Page 50 - CFA_SG25

FLOORCOVERING MANUFACTURERS’ VIEW

Taking steps towards a circular economy

By David Papworth, general manager, customers looking for a reclaimed floor demand for both residential and commercial
Junckers Ltd with specialist companies holding stock. projects as more and more people look for
As a result, thousands of square meters of ways to recycle honest, natural materials.
It’s no secret that we hold our network of flooring has now been reclaimed, reused and When the floor is installed in its new
contractors in the highest esteem – without repurposed instead of ending up on landfill setting, it can be sanded and refinished with
their expertise, we know our flooring sites. either an oil or a lacquer and there’s a wide
wouldn’t achieve its full potential. At our Danish head office and factory choice of colours and finishes available. The
As a manufacturer, our long-established where all our floors are made, more initiatives reclaimed floor can also be installed without
relationships with flooring professionals to work towards a more circular economy are being refinished, with marks and line markings
include both installers and maintenance in place. Junckers Denmark offers the facility if it used to be a sports floor, left intact.
contractors, and in the last few years, to lift floors from site, have them refinished This option gives an entirely different look,
reclaimed flooring specialists. You might in the factory (from where they come out as completely individual with lots of interest. It’s
wonder why this is, surely we’d rather sell new) and then reinstalled. A local Council very popular in industrial-style interiors, where
more new floors than reclaim those no longer recently took advantage of the service for a the worn and well-used look of a reclaimed
needed? Well, no, I believe there’s room for large-scale refurbishment project of a housing floor is often the perfect backdrop.
both. development, saving not just money but the And giving a wooden floor a new lease of
I work for a company that has always been environment as well. life benefits the environment in more ways
committed to working alongside nature in a than one. Not only does it reduce landfill and
responsible way – many of our sustainability contribute to a circular economy, it also keeps
measures have been in place for decades. carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, a
Even so, we’re always looking for new ways to crucial element in the fight to combat climate
do things better, and I think it’s our collective change. As a tree grows, it absorbs CO
2
responsibility, globally, to do so. through a process known as photosynthesis.
One of my company’s key messages,
2
and indeed one of the core strengths of its Wood continues to keep harmful CO out
products, is longevity. We often talk about how of the atmosphere even when made into a
our floors will last for decades if not centuries product such as flooring. Wood is the only
and when in the last few years we started building material that has the natural ability
seeing social media posts about our floors to absorb carbon from the air and store it; a
being reclaimed and reused, we thought there naturally renewable resource that does not
was a chance to facilitate the process to make produce waste or pollution.
it easier and more commonplace to salvage a By using recycled materials and/or
50 floor when it was no longer needed. contributing to the reuse of materials by
We set up a Reuse Scheme to give as Working towards a circular economy and salvaging you are effectively extending the
much flooring as possible a new lease of committing to act more sustainably means lifespan of the material. I think we can do
life. The scheme is two-pronged. Acting as choosing renewable materials. The company much more to maximise reuse, it’s something
liaison, with no financial benefit, we connect I work for makes solid hardwood floors which all players in the flooring industry and the
reclaimed flooring specialists with contractors are well-known for their long lifespan. They wider construction industry should explore
replacing one of our floors. The floor is then can be sanded and refinished many times and develop as a matter of urgency. My
expertly lifted, ready for the contractor to lay and restored to as-new condition. They are next steps are to try and involve many more
a new floor. The reclaimed floor is removed also usually very straightforward to lift and contractors in our Reuse Scheme so that lifting
from site and readied for re-sale. And on the salvage, which makes them a great resource. and salvaging a floor that’s being replaced
other side of the scheme, we also connect Reclaimed solid wood floors are in high becomes the norm. What’s yours?

CFA Guide to Sustainability 2025/26