Health & Safety

Vinyl is a safe material, widely used in the automotive, food packaging, healthcare and construction industries. It is also commonly used for tools and storage vessels which come into close contact with humans and animals e.g. blood storage bags, catheters and other medical disposals.

Gerflor uses the same high grade of raw materials to produce its floor coverings to standards that exceed all prescribed health and safety requirements.

• Safe raw materials: no heavy metals, no solvent based inks, no phtalates, no formaldehydes, no PCP  and components rated as carcinogenic.

• No substance potentially subject to any REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemical) restrictions.

• Low VOC emissions of 70% lower than European Standards and Agbb protocol.

• No toxic emissions such as formaldehyde, which causes cancer.

• Resistant to fire, does not help fire spread, does not release toxic gases like choride (Cl2) and has far less carbon monoxide (CO) than any other type of flooring.

Committed to future generations

Recycling

Vinyl is one of the only building materials that is 100% recyclable. Unlike other plastics, it can be endlessly recycled into new products and materials adding value throughout its long life.

• Post industrial waste recycling: almost 100% of our manufacturing waste is recycled and manufactured into interlayers or backing for new products

• Post installation waste recycling: In Europe, Gerflor has started to organize the collection of post installation waste from large projects to get these wastes recycled.

• Post consumer waste recycling: Gerflor products are 100% recyclable a the end of their life and qualify for credits under many internationally accredited Green Building Schemes. Gerflor was also one of the founding members of the first vinyl floor covering recycling workshop: AgPR.

Recycled vinyl is used to make "second life" products like road cones

ISO 14001

In Europe, less than 50% of manufacturers have achieved an ISO 14001 certification and Gerflor is one of them. Gerflor industrial sites are certified ISO 14001 and are committed to continuously improving their environmental performance.

Gerflor Tarare manufacturing plant

Life Cycle Analysis

Life Cycle Analysis is regarded as the ultimate means by which all environmental impacts are measured and improved upon during a product's life cycle including manufacture, delivery, installation, cost of ownership and maintenance, ultimate disposal/recycling of all products. All new Gerflor product ranges are developed using a full life cycle analysis model.

Gerflor's innovative surface treatments such as Protecsol, SparClean, PureClean and PUR are factory applied to ensure durability and long life performance. These treatments eliminate the need for sealing and polishing over the life of the product. They also reduce the usage of water, cleaning detergents and harmful chemicals for a sustainable maintenance regime.

In the UK, all Gerflor products which match the BRE generic flooring specifications have been given either A or A+ratings, with A+ representing the lowest environmental impact possible.

Environmental tests and technical certificates are available upon request