of carpet tile backings - Interface

1 

A technical briefing document about carpet tile 

backings and environmental impacts

2 

Just the facts about backings

3 

Contents 

04 

06 

08 

10 

12 

16 

18 

20 

24

4 

Just the facts about backings 

Environmental impacts 

in a carpet tile’s life cycle 

LCA of a carpet tile 

68% 

45% Yarn 

Yarn has 4 times more 

impact than the backing 

11% Backing compound 

6% Glass fleece and turfing carrier 

4% Precoat bonding layer 

1% Packaging/1% Raw materials 

9% 

8% 8% 7% 

The calculations are based on a 700g 

carpet tile made with PA6.6 and 

InterfaceFLOR’s Graphlex ® backing with 

the following assumptions: landfilling at 

end-of-life, no green energy use in the 

life-cycle, and a product lifetime (use) 

of 10 years. 

Raw materials 

Manufacturing 

Transportation 

Customer use 

End of life

5 

An objective description 

of product sustainability 

requires an understanding of 

the life cycle of the product. 

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 

studies the environmental 

impacts throughout the life 

of a product: from extraction 

to production of raw 

materials, through to our own 

manufacturing and transport, 

and use, maintenance and 

disposal by our customers. 

InterfaceFLOR conducts 

a full LCA for every carpet 

tile we launch. We follow 

the methodology agreed 

at industry level by GUT – a 

carpet industry association 

established to ensure 

environmentally compatible 

production, compliance with 

strict test criteria on hazardous 

substances and minimal 

emissions and odours in 

new carpets. 

More than two thirds of the 

environmental impact of 

a carpet tile relates to the 

raw materials needed for 

manufacture. Nylon yarn has 

the single biggest impact 

because its production is very 

energy intensive as a result of 

the chemical reactions involved 

in transforming crude-oil into 

the molecular precursor of 

nylon. It accounts for almost 

half of the total environmental 

impact of a carpet tile – 

around four times more than 

the backing compound, for 

example.

6 


Using LCA to reduce 

environmental impact

7 

Targeting reductions of the 

biggest environmental impacts 

on our products is a priority. One 

way in which this is done is by 

exploring ways to reduce the 

total amount of nylon used or to 

use recycled yarn 

However, our aim is to reduce all 

the environmental impacts of all 

our products to zero. This means 

cutting the impacts of every 

component at every stage of the 

life cycle of our products. 

The challenge is to reduce the 

overall environmental impact 

of our products (not just of 

particular components) and 

processes (throughout the 

whole supply chain) without 

compromising on performance 

and quality. If a particular part 

of the product does not perform 

well, it could decrease the life 

expectancy of the whole carpet, 

requiring it to be replaced more 

frequently and significantly 

increase the overall impact.

8 


Why is carpet tile 

backing important? 

High quality backing is 

essential to the performance 

and durability of the product. 

It enables heavy wear without 

deterioration. Characteristics 

of a good backing include: 

• Flatness and stability – 

preventing tiles from moving, 

curling up or creating gaps over 

time 

• Dimensional stability – 

assuring tiles do not shrink or 

expand under varied conditions 

of humidity and temperature 

• Floor hugging capability – 

minimising or eliminating the 

need for adhesives

9 

• Improved insulation and 

sound absorption 

• Low flammability and good 

smoke ratings 

• Low emissions of volatile 

organic compounds (VOCs) 

and other substances that can 

degrade indoor air quality 

• Recycled content and potential 

to recycle at end 

of life 

• Compatibility with cleaning 

techniques such as hot water 

extraction, which can extend 

the life of the carpet by 

removing stains.

10 


Understanding product 

environmental performance 

Different manufacturers 

use different carpet tile 

backing compounds 

based on characteristics 

such as performance and 

cost to produce. Each type 

of backing also has 

different environmental 

impacts, which must be 

considered. Here, we 

describe the types of 

backing systems for 

carpet tiles available 

on the market today and 

outline their respective 

environmental impacts.

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Bitumen-based 

backing systems 

(e.g. InterfaceFLOR’s 

Graphlex ® backing) 

The most common type of 

backing in Europe is made of a 

mix of polymermodified bitumen 

(PMB) with varying amounts of 

limestone filler. Bitumen is a 

complex hydrocarbon obtained 

from the processing of crude oil. 

