Flooring is probably not the first thing you think about when it comes to climate change and being environmentally friendly. It’s likely not the second or third thing you think about either.
But when you start questioning the impact of flooring on the environment and how much it’s contributing to global warming, you might think it has a negative impact. However, despite flooring coming from natural sources or man-made materials, it isn’t completely detrimental to the world around us.
When it comes to environmentally friendly flooring, sometimes called eco-friendly or sustainable, there are several factors to take into account: durability, sustainability, chemical treatment, recyclability and waste.
Durability
There’s a common misconception that sustainable products are less durable than their environmentally damaging counterparts. Eco-friendly flooring is very durable and can withstand an active environment as well as general wear and tear.
Their long lifespans then cut down on materials, chemicals and energy being used to make replacements, lessening the carbon emissions and reducing waste. This is also a cost-effective option!
Sustainability
When looking into your flooring options, it’s important to know whether the raw material used is easily replenished. There should be a balance so that the material isn’t depleted past a set equilibrium. The materials might grow quickly or be carefully managed to maintain this balance.
Another factor is the life cycle of your flooring. Think about how and where the materials are sourced, the carbon footprint to your home and what will happen when the floor needs replacing. Will it be recycled or sent to landfill?
For reference, the flooring life cycle is: the extraction of the raw material, the upstream manufacturing, manufacturing, use phase, end of life and disposal/recycling.
Chemical Treatments
When it comes to chemical treatments, it’s really a case of the fewer the better.
Environmentally friendly flooring doesn’t use chemical treatments that can damage the environment and release a high level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into your home. VOCs are chemicals that can be harmful to your health, so it’s always better to choose materials with low VOC levels for both your health and the planet. Although, due to the hazardous nature of VOCs, most manufacturers are required to keep their VOC levels extremely low.
Recyclability and Waste
At the end of your floors life, there are two options: recycle or waste.
Choosing environmentally friendly flooring will reduce waste by being recyclable or by being composed of recyclable materials. Whilst its always great to have something 100% recyclable, sometimes it isn’t entirely feasible, so a floor with recyclable materials is still a better option than an entire floor headed straight for landfill.
As mentioned before, eco-friendly flooring is durable, which means you won’t be replacing it for years – if not decades!
Environmentally Friendly Flooring Options
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo is one of the most environmentally friendly flooring materials. The fast-growing grass can be harvested within five years as opposed to most solid wood, which takes at least 25 years to reach maturity. The plant is harvested in a way that allows the base to remain in the ground, undamaged. This means it can regrow and there’s no need to replant the bamboo. Making bamboo harvesting a sustainable process. This renewable raw material is sturdy and as durable as oak, if not more, so it won’t need replacing for a long time. With the proper maintenance, of course!
Unfortunately, bamboo flooring isn’t without its flaws.
Mostly grown in India, China and Indonesia, the material usually has to be imported, which then generates more pollution through carbon emissions. Bamboo has also become a really popular material, which means even more of it has been planted. Now that might not sound like a problem, but it means that a lot of local ecosystems and animal habitats would’ve been destroyed to create space for the bamboo to grow.
Cork Flooring
Another incredibly eco-friendly flooring material is cork, which is harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree. The trees can be harvested from repeatedly every 10 or so years for around 200 years. During this process, the cork oak tree isn’t damaged and doesn’t need to be cut down. Interestingly, cork flooring is actually made of the leftover waste from wine cork production.
Cork flooring is energy efficient too as it’s a natural thermal insulator, preventing the heat inside your home from escaping and cutting down the cost of your heating bill. Cork contains a high concentration of suberin, which is a physical barrier that prevents water loss, and this makes cork flooring highly resistant to moisture and mould.
With the proper maintenance and care, cork floors can last at least forty years and is completely biodegradable – as long as it doesn’t have any chemical resins.
Similar to bamboo flooring, the downside of cork is that it’s typically grown in Southern Europe, which means carbon emissions are released when it’s shipped around the world. Additionally, cork flooring is made by grinding up the cork bark and binding it with resins, which can contain significant levels of VOCs. But not all cork flooring does!
Solid and Engineered Wood Flooring
There are some myths out there stating that wood flooring is bad for the environment, but it’s probably the most environmentally friendly flooring option out there.
It can be recycled at the end of its life and is biodegradable, allowing it to decompose naturally without harming the environment. This is dependent on whether chemicals have been used! The production of wood flooring usually has a lower carbon footprint than other flooring materials as wood requires less energy to process and manufacture. Like cork, wood flooring is energy efficient as wood is a natural insulator that keeps the heat inside. Wood flooring is also known for its durability and longevity; you won’t be replacing it any time soon!
The downside to solid wood flooring is that it does use a lot of trees to make. This shouldn’t be a problem as long as more trees are being planted than harvested, to keep it a sustainable resource. Engineered wood flooring only has a thin veneer of traditional wood, which means it uses less wood, but the core materials in between can be non-renewable. The main thing to look for with wood flooring is whether the company practices environmental friendliness.
