The DESSO AirMaster with DESSO EcoBase backing, an innovative low level loop carpet tile, was highly commended at the 2014 Sustainability Awards.

Coming close to taking out the Innovation of the Year category, but ultimately losing to BlueScope’s next generation COLORBOND steel, the carpet still won kudos from the jury for setting new standards for sustainable design and functionality whilst positively contributing to human health and wellbeing.

“We commend the DESSO AirMaster with its inspirational cradle to cradle closed loop material cycle and the use of stray fishing nets, which also brings commercial benefit to developing coastal communities,” say the judges.

“The Australian design industry should note the importance of the combination of these attributes, particularly in light of the high churn rates from office refurbishment in the commercial world.”

Non-toxic, PVC-free and designed for disassembly, the DESSO AirMaster with EcoBase backing is manufactured for the circular economy according to Cradle to Cradle environmental and human health criteria. This is facilitated by a process designed to take back used carpet material from their customers, as well as their competitors.

A new technique known as DESSO Refinity was also developed to effectively recycle or reuse the materials in the carpets. This technique separates the yarn and other fibres from the backing, producing two main material streams for recycling.

In addition, when in use the product is capable of improving indoor air quality by capturing and retaining fine dust particles, including hazardous particulates, thereby enhancing the health, wellbeing and effectiveness of people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to DESSO, the DESSO AirMaster is eight times more effective at capturing and retaining fine dust than hard flooring, and four times more effective than standard carpet solutions. In fact, it is the only existing product in the world that is certified with a Gold logo from German test institute GUI, which specialises in the analysis of indoor and outdoor air quality.

Key initiatives:

  • Positively defined materials (all ingredients assessed as either the optimal ‘Green’ or tolerable ‘Yellow’ according to the Cradle to Cradle assessment criteria) and PVC free
  • Designed for disassembly and can be safely recycled
  • Made from recycled and recyclable materials
  • Contributes to Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) by removing fine dust particles from the air (beneficial for asthma sufferers, for example) and is eight times more effective at capturing and retaining fine dust in the indoor air than hard flooring and four times more effective than standard carpets – based on tests by GUI
  • Designed and manufactured using Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle® business strategies

Click here to see all the winners and commendations for 2014. You can also view articles on all the finalists in the Innovation of the Year category here.

Check out all 70 finalists in the interactive video below: