Recycling End of Life Carpet tile to be given a second life

True Product stewardship in action

Refurbishing is great but is also responsible for massive NZ landfill and world carbon issues.

Though the new space is new and exciting (as referenced by the 250,000 people converging on the opening of the Commercial Bay Retail precinct in Auckland in June 2020), it also comes at a high environmental cost as the old is thrown away in the linear take, make, waste model that seems to drive our society.

We also know through our carbon counting that a carpet tile made from virgin materials uses 6kgs/Co2/m2 + (many of our competitors show 10kg/Co2/m2 in their EPD’s) whereas a carpet tile made from recycled old carpet tile only uses 3kg/Co2/m2.

INZIDE working in tandem with Interface introduced the Re-Entry to NZ in 2009 and had our stewardship scheme certified by the Ministry for the Environment in 2012. Every year since 2009 we have been sending containers full of end of life Interface carpet back to the Mill to be made into new carpet tile. Hence we have created a loop (circular economy) where the material from old carpets and is diverted from NZ landfill and made into new beautiful carpet tile with another 15 year+ life.

As the supplier of Interface carpet tile in New Zealand, we are exceptionally proud to be part of the process and show once again our commitment to keeping NZ 100% pure. We believe that removing end of life plastic flooring (polyester, nylon, polyolefin, vinyl etc) must become mandatory for all suppliers of flooring in New Zealand. If it doesn’t get exported it will end up in landfill. We can, and so should every other importer of plastic/synthetic carpet tile into NZ. By specifying Interface know that you create that competitive difference that will force other suppliers to get their own scheme underway. And remember, if it isn’t 3rd party verified it really isn’t happening.