As one of the largest flooring brands in the Netherlands, it is naturally not easy to keep the ecological footprint small. Read here what Floorlife is doing to operate as sustainably as possible.
How important is sustainability for Floorlife?
Floorlife is one of the leading brands of the supplier Cotap. The two share the same vision when it comes to sustainability, but why is sustainability becoming increasingly important in the flooring industry? For a large brand like Floorlife, with the volume of flooring supplied, there are naturally many processes that emit CO₂.
It is important for Floorlife to supply the highest quality flooring while ensuring as many processes as possible are sustainable. Their vision is to make all processes, from floor production to customer delivery, as sustainable as possible. To achieve this, they adopt an extremely sustainable business structure.
Sustainable materials
The use of sustainable materials is very important at Floorlife. They are working to source as much material as possible from sustainable channels so they can produce more sustainable flooring.
The use of PEFC and FSC-certified wood species in parquet flooring. These certifications are globally recognized quality marks.
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). This certificate is a quality mark focused on sustainable forest management. The quality mark guarantees that:
- Forests are managed sustainably, with respect for ecosystems within the forest.
- Logging takes place in a way that does not impede forest growth.
- The interests of people living near the forests are protected.
- The entire production process, from forest to final product, is checked for sustainability.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). This certificate is a quality mark that applies strict environmental, social, and economic rules. An FSC certificate means that:
- Wood comes from forests that are managed responsibly.
- Animals and plants in the forest are protected.
- The rights of resident citizens and workers are taken into account.
- Logging takes place in a way that prevents deforestation.
There are three levels of FSC certification:
- FSC 100%: Wood comes entirely from certified forests.
- FSC Mix: A combination of FSC-certified wood and recycled material.
- FSC Recycled: Products are made entirely from recycled wood.
The use of recycled PVC and other environmentally friendly components in the collection. The use of recycled PVC helps Floorlife form a circular company. A circular company means that a company operates according to the principles of the circular economy. Such a company strives to recycle raw materials, materials, and products for as long as possible and minimize waste.
Floorlife's energy efficiency and production processes
Cotap - Floorlife's parent company - uses more than 3500 solar panels to generate a large part of its energy consumption itself. This greatly helps in making the production processes more sustainable. They also have a gas-free operation, meaning Cotap's new distribution center and headquarters are completely gas-free. Floorlife is therefore produced with minimal CO₂ emissions.
As mentioned earlier, Floorlife operates according to the principles of the circular economy. They also have processes in place for this. An example is that 50% of their packaging is made from recycled material. They separate plastic and paper in their logistics operations, which results in significant savings. They are also working on narrowing down the types of packaging they use, why? Because if you have to produce and develop as few types of packaging as possible, it saves an enormous amount of energy and materials. They are currently investigating possibilities to package carpet, mats, and vinyl in the same way. In addition, Cotap - the company behind Floorlife - has developed its own return system for pallets and plans to extend this to include hard plastic skirting boards and carpet tubes.
Old flooring to new raw materials
In 2022, Cotap - the company behind Floorlife - launched a process called 'vloerretour' (floor return). This is a recycling program for PVC cutting waste, laminate, and vinyl. These collected products are not thrown away but converted into new raw materials for the new sustainable EVC collection. Cotap firmly believes that EVC floors are the future, as the floors consist purely of recycled products.
Floorlife strives to have a fully circular product offering by 2030. The floor return initiative fits perfectly with this. To achieve this, their end-of-life products must become new raw materials. In 2024, they succeeded in converting PVC return waste into new reusable raw materials. This is the first step towards a completely circular product offering.
Even sustainable transport?
Transporting floors and deliveries is an area where you can save the most CO2 emissions. Cotap is aware of this, which is why their fleet of passenger cars and transport equipment has largely switched to fully electric driving. The goal is for all their internal transport activities to be fully electric by the end of 2025.
Half of the trucks in service have already switched to biodiesel (HVO 100), and a number of electric trucks are in use. With these developments and changes, CO2 emissions are reduced by as much as 90%.
Healthy indoor air
The use of the right materials and processes is extremely important when it comes to emission output indoors. Cotap - Floorlife are aware that everyone spends most of their time indoors, and it is important that the floor in your home does not emit harmful substances.
That is why Floorlife's flooring range consists as much as possible of responsible raw materials and recycled materials. In addition, the floors are produced completely phthalate-free and provided with sustainable plasticizers.
Floorlife's Future Vision
Cotap - the company behind Floorlife - has the vision to be a fully self-circulating company by 2030. In addition, they are currently building their new warehouse and office. The building will be a massive 44,000 square meters. The intention of this mega-building is to realize the idea of being a fully circulating company.
Conclusion
Sustainability is central to the business operations of Floorlife and its parent company Cotap. By using sustainable materials such as FSC and PEFC-certified wood, recycled PVC, and energy-efficient production processes, they are taking major steps towards a circular economy. Moreover, innovations such as the Floor Return program and the switch to electric transport and biodiesel drastically reduce their ecological footprint.
With a clear vision for 2030, where a fully circular product offering and a self-sufficient company are the objectives, Floorlife proves that sustainability and quality can go hand in hand. By continuously innovating and making responsible choices, Floorlife remains a leader in the flooring industry in terms of environmental friendliness and future-proof production.
