With a host of international sustainability awards already under its belt, Forbo Flooring’s Marmoleum, Artoleum and Furniture Linoleum have now attracted the Australian Good Environmental Choice Mark.
This ‘tick of approval’ by the independent, non-profit group Australian Environmental Labelling Association (the Australian member of the Global Ecolabelling Network) recognises that these unique Forbo linoleum products meet international and local environmental performance standards from a product lifecycle perspective.
Every aspect, from harvesting raw materials through to the return to nature of spent product, meets stringent environment-conscious specifications. Along the way, bacteriostatic properties derived from the natural ingredients provide a hygienic surface finish with high performance and low maintenance, whilst a huge colour and texture variety ensures design flexibility.
To manufacture all three, natural raw materials are predominantly harvested from sustainable crops including linseed oil from the flax plant, rosin extracted from pine trees, wood flour from regenerated softwood forests, limestone which is very finely ground, ecologically responsible pigments containing no heavy metals and natural jute.
And after a long life span, from 25 to as many as 40 years, Marmoleum, Artoleum and Furniture Linoleum can be safely returned to nature via landfill to decompose completely and safely.
Forbo has even developed solvent-free adhesives to use during each product’s installation to reduce the environmental impact even further.
“Forbo practices environmental responsibility and spends on average 12% of its total investment on measures designed to further improve environmental performance,” says Angus Fotheringhame, Managing Director, Forbo Flooring - Australia.
“So it is very pleasing to have been recognised now in Australia for our unique linoleum products.”
“Marmoleum, Artoleum and Furniture Linoleum will now carry the Good Environmental Choice Mark, which we hope will encourage specifiers and consumers to consider the ‘green’ flooring option,” he said, “in addition to making our products instantly recognisable as the preferred environmental option”.
Petar Johnson, President of the AELA, confirmed that Marmoleum and Artoleum are the first natural material flooring products to be certified by their programme and identified them as the preferred environmental flooring choice.
“The environmental attributes of Marmoleum and Artoleum are outstanding in comparison to like products such as PVC vinyl flooring where chlorine use, the nature of the raw materials and additives, especially phthalate plasticisers and heavy material stabilisers continue to be environmental concerns. We are very pleased to have awarded the Good Environmental Choice Label to Forbo with products that clearly outperform commonly specified flooring in Australia. It is important for specifiers that environmental information on the market is available, in order to achieve the current market initiatives for more sustainable buildings and interiors.” said Petar Johnson.
Visit Forbo's 2004 Designex stand, number N19, to see Forbo's eco-flooring and more.
Details about Australian Environmental Labelling Association can be obtained on www.aela.org.au
- Infolink Architectural online
