REclaim. REcycle.
REuse - Interface's new GlasBac® RE sustainable
carpet backing & ReEntryT program
Interface Asia-Pacific is launching
its latest advancement in sustainable carpet backings,
GlasBac® RE, and their accompanying ReEntryT
program which makes it easy for customers to recycle
their used carpet.
Utilising a new technology, vinyl
backings can be completely separated from the nylon
carpet fibres of either used GlasBac®, GlasBac®
RE carpet tiles and even other manufacturer's vinyl
backed tiles, subject to a minimum quality standard.*
| The vinyl is then able to be recycled
into new backings that provide even better performance
than virgin vinyl backings. The nylon from
the carpet fibres is redirected to other uses.
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Depending on yarn selection, GlasBac®
RE tiles have a total recycled content by weight
of 40% and up to in excess of 50%. GlasBac®
RE reduces the amount of virgin vinyl used by 49%
when compared to our standard GlasBac®.
GlasBac® RE provides the outstanding
performance required for commercial applications.
As the vinyl composite to make GlasBac® RE is
essentially the same as virgin material, there is
no degrading of dimensional stability in the finished
product.
In fact, it is Interface's highest
performing backing, with a 15-year warranty against
delamination, stretching and shrinkage. It
also features Intersept® lifetime antimicrobial
protection and is impermeable preventing moisture
reaching the sub-floor.
Interface is the only modular carpet
manufacturer in Australia utilising this technology.
The unique separation process allows the recycled
backing to be reclaimed over and over again, making
GlasBac® RE a sustainable, high performance
backing.
Interface's ReEntryT program is
about making it easy for customers to recycle their
used carpet tile, preventing it ending up in landfill.
Under a ReEntryT agreement, customers can
simply ring and tell Interface where to pick up
used vinyl-backed carpet tiles, including other
manufacturer's vinyl-backed tiles, once it has been
removed from the building.
While Interface's ReEntryT program
does incur a small fee at the time of reclaiming
the used carpet, it releases organisations from
the responsibilities and costs associated with the
disposal of their floorcoverings.
With substantial increases in landfill
fees in recent years that are expected to continue
to rise, combined with the environmental cost of
landfill, the ReEntryT alternative creates the raw
materials for a closed loop recycling process.
Interface, since beginning its journey
towards sustainability in 1994, has also actively
redefined the organisation's culture, business practices
and products, to become a leader in industrial ecology.
Interface is involved in a number of initiatives
in the Asia-Pacific region that actively take stewardship
of the impact of our products throughout their lifecycle.
The Cool CarpetT program, for example,
offsets greenhouse gas emissions generated across
the entire lifecycle of the carpet (raw material
extraction, manufacture, distribution, administration,
maintenance and end-of-life) through support of
projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
an equivalent amount.
Interface's latest product advancement,
the i2 random lay ranges, both reduce manufacturing
and installation waste while the products mergeable
dye lot design can significantly extend the life
of the product.
For further information about GlasBac®
RE and ReEntryT, contact Interface on 1800 008 101
or visit www.interfaceaus.com.au. To learn
more about Interface's seven fronts of sustainability,
visit www.interfacesustainability.com.
* Please contact Interface
for further information about quality requirements
for non-Interface carpet tile.
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