Sustainable Flooring Through Rigorous Standards

As we are committed to going beyond regulatory requirements, we have obtained ambitious certifications and product labels in the development and production of sustainable flooring.

Durability of floor coverings, reduction of pollutant emissions, sustainable development: our certifications reward our efforts over the medium and long term. Our production methods also contribute to the obtaining and maintaining of certifications.

Sustainability

Certified Durable Floor Coverings

All of our professional glue-down installation PVC products have QB UPEC certification (or QB UPEC A+ for our acoustic products), in accordance with the Wear, Residual Indentation, Water Resistance and Chemicals rating established by the French Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB)

What is so special about this rating? It groups buildings into 11 categories and, for each category, it defines the technical specifications required for floor coverings to ensure sufficient durability of this flooring for each type of room. These certifications highlight our commitment to sustainable flooring, using eco-friendly flooring materials that meet the demands of sustainable commercial flooring solutions.

What is the minimum standard? 10 years for normal use with appropriate maintenance.

That's the average lifespan of our floor coverings!

Key figure

Our Sustainable Flooring Development Policy is Rewarded

A particularly stringent international certification that rewards the sustainable flooring product development policy. To achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified® - Silver, our DLW linoleum was assessed against five criteria:

Toxicity of the materials used
Reuse of materials in a biological or technical cycle
Use of renewable energy
Water management
Company practices in terms of social responsibility

Other Gerflor products are in the process of being Cradle to Cradle certified.

Meeting Ambitious Indoor Air Quality Standards

Limiting VOC emissions from our floor coverings is a priority for Gerflor and is verified through several certifications. As such, we have obtained:

The highest grade (A+, A, B, C), corresponding to total VOC emissions of < 1,000 μg/m3, measured 28 days after product installation, for our PVC and linoleum floor coverings, grade A+
The American FloorScore certification, the world's most widely recognized system for VOC emissions from products, for all our flooring, based on an on-site inspection (ISO9001 certification) and measurement of VOC emissions by an external laboratory
the – a German protocol measuring VOC emissions after 3 and 28 days, which is more rigorous than AgBB – for our ranges (this certification excludes PVC products) Blue Angel certification DLW Linoleum
the M1 Finnish certification measuring the rates of VOC, formaldehyde, ammonia, carcinogens, and odors after 28 days for some of our products

This is the number of chemical substances that pose health and environmental risks, that are measured to obtain the emission performance classes (A+, A, B, and C)

Key figure

Contributing to the Environmental Certification of Buildings

In the context of ethical construction projects, in terms of environmental protection, our products contribute to the certification of buildings. Two labels prevail in the construction market:

HQE – High Quality Environmental standard certification – attesting that the building is capable of "controlling its impacts on the external environment and creating a comfortable and healthy indoor environment", with 7 out of 14 criteria concerning the quality of the floors completed with Gerflor flooring products
LEED international certification– Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – developed by the US Green Building Council, which demonstrates the ecological quality of different types of buildings, with up to 3 points obtained, thanks to Gerflor flooring, in the materials, resources and indoor environmental quality section