Introduction to PVC Flooring and Its Environmental Concerns
Polyvinyl chloride is a widely used material in the flooring industry, often marketed as a durable and versatile option. However, concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of PVC flooring products, particularly during their production, use, and disposal (Potting & Blok, 1995) (Jönsson et al., 1997). The manufacturing of PVC involves the use of hazardous chemicals, such as chlorine, which can have negative effects on the environment and human health (Feldman et al., 2003). Recognizing these concerns, the flooring industry has been exploring alternative materials that offer comparable performance characteristics while addressing the environmental drawbacks of PVC polymer.
Benefits of Vinyl Free Flooring
Vinyl free flooring options, such as linoleum and other types of polymers materials, have emerged as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional PVC based flooring. Linoleum, for instance, has been viewed as a more environmentally sound than vinyl flooring in terms of its life cycle assessment (Jönsson et al., 1997). Furthermore, alternative materials such as natural materials inspired by cork and minerals have also been applied, which are designed to be more environmentally friendly and conform to higher environmental protection standards throughout the production, manufacturing, and recycling chain (Zhu & Feng, 2017).
Common Alternative Polymers For PVC Alternative Resilient Flooring
- Linoleum
- Polyurethane
- Rubber
- Polyester
- Polyolefin
- Polypropylene
Mannington Proxy Vinyl Free Luxury Vinyl Tile LVT
The Proxy Vinyl Free Flooring collection were launched by Mannington as an alternative flooring to PVC based LVT flooring collections. It is a non-vinyl resilient flooring that is made from composition of PET polymers and polyurethane. As an environmentally friendly flooring product, the Proxy LVT contains zero phthalates, PFAS, Halogens and Chlorine. It is certified with Red List Free Declaration and has a 105% carbon offset from cradle to gate.
Shaw Contract Innate Bio-based Polyurethane Heterogeneous Tiles
Innate Flooring collection by Shaw offers both sheet and tile style flooring. It is a vinyl free resilient flooring that is made from bio-based polyurethane that is derived from castor, canola, and rapeseed oils. Certified for Cradle-to-Cradle, the Innate Heterogeneous flooring has only 4.31kg CO₂ carbon footprint per square meter.
Milliken Merge Forward Vinyl Free Rigid Core SPC Flooring
Merge Forward is a non-vinyl and red list free rigid core SPC flooring collection by Milliken. The Merge Forward collection offers rigid core flooring planks with 4.5mm thickness and 0.5mm protection wear layer. A glue down installation style, that is suitable for commercial flooring projects.
