16. January 2024 | Germany | Products

nora systems recognized with Cradle to Cradle gold certification for noracare rubber floor coverings

Weinheim, January 2024 – Biodegradable clothing or units and materials whose individual components can be turned into new objects once they have reached end of life? Cradle to Cradle is committed to developing and promoting a potentially infinite circular economy.

As a global market leader of rubber floor coverings, nora systems – part of the global flooring manufacturer Interface – is also contributing to sustained eco-efficiency in the floor covering industry with its products.

For its commitment to sustainability, some selected colours from the noracare seneo as well as noracare uneo product range recently received the gold Cradle to Cradle certification (version 3.1) from the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a leading establishment in product assessment.

"We have continuously developed our products and processes over the last few years to make our contribution to sustainable value creation. The ongoing high level of commitment across all areas has now paid off, we are proud of our teams to reach the Cradle-to-Cradle highest standard of gold certification and are motivated to continue our work," Rob Heeres, Managing Director of nora.

Celebrating gold and silver certification for our portfolio of different colourways

Other colours in this range have also been awarded with the silver certificate. We use different colour pigments for optimal results. As all colour pigments are individually evaluated and certified, some colours are certified with gold and others with silver level.

The road to gold certificationt

The essence of the concept involves thinking in complete product cycles right from the outset to avoid creating rubbish in the traditional sense. All of the product materials used must therefore be biodegradable or recyclable after use. Various categories are examined and evaluated for certification: the material health of the ingredients used, the recyclability of the product, use of renewable energy sources, responsible water management as well as compliance with social standards.

The ratings range from Basic through Bronze, Silver and Gold to Platinum. The lowest standard reached in a category then determines the overall rating of a product.

nora consistently received gold in all categories. "And since there are hardly any products in the area of technical consumer goods that achieve 100 percent for all criteria, gold – particularly in the construction sector – is an above-average result," confirms EPEA, an internationally active research and consulting institute for the implementation of Cradle to Cradle solutions.

Excellent environmental and health compatibility

The Cradle to Cradle certification not only distinguishes the products themselves, but also has a positive impact on the scores for DGNB, LEED and BREEAM building certifications. Furthermore, noracare is up to 100 percent recyclable, as the residual materials can be returned to the production cycle and used for the manufacture of new floor coverings. The innovative composition of noracare provides superior surface properties and makes the product suitable for highest requirements. Like all nora floorings, noracare floorings are also free of PVC, other halogenated polymers and phthalate plasticisers and contributes to good indoor air quality. In addition, noracare floorings are, like every flooring product Interface sells – carpet, LVT, and rubber sheets and tiles – certified carbon neutral through the Carbon Neutral Floors™ program at no extra cost to customers. The Weinheim rubber plant is continuously working to avoid CO₂ emissions and thus further reduces its own CO₂ footprint. The company voluntarily offsets the unavoidable CO2 emissions.

Photo: Elmar Witt

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About nora

nora by Interface is the commercial rubber flooring brand of Interface, Inc. Produced in Germany for more than 70 years, nora premium rubber solutions help to support operations, efficiencies, health, safety and well-being with sustainable flooring that eases maintenance, reduces noise, and provides added comfort underfoot.

Interface, Inc., (NASDAQ: TILE) is a global flooring solutions company and sustainability leader, offering an integrated portfolio of carpet tile and resilient flooring products that includes Interface^® carpet tile and LVT, nora^® rubber flooring, and FLOR^® premium area rugs for commercial and residential spaces. Made with purpose and without compromise, Interface flooring brings more sophisticated design, more performance, more innovation, and more climate progress to interior spaces. A decades-long pioneer in sustainability, Interface remains “all in” on becoming a restorative business. Today, the company is focusing on carbon reductions, not offsets, as it works toward achieving its verified science-based targets by 2030 and its goal to become a carbon negative enterprise by 2040.

Learn more about Interface at interface.com and blog.interface.com, nora by Interface at nora.com, FLOR at FLOR.com, and our sustainability journey at interface.com/sustainability.