Act now on EPR ‘before one is imposed’

Edel Carpets and Milliken were among those sharing the prizes at the Carpet Recycling UK annual awards as delegates at the organisation’s conference were urged to create an Extended Producer Responsibility – before one is imposed on them.

Edel Carpets’s Robbert Wapstra won Circular Economy Initiative of the Year (pictured), with Betap  highly commended; the Reuse and Recycling Project of the Year was won by Richard Shea, Salvation Army Trading Company, with John Cotton Group & Designer Contracts highly commended.

Most Sustainable Product of the Year went to Milliken with Condor Group highly commended.

Jane Gardner, European Resilient Floorcovering Manufacturers’ Institute md reinforced the need to develop a circular economy for flooring products, telling attendees: ‘On the circular economy, now is the time to act – politically, legislatively and technologically. Sustainability is becoming mandatory in the European Union. Our strategy recognises the need for waste management companies, recyclers and raw material suppliers to collaborate to ensure a workable solution for all stakeholders.’

Adnan Zeb-Khan, CRUK scheme manager, highlighted that although an important outlet, energy from waste (which accounted for more than 200,000tonnes of carpet and textile flooring to be diverted from landfill in 2022), is not a sustainable long-term route and more reuse, recycling circular solutions need to be developed. Delegates then heard about potential research project to divert carpet and textile flooring waste and how these could be used in construction products and the cement industry.

Headlam presented findings on its pilot take-back scheme which is providing valuable insight into behaviours around recycling flooring materials. Innovate Recycling unveiled results on its achieving partial circular sustainability from recycling polypropylene from carpet into new polypropylene beads that can be spun into new yarn for carpet manufacture. Matoha also presented its evolving infrared material identification gun which is using AI to enable it to identify thousands of different carpet chemistries and IOBAC presented its unique magnetic carpet floor tiles fixing solutions which are saving thousands of pounds on damage to subfloors during building interior renovations.

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