CHICAGO—Tandus Flooring used NeoCon 2010 as the forum to unveil Genesis, the first flooring fiber to encapsulate a biopolymer in a durable nylon outer layer. Tandus developed the sheath-core technology that wraps a nylon sheath around a biopolymer core to produce a bio-based yarn with the commercial performance and aesthetic attributes of nylon, noted Tyra Sitton, corporate communications manager.
Tandus Flooring Technologies, the company’s R&D center, collaborated with NatureWorks, a division of Cargill, to create the fiber, she said. “Genesis was previewed at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December, where it received global interest.”
The biopolymer is 100% derived from annually renewable plant sugars from non-food stock. It emits 86% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 65% less nonrenewable (petroleum-based) energy than nylon, the company claims. The first Genesis products were installed on the Cargill campus and consist of 24,000 yards of a custom Pietra style with Tandus Flooring’s ER3 modular carpet.
Genesis’ construction is 15% biopolymer and 85% nylon in either yarn-dyed or solution-dyed. It is currently available only as a custom option on significant orders of Powerbond, modular tile, broadloom or woven products, Sitton said.
For more information, call 706.618.5839.