“We are in a climate crisis and the construction industry
is responsible for 49% of carbon emissions in the UK. Therefore we must take rapid action to decarbonise the building industry.”
LETI Embodied Carbon Primer
PLASTIC DEPENDENCY
Around 85% of UK commercial flooring is oil-based. This includes PVC used in vinyl and safety floors, nylon and polypropylene carpet fibres, bitumen carpet backings and synthetic rubber. The continuing use of oil gives all of these materials inherently high carbon footprints and helps to perpetuate the oil extraction and processing industry.
OIL-BASED FLOORING GENERATES OVER 1 MILLION TONNES OF CO2 PER YEAR
Flooring Carbon Profiles
CO2e kg / m2
The carbon data shown is for generic product categories and does not represent the carbon footprint for individual products. Refer to manufacturer's data for a product-specific carbon profile.
What is Low Carbon?
Responding to the Climate Crisis requires consistent reductions in construction carbon. The UK NZCBS commits the industry to a 78% reduction in 12 years.
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This sets the benchmark for the carbon impact of flooring materials. To be low carbon enough to play a part in achieving the targets, flooring carbon footprints need to be below:
4.0 CO2 kg / m2
Low Carbon Flooring Options
There is a new generation of sustainable flooring materials that deliver low-carbon solutions for the busiest of commercial spaces without any compromise in design or performance.
BENEFITS OF GOING LOW CARBON
A transition from high-carbon flooring to sustainable alternatives will reduce the UK's carbon impact by
850,000+ tonnes
of CO2 emissions per year.
