Our journey to 2040
Through the combination of a sustainable approach and advanced product innovation, we strive to be an industry leader in eco-friendly flooring. Alongside the actions we’ve already taken to reduce our environmental impact, the IVC Journey 2040 is made of bold targets for the production of Carpet Tiles, LVT and Heterogeneous Vinyl that will help us to achieve a better future. We also know that true sustainability is not just how we make products and so we are setting key goals for our cultural and ethical development.
Zero impact
We want to fully cut-out emissions, eliminate waste and use 100% renewable energy by 2040.
Close the loop
We want to create a completely closed loop in materials, technologies and processes by 2040.
A leader in innovation
We want to be known for innovation in solutions that contribute to a better quality of life .
Towards more sustainable flooring solutions
At IVC Commercial, we’re doing more to develop a circular approach to the future of flooring by designing and manufacturing innovative commercial solutions made with the future in mind. On our journey to zero impact by 2040, we are working towards cutting out CO2 emissions and achieving closed-loop production for our Carpet Tiles, LVT and Heterogeneous Vinyl floors.
Design and innovation of sustainable flooring towards a circular future
Every action we take in the design and development of our flooring solutions centres on our belief that sustainability starts with delivering high-performance products. By extending product life in solutions that respond to the needs of customers, we develop more future-proof solutions.
But the story of our product design and development extends beyond pure performance: we look for opportunities to make our solutions in ways that are more sustainable too. From the largest PVC recycling plant in flooring to running on renewable energy and creating installation solutions that eliminate toxic adhesives, we’re going beyond flooring.
Smarter manufacturing for sustainable flooring with the future in mind
We make flooring in some of the industry’s most advanced and efficient production sites. Producing our floors for commercial projects in Europe at four sites in Belgium and Luxembourg, we are in complete control of raw materials and manufacturing from start to finish.Harnessing the elements
When making flooring solutions, we rely on natural resources as much as possible to reduce the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes. From wind to water, we make every effort to find the most sustainable way to use them.
Wind
In 2014, IVC Group built an on-site wind farm in Avelgem. The three turbines generate around 11,000 MWh of renewable electricity every year. We use this clean electricity to power our production facilities and electric trucks in Avelgem, putting what’s left over back into the grid for others.
Water
The manufacture of high-grade Heterogeneous Vinyl floors needs cooling water to absorb heat. IVC Commercial has invested in a bold experiment that uses river water as a secondary coolant for our Avelgem plant.
Using only a minimal amount of energy, water is pumped up the river and circulated around the plant in a closed-loop flow that relies on thermal exchange to cool processes with no direct contact. The Scheldt Project has given a 30% energy efficiency uplift in the production of our LVT and Heterogeneous Vinyl floors. The closed-loop system has also seen a 40% reduction in process water use between 2010 and 2019.
Sun
The home of our commercial and design departments, the iconic landmark of the Flooring Development Centre (FLDC), uses solar panels to provide the power needed to invent the innovative flooring solutions. The panels account for 40% of the FLDC’s total energy requirement.
Air
Producing LVT requires cooling at a significantly lower temperature than those from our Scheldt Project, so for the interests of efficiency, we use natural and biodegradable gases. Free (or dynamic) cooling is perfectly safe for the ozone layer and occurs when the outside temperature is lower than the process water temperature. Cutting out the need for heat exchangers or other gadgets, it saves 40% more energy than mechanical cooling.
Responsibly using what we need
Next to harnessing the power of wind, water, sun and air, we also take action to use the materials we need responsibly. We make every effort to find efficient and sustainable ways to use the resources we need.
Recycled materials
Since 1997, IVC Group has been recycling vinyl waste generated in the manufacture of products. We salvage vinyl scraps and surplus vinyl paste, re-using it in the production of LVT and Heterogenous Vinyl. Along with the world industry’s largest PVC recycling facility, we process in excess of 100,000 tonnes of PVC waste every year.
Recycled content
Recycled materials make their way into solutions from IVC Commercial with anywhere from 35 to 50% by total weight of our LVT floors made from recycled PVC. Alongside, our carpet tiles feature high-performance yarns with up to 40% recycled polyamide content. We’re also working hard on the EU Circular Flooring project, trying to find a way to recycle post-consumer vinyl floors into a material we can use in new solutions.
Recovery, re-use and recycling programme for flooring waste
ReCover. That is the name of our recovery, re-use and recycling programme for flooring waste. The programme recovers post-installation waste from all IVC Commercial collections, as well as post-consumer flooring waste. ReCover is not only about recycling but also about re-use. This ensures that floors which are still usable are not recycled unnecessarily but given a new life after cleaning.
Wastewater
While we use water as coolant in closed loop processes, we do also use water for cleaning during printing processes, making sure we collect, process, purify and recycle the water without any exposure or risk to the outside environment.
Certified actions in sustainable flooring
With ISO 14001 compliance, we demonstrate our commitment to making sure that our manufacturing processes operate to a defined methodology. This allows us to fully understand our impacts and the positive reductions of our actions towards developing a circular approach to flooring.
We also work hard to make sure that our Carpet Tiles, LVT and Heterogeneous Vinyl floors meet the world’s strictest environmental standards and performance measurements, so you can be confident that our floors contribute positively to your project. We only work with REACH compliant materials suppliers in Europe. REACH is the European regulation for raw materials, safeguarding the integrity and quality of our commercial floors.
Air quality at every stage
The manufacture of floors releases low concentrations of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Thanks to end-of-pipe technology and a vigilant testing and monitoring programme, we remain in line with the strictest European regulations and anti-pollution laws. Our water-based inks and PU coatings completely eliminate the risk of hazardous toxins being released into the air, and as a plus, markedly reduced our overall carbon footprint.
In use our floors exceed the most stringent worldwide standards, with our Heterogeneous Vinyl and LVT floors carrying France’s A+ label, Germany’s DIBt/AgBB, DGNB and GUT and the USA’s FloorScore® certification. In short, you can be confident that our floors have no negative impact on the quality of indoor air.
Green building standards
Partnering with an externally licensed assessment agency, we calculate our contributions to BREEAM, LEED, WELL, DGNB and Greenstar. As a result, IVC Commercial floors can contribute positively to environmentally accredited buildings and projects.
Environmental Product Declarations
Through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) we produce Environmental Profile Declarations (EPD) for the entire life cycle of IVC Commercial floors. Addressing all key environmental issues, EPDs are a great way to fairly assess the true impact of the flooring materials you choose.
