Dalton—Graham Capobianco, sustainability manager at Novalis, is pulling from his wealth of knowledge and range of experience to lead Novalis’ sustainability initiatives.
“There are several different initiatives taking place over the next few years that are going to significantly impact the future of resilient flooring,” he said. “It’s a challenging but exciting time to be in the industry and, since I’m passionate about finding sustainable solutions, I’m looking forward to making an impact.”
First, in anticipation of the pending European Green Deal, Novalis is developing Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for its commercial AVA-brand, which will help contractors and end-users easily and quickly identify the company’s products and find important installation, removal and replacement information via a QR code on the back, according to Capobianco. “This will also help determine the end-of-life options for our products, which we hope will involve recycling in the future.” DPPs are expected to launch in 2023.
Novalis is also conducting a corporate materiality assessment, which will offer valuable insight into its overall material impacts. This assessment will be used to improve sustainability reporting to comply with GRI and SASB sustainability reporting standards, while offering a clearer picture of their global Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) challenges and goals.
“Finally, we’re working toward a zero-landfill certification for our Dalton facility by assessing our waste streams and diverting them from landfill,” Capobianco said. “This is an obvious next step for our business and one we feel is a top-priority. We hope to achieve this by 2024.”