Altro Safety Flooring recycling system - another step towards a sustainable future

After pioneering the world's first safety flooring recycling system, flooring and wall cladding specialists Altro, is now using the recycled PVC in two of its most popular safety flooring products.

In line with its 6 Steps to Sustainability programme, Altro has been working towards increasing the recycled content of its safety flooring products. As part of this work, the company has developed a process which allows recycled chip from its safety flooring recycling system, to be scattered onto the surface of the undercoat of certain products. The new process will divert waste from landfill and further increase the recycled content and sustainability of its flooring products.

All Altro safety flooring ranges contain 10% recycled glass, but now Altro VM20 and Altro IP20 also incorporate this extra recycled PVC and now include up to 20% recycled content - 10% glass and 10% PVC chip.

Tracy Perry, Quality, Environmental and Sustainability Specialist at Altro comments, "Previously it was thought impossible to be able to recycle safety flooring due to the abrasive nature of the aggregates the product contains which give safety flooring its signature slip resistance and durability. Thanks to the installation of the world's first in-house safety flooring recycling system we have not sent any waste PVC to landfill since mid 2007, and now recycle 100% of our factory waste PVC.

"The changes to Altro VM20 and Altro IP20 in no way affect the performance or quality of the products, but increases the environmental benefits that these two ranges offer the marketplace."

Richard Kahn, Chief Executive of Altro, comments, "At Altro, responsibility is at the heart of everything we do, and reducing the carbon footprint of our products is just one of the ways in which we are one step closer towards truly sustainable safety flooring. This breakthrough in our recycling programme has been achieved earlier than anticipated, but we have never been a company to rest on our laurels. We are already looking at ways to collect post installation waste onsite for recycling back into safety flooring products and our next challenge is to address how post consumer waste can be turned back into new flooring."