Sustainable flooring
The material it is made from is highly important. Some materials are better for the planet than others. Some are even carbon negative.
For soft under foot, there is carpet, or rugs. For warmth and good insulation carpet and natural floorings like sisal or seagrass. For sound insulation, cord is a fantastic product. A practical and hardwearing flooring can be anything from wood, FSC laminates.
A flooring for a wet room can be tiles, but it can also be linoleum, which is very different to vinyl.
Rugs
There are a few options open to you.
Bordered carpets – these are rugs that are made from carpet, which is decoratively edged and loose-laid upon the floor. A border can be wool, or leather, or simply whipped using the same yarn.
Woollen rugs – wool is a very sustainable product, and makes the perfect fibre for weaving into a rug. Available in a huge array of colours and designs, you can get flatware rugs, or ones with a sumptuously thick pile.
Woven rugs – contemporary designed 100% wool rugs with a heavy woven texture. The rugs I offer are made and hand-finished in the UK.
Recycled materials – rugs made from recycled materials. Plastic bottles, turned into yarn, make a very hardwearing product.
Customised rugs – choose your colours and have it made to whatever size you require.
Outdoor rugs – I don’t advise buying these. Outdoor rugs are not an eco-friendly purchase, no matter what they are made from. Unless you religiously roll it up and store it between use, and never leave it out in the rain, or allow food to drop upon it, they tire and age so easily. Left outdoors and moss will eventually grow into the weave, and it’s hard to clean. People end up throwing them out, and they will end up in landfill.
Carpet
A carpet might be sumptuous and thick; something that your toes sink into. That could be wool, or recycled plastic. Or it can have a more natural appearance. Either can be sustainable.
Pure wool is the best choice for a sustainable carpet. Wool feels wonderful under foot, it is warm with good insulating properties, and is a renewable material. You can save on your heating bills, and therefore save on energy.
Other natural fibres would include sisal, seagrass, coir or jute, which all come from sustainable plants, which are often grown organically.
Underlay
Easily overlooked, underlay is just as important as carpet. A good quality product will ensure your carpet lasts the test of time, but it needs to be a sustainable choice. The most eco-friendly option would be to reuse an existing underlay if the condition is still fine. A new option that is sustainable is made from rubber crumb or recycled PU foam.
Cork flooring
Cork flooring for the 21st century is simple to fit and extremely sustainable. You can choose from pre-finished, water-resistant click planks, or classic gluedown tiles. These are suitable for both domestic and commercial projects.
Wooden flooring
The most sustainable hard flooring in the market would be bamboo, which is a long-lasting natural option from renewable sources. Hard wood from certified sustainable sources is also a good option to consider, so long as it is made using sustainable wood. Look for products that are FSC certified to ensure the wood has been harvested sustainably.
There’s been a huge increase in popularity of hard wood alternatives in recent years, including laminate flooring. Made from sustainable products, it’s manufactured in modern production facilities that are subject to strict emissions and environmental standards and often have their own energy and heating cycles, making it an ideal eco-flooring option for fans of wood or laminate.
We’re proud to say that our largest suppliers are completely self-sufficient, replanting all trees used for production and using surplus materials to power their manufacturing plants. Keep an eye out for the FSC label on our products, which guarantees responsible forestry management and conservation.
Laminate flooring
This is the least sustainable of the eco-friendly hard flooring options. There are some laminate flooring products that are made from sustainable materials and manufactured in modern production facilities that are meet strict emission and environmental standards, with their energy and heating cycles. So these can be an ideal eco-flooring option.
Laminate flooring must have the FSC label, which guarantees responsible forestry management and conservation.
All hard flooring, whether wood or laminate, promote clean air, as they don’t trap dust mites or mould spores that can aggravate allergens or sneezing. They contain far fewer allergens than carpets and are easily to wash down.
Linoleum flooring
Whilst it is commonly mistaken for vinyl flooring, linoleum is a completely different product. Linoleum was actually invented in 1855 and Britain became the world leader in production. Since then, competing products entered the market and the industry declined.
Linoleum is a real eco-superhero because it is mostly made from natural materials. The ingredients include wood flour, rosin, ground limestone, powdered cork, pigments, jute and linseed oil. It can be recycled at the end of its life. It is biodegradable as it will decompose without releasing harmful toxins or gasses. Being a smooth surface, linoleum does not harbour bacterial or dust, which makes it great for this who have allergies. It is extremely long lasting, with a typical lifecycle of 25 to 40 years.