Carpet with Cradle to Cradle® Certification: what does that mean?

Tarkett is one of the pioneers in the field of Cradle to Cradle flooring. It is our passion to create sustainable products that have a positive impact on people's health and well-being, both in the office and at home. The Cradle to Cradle principle is therefore one of our pillars on which our business operations are based. Manufactured products are assessed by the Cradle to Cradle Innovation Institute on 5 quality categories:
1.    use of healthy materials,
2.    reuse of materials,
3.    renewable energy and CO2 management,
4.   responsible water management
5.   Social Justice & Business Ethics

Each category is given a separate rating, where Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum can be obtained. This assessment is performed by an independent, qualified organization. The lowest performance level determines the overall score, which means that if 4 categories are Gold and 1 category Silver, the product will still receive a Cradle to Cradle Silver certification

First supplier in the world with Cradle to Cradle® Gold carpet

Cradle to Cradle® assists Tarkett in the continuous optimization of products. The certification system makes it possible to identify areas for improvement. This purposeful design, stimulated by the principles of Cradle to Cradle, has ensured that as many as 93% of commercial DESSO carpet tiles are Cradle to Cradle Bronze or Silver certified (depending on the carpet backing). A number of collections also have a Cradle to Cradle Gold certificate

It is not easy to get an overall Gold Certification. Tarkett has worked hard for 7 years to become the very first manufacturer in 2015 to receive a Cradle to Cradle Gold certificate for a carpet tile collection, namely the DESSO Gold Collection. This collection was the first collection to be delivered as standard with an EcoBase backing, a 100% recyclable carpet backing with upcycled processed calcium carbonate (lime). This lime was obtained in collaboration with local drinking water companies, such as BrabantWater. In addition, the Gold Collection contains ECONYL, a 100% regenerated yarn. ECONYL is regenerated from nylon yarn, which would normally be considered waste.

AirMaster® now also has Cradle to Cradle Gold collection

In 2019 Tarkett introduced a new carpet tile collection with a Cradle to Cradle Gold certification, namely the AirMaster C2C Gold Collection. This collection also comes standard with an EcoBase backing and the yarns are also from ECONYL, with all the advantages of the previous AirMaster collections. The DESSO AirMaster C2C Gold Collection is also very effective in absorbing and retaining particulate matter, thus ensuring a healthier living and working environment. Making the living and working environment healthier is important, given that people spend 90% of their time indoors and poor indoor air quality is one of the biggest invisible concerns of employees in today's workplace, according to research by The Great Indoors.

Tarkett closes the loop with ReStart® and our Carpet Recycling Centre

In order to develop high-quality and sustainable products, we at Tarkett develop products from the design stage in such a way that they can be recycled with minimal effort. Tarkett is therefore also proud of its ReStart Programs and the recently opened Carpet Recycle Center. Recycling carpet tiles with EcoBase backings and with PA 6 yarn yields up to 84 percent2  more CO2 savings compared to combustion. This groundbreaking development takes us one step further in the field of recycling and Tarkett is (proudly) contributing more and more to a sustainable, circular economy.

Would you like to build the world of tomorrow with us?

'Waste' no longer exists, but is regarded as a valuable raw material with which we can once again make sustainable products. This way, with your help, we can complete the circle through our ReStart® program and save our planet for future generations.

Curious about the possibilities with project carpet? Then take a look at our article: "Project carpet for commercial spaces: everything you need to know"