Sustainable flooring
We create better environments
Our roots in sustainability
It is about the things we do, not just about the things we promise.
At Forbo Flooring Systems, it's action that is important, not just promises. We want to be a trusted partner who provides full transparency when it comes to circular flooring solutions and renewable raw materials.
BrochureWhat we do
A few of our accomplishments
• Our average carbon emission per square metre product decreased by 70% from 2004-2021.
• Overall 23% of our flooring is made up of recycled materials by weight, with some individual products with as much as 89% recycled materials.
• All product categories offer adhesive-free flooring with 100% safe & traceable raw materials.
• 47 flooring ranges with independently reviewed Environmental Product Declarations (EPD).
• All EPDs have human health impact and eco-toxicity declarations.
• Over 10 years of annual sustainability reporting in adherence with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.
In order to move forward, we go round
We often think of progress as a leap forward, as a straight line to success. And from a particular perspective, it's true: you arrive at a better place than where you started. But sometimes, the best progression means ending up exactly where you started. It's why we say that to go forward and to think circular, we need to go round.
Sustainability Program 2025
We create better environments
Our long-term ambition is clear: to be your trusted partner for fully-circular flooring solutions made from renewable materials. We want to make it easy for architects, contractors, installers and building owners alike to make the right circular flooring choice, helping them to lower their carbon footprint, reduce their waste production and maximise their use of renewable materials.
Challenges in the flooring industry
Where we need to move forward
Flooring is a key building material and making the right choices can help significantly lower a building’s overall carbon footprint and resource consumption. However currently, flooring and other building materials can cause problems for the planet, from greenhouse gas emissions to expanding landfills and the depletion of finite resources.
Read more about the five different themes we are focusing on to meet the challenges in the flooring industry.
The pillars of our ambition
Renewability
Renewable materials are an important part of a fully circular future. That’s why we continue to increase the bio-based content in our portfolio. We are the world leader in Linoleum, and our Marmoleum consists of more than 97% natural and renewable materials.
Transparency
Transparency is the foundation for making the right circular choices. With life cycle assessments as our constant guide in doing right, we continue to lead the industry towards new environmental standards. We have secured third-party verified EPDs and we include human and eco-health declarations in all of our EPDs - a first mover for the industry.
Circularity
True circularity is to go all the way around. We think circular in everything we do. We work on creating products that keep the end in mind - and do this throughout our design process and choice of materials. Our back to the floor programme is active in many markets, contributing to reuse and recycling.
Discover what we do to become the most sustainable flooring manufacturer
HOW WE GO ROUND TODAY
Vinyl - circular ready flooring
Read moreVinyl floors are part of a versatile and more and more adhesive-free range of products that have made great strides in terms of their technical and sustainable properties. Increased recycled content, improved lacquers and dyes, reduced product emissions (to near zero) and the elimination of harmful substances have been key steps towards circular ready sustainable flooring.
Textile - the recycling hero
Read moreOn average, we can claim the highest percentage of recycled content by weight in the industry for our carpet tiles, up to as high as 56%. For our Coral textile solutions we use Econyl yarns which are sourced from waste fishing nets rescued from the oceans. The yarns are made from 100% regenerated material. Our modular Flotex backings are made with recycled PVC.
Reports & publications
Learn more about sustainability topics
We have various internal and external reports to illustrate the sustainability of our products and production processes. We provide all our documentation in one place for you to take a look at.
Read the sustainability publications
Transparency in every step
Being transparent is one of the key elements of our sustainability strategy and therefore we would like to have evidence that our flooring is truly sustainable, both for the planet as well as for our health. Multiple reports have been created for this purpose.
LCA
A Life Cycle Assessment measures the environmental performance of a product.
EPD
An Environmental Product Declaration contains the LCA for one particular product.
HPD
A Health Product Declaration specifies our products’ health impact.
Stories
FAQ
Do you have a question about our sustainability strategy, our flooring solutions or any other topic?
See our frequently asked questions