Are you an environmentally conscious consumer looking for ways to decrease your carbon footprint? When it comes to flooring, there are a number of eco-friendly flooring options available on the market. We’ll go through those in a moment. First, it is important to understand the factors that affect whether or not a flooring material is considered environmentally friendly or not. Those factors include:
- Whether the material to be renewed
- Whether the material to be recycled
- Life cycle of the material
- Distance the material has to be transported
- Toxicity to the environment
- Whether or not the manufacturer uses responsible and sustainable practices in their process
Cork
Cork is pretty hard to beat as a green flooring option. It is manufactured from the bark of oak trees, which grows back after being harvested, making it a naturally renewable resource. Other advantages include its ability to enhance your living environment as it is naturally hypoallergenic repelling bugs, mold, and mites. Cork also provides great natural insulation for both temperature and sound. It doesn’t get much more eco-friendly than that.
Eco-Friendly Carpet
This one is a little tricky because carpet is often produced from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. If you have your heart set on carpet, the best choice is a carpet made from natural materials such as wool, jute or seagrass.
Source: Karastan
Hardwood
Hardwood is a natural product that is constantly being renewed and it can last for generations in your home simply by sanding and refinishing it. It is also completely biodegradable and can be recycled at the end of its life by using it as fuel or in other projects.
Source: Shaw Floors
Natural Stone
Harvesting stone does not harm the environment, it is a natural product that is always being created by natural tectonic processes. Stone can also be recycled into other projects. The only downside to natural stone is the transportation costs. Stone is quite heavy, therefore the carbon footprint when transporting stone materials can be significant.
Source: Casa Roma
Caring for your floors
One of the best ways you can try to remain carbon-neutral is by taking proper care of your eco-friendly flooring so you can ensure that it lasts a long time. Be sure to ready the manufactures instructions for proper care. Looking to upgrade the floors in your home with a more environmentally-friendly option? Visit your nearest Nufloors location and speak to one of our friendly flooring experts.
