Tag Archives: Melissa Vernon

Durability: the missing consideration in ‘sustainable’ products

Research using life cycle assessment illustrates the number one way to reduce the environmental impact of carpet — keep it on the floor for as long as possible. With the flurry of new ‘green’ products on the market, purchasers are finding that many do not hold up to everyday wear and tear, and eventually fail prematurely. The numerous listings of ‘green’ products fail to mention how the products perform in real world conditions, and are thus potentially misleading. If it won’t last, it’s not green. So how do purchasers evaluate performance?

There are a few standard industry tests, but manufacturers debate their relationship to real world wear. Therefore, InterfaceFLOR created our own machine to test durability, called the Appearance Retention Test (ART). ART simulates soiling, wear and routine maintenance for 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years or more and continually demonstrates that our carpet is made to last. InterfaceFLOR refuses, as a matter of policy, to impose an inferior product on our customers in the name of sustainability. Our products must meet or exceed all standard performance and aesthetic requirements of the marketplace, while also contributing to InterfaceFLOR’s Mission Zero™ promise to eliminate any negative environmental impact by 2020.

Some manufacturers tout “100% recyclable” as their green attribute. They are not considering the transportation, reprocessing, remanufacturing and reinstallation, all of which consume valuable resources and contribute to a greater environmental footprint. To truly reduce the footprint, we need to make it last.

I believe it’s time to move beyond “eco-sexy” and towards eco-functional. LEED™ has driven focus on recycled content and low off-gassing, yet does not require durable and high performing materials. This is the next step toward becoming truly sustainable. The most sustainable product is the one that lasts.

Melissa Vernon

Director of Sustainable Strategy