It can be modified with polymers 

to improve the backing’s 

technical performance – and 

extend the life of the product 

– by increasing resilience and 

dimensional stability. However, 

the chemical processes to 

make the polymers used in the 

backing also use energy. 

The polymer-modified bitumen 

compound is mixed with 

limestone filler to give the tile 

weight and stability. This filler 

accounts for up to 70% of the 

total weight of the backing. 

Limestone is an abundant 

material which has a very low 

environmental impact, and 

the high filler content helps to 

improve the backing’s overall 

LCA figures as well as making 

it economical to produce. 

InterfaceFLOR’s Graphlex ® 

bitumen-based backing systems 

also have low VOC emissions 

(which can affect indoor air 

quality and health) and enable 

superior floor hugging and 

loose-lay capabilities.

12 


Types of carpet 

tile backings 

PVC-based backing systems 

(e.g. InterfaceFLOR’s 

GlasBac ® backing) 

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) 

is a material made from 

ethylene (processed from 

petrochemicals) and chlorine, 

which is extracted from rock 

salt or seawater.PVC provides 

superior dimensional stability, 

durability and non-corroding 

and flameretardant properties. 

Mixing it with different amounts 

and types of plasticizers adds 

softness and flexibility to suit 

different uses. As with bitumenbased 

backings, PVC is mixed 

with limestone filler for stability 

and weight. For InterfaceFLOR 

products, PVC represents 

a small component of our 

GlasBac ® backing, less than 

15% of our backing composite 

by weight. There have been two 

concerns with PVC. 

The first concern with PVC 

relates to certain harmful 

plasticizers. The most common

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plasticizers are of a chemical 

type known as phthalates. 

Some of these have been found 

to be ‘endocrine disruptors’ in 

animal testing. In our GlasBac ® 

backing we phased out DEHP 

(diethylhexyl phthalate) in 2001. 

The plasticizer used currently is 

di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), 

accounting for less than 17% 

of total weight. DINP has not 

been found to pose any risk on 

human health in an extensive 

life cycle study conducted by the 

European Union in 2006. This 

study also found no risk to the 

atmosphere, aquatic ecosystem 

or terrestrial ecosystem from 

such use of DINP. 

The second concern is the use 

of heavy metal stabilisers. If 

ingested, heavy metals can 

accumulate in the body and 

cause disease. We have not 

used any heavy metals in our 

GlasBac ® backing since 1996 

when we phased out barium/zinc 

heat stabilisers.

14 


Types of carpet 

tile backings 

Polyurethane-based 

backings 

Polyurethane is a polymer 

material that can take different 

forms – liquid, solid or foam. It 

is resilient, flexible and durable. 

Polyurethane foam has been 

used for many years as a 

backing alternative, particularly 

in the speciality or comfort 

backing sector, as it provides 

extra cushion as well as sound 

insulation and absorption. 

We currently recommend our 

ReCushion Bac ® , a 100% 

polyurethane foam backing 

option to customers who want 

particular comfort or acoustic 

performance. InterfaceFLOR 

uses polyurethane foam that 

contains 85% post-industrial 

recycled polyurethane, which 

reduces energy use significantly 

compared to virgin material. 

However, its chemical structure 

makes it very difficult to recycle 

the backing at end of life. 

Polyolefin-based 

backing systems 

Polyolefin is a type of polymer 

used independently or in 

combination with other 

copolymers. Generally olefinbased 

systems are very energyintensive. 

Unlike PVC, polyolefin 

compounds do not require the 

use of plasticizers. This type 

of backing is quite new to the 

market and accounts for a very 

small proportion of the sales 

in Europe. At InterfaceFLOR, 

we offered a polyolefin backing 

option in the 1980’s and have 

since further explored the 

use of polyolefin as a backing 

material but concluded that in 

our view, Graphlex ® backing is 

still the best option.

15 

PES textile backings 

Polyester (PES) is a category 

of polymers that includes 

polyethylene terephthalate 

(PET). PET is easy to 

recycle and processes for 

manufacturing from recycled 

PET are well developed 

and economically viable. 

