Paris, France—Tarkett has released its Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility (CSR) report, showcasing the company’s sustainability commitment and progress. This non-financial performance statement has been audited by an independent third-party organization, KPMG. In 2018, Tarkett has not only reduced its environmental footprint but also contributed positively to global societal challenges, inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and by the 10 principles of UN Global Compact.
“At Tarkett, we are committed to serving our customers through our eco-design capabilities and longstanding dedication to sustainability,”explained Fabrice Barthélemy, CEO, Tarkett. “We are deeply convinced that there is an urgency to shift models to preserve the world’s finite natural resources and capital. Our goal is to establish a circular economy in the flooring industry.”
The company’s 2018 stainability performance highlights include:
- Material assessment and transparency: Ninety-eight percent of its raw materials—representing more than 3,000 materials—are third-party assessed for their impact on people’s health and the environment based on Cradle to Cradle
- Flooring contributing to indoor air quality: Ninety-seven percent of Tarkett’s flooring has low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions.
- Healthy indoor spaces: By the end of 2018, 100% of Tarkett’s vinyl production sites in Europe, North America, Serbia and China use non-phthalate plasticizer technology (except recycled content for certain products) in flooring.
- Preservation of resources: Seventy percent of its raw materials do not contribute to resource scarcity, being abundant in nature, rapidly renewable or recycled.
- Recycled resources: 134,000 tons of recycled materials are used as raw materials, representing 10% of the volume of purchased raw materials.
- Flooring take back: 102,000 tons of flooring were collected from 2010 to 2018 through ReStart, Tarkett’s flooring collection program in Europe and North America.
- Climate change: Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 8.5% in 2018 versus 2010. Twenty-seven percent of the energy consumption comes from renewable sources, such as biomass, geothermal, solar or purchased “green” electricity.
- Supporting communities: Through Tarkett Cares, the company encourages all employees to spend up to two days per year of their work time on charity initiatives. In 2018, 1,300 employees were involved in 170 initiatives.
- Developing talents: Through Tarkett Academy, over 23,000 professionals or students were trained in flooring installation techniques from 2012 to 2018.