Annaliese Wu from Armstrong Flooring has responded to the following questions.
Tell us about how the manufacturing of Armstrong Flooring products positively impacts our environment.
At Armstrong Flooring protecting our planet is synonymous with good business. We focus on decreasing our environmental footprint, delivering innovative and inspired products that contribute to more sustainable spaces, and being a responsible citizen in the communities we serve.
Armstrong Flooring are supporters and signatories to the PVC Industry Product Stewardship Program, in Australia as part of our commitment Armstrong Flooring offers a publically available Product Stewardship Program (PSP) which encompasses contractual arrangements with customers to take products back at the end of the product's in-use phase, as such Armstrong Flooring will provide appropriate arrangements to collect off cuts and end of life products for recycling into new flooring products or recycling by an external facility.
The Australian PVC industry's Product Stewardship Program (PSP or 'the Program'), launched in 2002, is a voluntary initiative setting out a series of commitments to address environmental and health issues associated with the life cycle of polyvinyl chloride (PVC, or vinyl).
This is an ongoing, long-term undertaking of the Australian PVC industry to recognise and progressively address all pertinent environmental issues within responsible and deliverable timeframes. Signatories commit to a range of actions in areas including manufacturing emissions, additives and end-of-life management. These Commitments bind the Signatories to deliver specific outcomes.
The Program is dynamic. It can demonstrate many achievements which have improved the health and environmental impacts of vinyl products. Stakeholder feedback, Signatory reporting and expert scientific and technical research are just some of the ways the PSP achieves progress on its Commitments. For more detail see www.vinyl.org.au.
What are the next innovations in flooring that will be even more healthier for people and our environment?
The search for ever more sustainable raw materials to manufacture and live with flooring is a journey of discovery. Industry is continuously looking for new and innovative ingredients and ways to produce materials, as well as ways to reduce the resources required to maintain them during their lifecycle. Developments such as raw materials derived from nature for manufacturing, products and applications that reduce the use of chemicals, water and energy during their use phase are key innovations that will see flooring contribute to a healthier environment for people and our environment into the future.
Visit Armstrong Flooring's website.
Warm Regards
Daphna Tal