This makes it possible to 

produce PET products almost 

in a closed loop (through 

the recycling of used PET 

materials). Several carpet tile 

manufacturers in Europe have 

introduced backings made of 

nonwoven polyester fibres in 

recent years. The nonwoven 

layer is bonded to the 

tufted carpet either through 

a coat of bitumenbased 

compound or another polymer, 

which increases costs and 

environmental impact. 

PES textile backings generally 

have a less solid structure 

compared to the other types 

of backings and they are lightweight, 

which can be a benefit 

to carry and transport. However, 

a current downside is the 

need for more glue than other 

types of backings to keep the 

carpet tiles effectively in place, 

affecting VOCs to the indoor air 

adversely.

16 


Recycling: Closing the 

loop on backing 

Replacing virgin materials 

with recycled content in 

our products wherever 

possible, can significantly 

reduce their environmental 

impact. At the same time 

we aim to make it easier 

to recycle them, to prevent 

them going to landfill and 

to enable them to be 

recycled into new carpet 

tiles. We call this closing 

the loop.

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Using recycled content 

InterfaceFLOR already makes 

carpet tiles out of waste 

materials – from our own or 

other industries. In 2011, 

44% of our total raw materials 

globally were recycled or biobased 

materials. For example, 

the limestone we use as a 

filler in our backing is ground 

down into very small particles. 

This means we can make use 

of the waste limestone dust 

from quarries or road laying 

that other industries cannot 

use. Furthermore, we have 

introduced Cool Green in the 

UK, a line that converts carpet 

scraps and small amounts of 

old carpet into backing for new 

tiles. Our Graphlex ® backings 

in Europe currently contain 

an average of 58% recycled 

content by weight and our aim is 

to have 100%. 

‘Like for like’ recycling 

‘Recyclable’ is one of the 

most misused environmental 

terms. People use it to describe 

many things, such as ‘reuse’, 

‘like for like’, ‘downcycling’ 

and ‘incineration’. The fact 

is that almost anything can 

be recyclable but it is not 

always economically or 

environmentally feasible to do 

so. What would be the point, 

for example, of recycling a 

diamond or a mobile phone 

into cement? True recycling 

means separating all product 

components and transforming 

them into something of similar 

value. We do that with carpet 

tiles – recycling yarn to yarn 

and backing to backing. In 

North America, our GlasBac ® RE 

backing is 100% recycled, 

including 51% post-consumer 

recycled content from reclaimed 

carpet. 

In Europe, our ReEntry 2.0 

enables clean and effective 

separation of the main 

components – yarn and 

backing – and leaves only 

a small fraction for energy 

recovery currently while we 

are investigating alternative 

recycling outlets. This ensures 

that the materials retain their 

value and can be re-used 

as new raw material for new 

products. The backing materials 

reclaimed through ReEntry 2.0 

can be fed straight into the 

manufacturing process for new 

carpet backing on site. 

And what’s more important, the 

processes allow us to recycle 

also the yarn, which has more 

embodied impact.

18 


Less impact or higher 

recyclability? 

Other key questions are: 

Will the material actually 

be recycled? And will the 

gains of avoiding virgin 

materials compensate for 

the impacts created in the 

recycling process? 

The ideal design process 

considers the following: 

• Uses materials with low 

impact in the first place 

• Uses materials with a high 

degree of recyclability into the 

same materials 

• Designs the whole product 

so that each material can be 

easily separated 

• Designs the product and 

process where separation of 

materials can be done using a 

minimum of energy 

• Optimises impacts for the full 

product life cycle, not just part 

of it. 

However, in the real world, 

compromises are often needed. 

A typical case would be using 

a backing with higher impact 

that could be beneficial later 

because of high recyclability. 

That might be a clever choice 

if you assume 100% of the 

products will be returned from 

customers for recycling. But 

reality is not perfect and the rate 

of return will be less. So the key 

to deciding on this compromise 

of higher impact with lower 

recyclability relies on having the 

right assumption for the return 

rate. Being over-optimistic could 

create more impact. 

InterfaceFLOR is working 

hard not to make this type of 

compromise in the future by 

researching new materials and 

recycling methods that can 

use both materials with lower 

embodied impact and a high 

degree of recyclability.

