Vinyl flooring recycling funded in Australia

An organization called the Australian Resilient Flooring Association (ARFA) has been awarded AUD $1 million ($700,000) by the government of that nation through its National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF) to develop a recycling system for vinyl flooring.

THE NPSIF already has allocated AUD $15.5 million ($11 million) in 21 projects as it strives to increase the number of industry-led product stewardship systems in Australia and increase the recycling rates tied to existing systems.

ARFA’s one-year ResiLoop project involves the design, development, and trial of a potential product stewardship scheme for vinyl flooring products used in both residential and commercial construction. Ideally, this will be rolled out as a commercially viable system nationally for vinyl flooring.

Australia’s flooring providers say that every year around 22.3 million square meters (240 million square feet) or 95,000 metric tons of vinyl flooring products are sold in the nation, with nearly half of that supplied by ARFA members. These products include vinyl planks made to mimic wood flooring and vinyl sheets used in medical settings.

The nearly year-long project will consist of three stages. The first stage will focus on identifying, developing and trial testing technical solutions to reuse and recycle vinyl flooring. Secondly, a reverse logistics process will be created to capture material prior to reprocessing. Finally, the creation of a supply chain model and business case will pave the way for a plan to roll-out a national scheme for the Australian vinyl flooring sector, says ARFA.

ARFA says its product stewardship system “aims to deliver both wider community benefit and specific value across the industry by creating new collaboration between competitors, the entire supply chain and wider industry.” It also may stimulate innovation and job opportunities, while reducing reliance on fossil-fuel resources by using post-consumer material, adds the group.

“As the peak association, we are excited to be actively building an industry-led stewardship solution,” says ARFA President Dan Lovell. “End-of-life solutions through product stewardship that engage stakeholders across supply chains, installation businesses and waste management will not only address the landfill impact but create a circularity mindset that will be welcomed across the marketplace. This funding opportunity provides ARFA with the impetus to establish a national recycling scheme for resilient flooring products and drive future innovation, jobs, and growth for our industry.”