPEI Americas
MAPEI completed ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems certification for its flagship facility in Laval (Montreal), Quebec in 2009. During 2010, we will begin working toward the ISO 14001 certification of all our plants in North America. -Luigi Di Geso, president and CEO

In 2010 MAPEI is introducing a brand new formulation for all its urethane wood flooring adhesives, featuring the use of rapidly renewable materials to manufacture wood glues that are phthalate-free. We are beginning with the introduction in March of Ultrabond ECO 995, a dual-purpose wood adhesive with a strong bond and moisture-barrier characteristics. -Jeff Johnson, product manager, floor covering installation systems

Most recent green products:

Ultrabond ECO 995, Ultrabond 980, Ultrabond 990, Planiseal WFM.


Milliken Contract
We see green products and sustainable practices continuing to grow across all market segments at Milliken. In the commercial arena, sustainability is a requirement for doing business. Green building and related products are rapidly gaining endorsement in hospitality. In the residential market, as consumers voice a stronger interest in healthy and cost efficient interiors, the numbers will increase. -David Caples, president, Milliken Floor Covering Division

Most recent green product:

Ghost Artist modular carpet.


Mohawk Industries
Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpet made with DuPont Sorona replaces 37% of the petroleum used with renewable resources like corn sugar. Our EverStrand products feature up to 100% post-consumer recycled content. Our PureBond engineered hardwood products were among the first to achieve CARB II and FloorScore certification, and numerous hardwoods are FSC or Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers certified. Laminates and ceramics have powerful recycling stories to tell.

Mohawk’s sustainability platform focuses on three key principles: profit, people, and planet. Through programs like our GreenWorks Dealer of the Year, we’re showing retailers how green adds to the bottom line.

Most recent green products:

EverStrand BCF and BCF XtraSoft with post-consumer recycled content; SmartStrand carpet made with DuPont Sorona; engineered hardwoods with Purebond Technology.


Shaw Floors
Our commitment to sustainability is evidenced by Shaw’s major investment in carpet recycling at our Evergreen facility in Augusta, our partnership with DAK North America to build the world’s largest PET recycling operation, Anso branded nylon with certified 25 percent recycled content, Shaw’s high performance non-PVC EcoWorx carpet tile backing and our unique alternative energy plants in Dalton.

We have also earned MBDC Cradle to Cradle certification on many commercial and residential flooring products, including a broad selection of hardwood products and carpet cushion. In addition, we recently achieved the GREENGUARD Children & School IAQ certification on all Shaw hardwood and laminate products.-David Wilkerson, corporate director sustainability and product stewardship

Most recent green products:

Anso nylon Colorwall; Visions collection featuring Anso Caress nylon; Couture collection featuring Anso Caress nylon; ClearTouch PET carpet; EverTouch Everyday Elegance carpet; Main Street Commercial collections including Philadelphia Commercial, Queen Commercial and carpet tile; Epic Legends, Epic Traditions and Epic Expressions hardwood.


W.F Taylor
W.F. Taylor was the pioneer in solvent free adhesives in the late 1980s, and we have continued this leadership with the development and introduction of our high performance patented Meta-Tec technology.

Taylor is the only flooring adhesive company to pursue and gain the coveted GREENGUARD certification for its product line. In addition, Taylor continually strives to improve our manufacturing environmental performance by reduction of waste, efficient use of fuels, energy, water and raw materials, as well as implementing safe and efficient storage, handling, and transportation of all materials. -Mihir Gandhi, creative marketing manager


Most recent green product:

Meta-Tec MS Plus Advance wood flooring adhesive.



Editor’s Note: The manufacturers profiled in this article are only a small sampling of the companies making green flooring products and accessories. This article should not be construed as a complete list of green companies in the industry.