20 


Cutting VOC emissions to 

improve indoor air quality 

Emissions of volatile organic 

compounds (VOCs) affect 

the indoor air quality of 

buildings and can be toxic at 

high concentrations. Carpet 

generally has significantly lower 

VOC emissions than other 

building materials such as 

paints, adhesives or laminate 

flooring. VOC emissions from 

all InterfaceFLOR products are 

below the strict limits set by 

GUT and significantly lower than 

the limits set by various national 

environmental regulators 

measured after 3 days or 28 

days of production, as shown in 

the table opposite. 

References: 

German regulation for VOCs: 

www.umweltbundesamt.de/ 

bauprodukte/agbb.htm 

French regulation for VOCs: 

www.afsset.fr/ 

GEV EMICODE: 

http://www.emicode.de 

Blue Angel: 

http://www.blauer-engel.de 

GUT standard: 

http://www.pro-dis.info 

TVOC limits from various standards and regulations 

Standard 

µg / m³ after 3 days 

µg / m³ after 28 days 

German regulation 

(AgBB, building products) 

French regulation 

(AFSSET, for building productions) 

GEV EMICODE EC1 

(for adhesives) 

Blue Angel RAL UZ 113 

(for adhesives) 

GUT (for carpet, standard 

used by InterfaceFLOR) 

10000 

5000 

1000 

1000 

250 

1000 

200 

100 

100 

100

21 

Adhesives used to install 

carpet tiles often emit much 

higher levels of VOCs than the 

carpet itself. This means that 

comparing VOC emissions from 

different types of carpet tiles is 

meaningless without including 

those from the adhesive. The 

most effective way to cut VOCs 

is to eliminate the need for glue 

altogether. 

The limit value for TVOCs 

for adhesives with “very low 

emissions” according to 

Emicode EC1 (and Blue Angel) 

is 1000 μg/m³ after 3 days 

or 100 μg/m³ after 28 days. 

For a carpet tile the limit value 

is 250 μg/m³ after 3 days 

or 100 μg/m³ after 28 days. 

Generally emissions from new 

materials decrease sharply in 

the first weeks and follow an 

exponential curve as shown in 

the comparison opposite. 

Typical emission decay curves for 

adhesive and carpet thresholds 

EC1 – “very low emissions” adhesive 

GUT – standard for carpet 

1400 

1200 

TVOCs µg/m³ 

1000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

Adhesive 

Carpet 

TacTiles* 

00 

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 

Days 

*(TacTiles emissions tests performed by TNO)

22 


Cutting VOC emissions to 

improve indoor air quality 

Installation without glue 

Glue is used in conventional 

installation to keep the tiles 

in place and prevent gaps 

or upcurling during use. 

InterfaceFLOR has developed 

TacTiles , a revolutionary 

gluefree system to install carpet 

tiles, which cuts environmental 

impacts drastically compared 

to traditional glue and virtually 

eliminates VOCs. 

TacTiles are placed in the 

corners of the tiles to connect 

them to each other and create 

a floating floor. This makes 

replacement and uplifting of 

individual tiles much easier, 

and recycling at end of life 

less complicated, as the glue 

is not stuck to the backing. 

Installation waste from the 

packaging of the glue itself is 

also eliminated. TacTiles can 

be used with our Graphlex ® or 

GlasBac ® backing, which offer 

superior dimensional stability.

24 


Our vision for the future 

of carpet backing

25 

At InterfaceFLOR, we don’t 

believe in short-term solutions 

that only make an incremental 

improvement compared with our 

current systems; or expensive, 

niche solutions that make 

customers feel good. Instead, 

we are looking to solve the big 

issues over the longer term. We 

want to create a backing system 

that minimises environmental 

impacts, with no compromise 

on product quality and 

performance. 

To achieve this, we aim to: 

• Cut environmental impacts 

across the life cycle of the 

backing 

• Enable easy recycling at end 

of life (by making it easier to 

separate yarn from backing, 

in order to recycle each part 

effectively) 

• Maintain or improve 

performance and remain 

cost competitive.

26 

If you want to know more, 

please go to 

www.interfaceflor.eu/backings 

For more information about 

our products please visit 

www.interfaceflor .eu

of carpet tile backings - Interface

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