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Quick-Step sustainable laminate, hybrid vinyl and timber flooring

SUSTAINABLE FLOORING

Quick-Step flooring: always innovating in sustainability

Quality and innovation are the driving forces that made us a key player in the flooring industry. We don’t just continuously improve products in terms of their design and performance, but also in sustainability. Read all about our efforts in circularity, energy saving and emission control.

Pioneer in circularity


Sustainability in our DNA

Unilin – the group behind Quick-Step – has always been a pioneer in the circular economy. In 1960, we introduced flax straw – a bio-based waste stream from the flax industry – to produce particle boards. From that moment on, renewable raw materials have always been at the centre of our business: from flax straw to recovered wood.


A second life for wood

Continuously tapping into new raw materials is clearly not sustainable. That’s why the wooden core of Quick-Step laminate and timber flooring contains only recovered wood. This is wood collected from sawmills, sustainable forest management processes, roadside maintenance … that would otherwise be burned or discarded.

Sustainability is in the Quick-Step DNA

Maximal use of raw material

Since trees play a crucial role in combating climate change and stimulating biodiversity, we must treat them with care. That’s why we use slow-growing species, such as oak, only in the top layers of our timber flooring. The core of our laminate and timber flooring consists of either wood from fast-growing trees (spruce, hevea …) or a high-density fibreboard (HDF) made of recovered wood. For our timber Variano and Intenso ranges, we created unique designs using small pieces of wood that would otherwise go to waste. That’s how we get the most out of every tree.


Sustainable forest management

Sustainable forest management involves the harvesting of trees with the protection of our planet and biodiversity in mind, preventing trees from being cut at a faster rate than new ones are being planted. We maximise the use of thinned wood, which is wood that needs to be harvested to keep forests healthy – such as small or bent trees that could hinder the growth of other trees – but is perfectly suitable for flooring. By using wood from sustainably managed forests, we’re sure our wood sourcing doesn’t contribute to deforestation.

Quick-Step flooring is made of wood from sustainably managed forests

Transparent about hybrid vinyl

Besides chalk – a material that is available in abundance – and internally recycled PVC, about a quarter of a Quick-Step hybrid vinyl floor is made of ‘virgin’ or new PVC, which is made from chlorine (common salt) and ethylene (crude oil). We are very aware that oil is a non-renewable resource, which is why we pay special attention to developing hybrid vinyl floors that can be used for a very long time, up to 25 years.  

Conscious Quick-Step hybrid vinyl flooring
We focus on the recyclability of our Quick-Step flooring

Focus on doing better

From the design phase on, we ask the right questions to optimise the sustainability of our floors. Which chemicals make recycling difficult? Which raw materials could be alternatives? How do we extend the lifecycles of our products? Our R&D team searches for better answers to these questions every day to keep improving the recyclability of our flooring.

Respect for our planet


Fighting global warming

In order to limit the consequences of global warming, challenging climate targets have been set in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5° C. Unilin – the group behind Quick-Step – has decided to take all possible measures to contribute to the most ambitious scenario of a 1.5°C by 2050. Our targets are being checked by Science Based Targets – a third-party initiative promoting best practices in this battle. Acting forcefully by 2030 is crucial, which is why we’ve set very ambitious short-term targets that will be followed by a more gradual path towards net-zero emissions in 2050.

Unilin's biomass plant transforms waste into green energy

Half of our group’s production
is powered by renewable energy.

Renewable energy

Unilin has invested in two biomass plants to convert wood dust and non-recyclable wood waste into green energy. This energy serves our own production processes – the rest of it is made available to the general public only afterward. Furthermore, we rely on energy from windmills and solar panels. As a result, about half of our group’s production is powered by renewable energy to this day.


European Energy Efficiency Program

Unilin participates in the European Energy Efficiency Program with most of our Belgian production plants. This program ensures that all energy-saving measures are identified and implemented, and energy use is monitored and managed on a daily basis. Saving as much energy as possible and maximising the use of renewable energy are the main goals.

Unilin relies on green energy from windmills and solar panels

Clean indoor air


Low emission flooring

Most of your life takes place indoors, which is why the air quality in your home is so vitally important. Many factors have an effect on it: ventilation, candles, cleaning agents, and even the materials used in your interior, such as the flooring. We minimise the emissions of harmful substances by producing your flooring in-house as much as possible, which means we know exactly what materials it contains.


Minimal VOC emission

Thanks to our in-house production, we manage to minimise the emission of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. One example of a VOC is formaldehyde and is for example also emitted by wood. The formaldehyde emission of our laminate and timber flooring is negligible and 10 times lower than the EU standards – for our hybrid vinyl flooring, there is no formaldehyde detected. This is reflected in our A (timber) A+ (laminate, hybrid vinyl) and M1 (laminate, hybrid vinyl) labels.

Quick-Step floors have very low emissions

Our labels and certifications

Unilin complies with all legally stipulated environmental and health standards. But being a key player in the flooring industry, we take our responsibility seriously and rise above regulations to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges as well. That’s why we go even further by voluntarily achieving various optional certifications.

  • emission label A and A+

    A & A+

    The top category emission regulation certificate, serving as a recognition for very low emissions.
    The top category emission regulation certificate, serving as a recognition for very low emissions.
  • emission label M1

    M1

    Proof that our flooring products do not release toxic substances and are odourless.
    Proof that our flooring products do not release toxic substances and are odourless.
  • PEFC

    Globally trusted trademark for timber products originating from sustainably managed forests.
    Globally trusted trademark for timber products originating from sustainably managed forests.
  • environmental label EU Ecolabel

    EU Ecolabel

    Label of environmental excellence awarded to products and services meeting high ecological standards throughout their life cycles.
    Label of environmental excellence awarded to products and services meeting high ecological standards throughout their life cycles.
  • Environmental Product Declaration for Unilin

    EPD

    With our environmental product declaration, we show our commitment to provide precise, reliable and comparable information on the environmental performance of our laminate and timber products.
    With our environmental product declaration, we show our commitment to provide precise, reliable and comparable information on the environmental performance of our laminate and timber products.
  • environmental label Nordic Swan

    Nordic Swan Ecolabel

    Highly regarded Scandinavian ecological label for products that meet high requirements for environmental standards throughout the life cycle.
    Highly regarded Scandinavian ecological label for products that meet high requirements for environmental standards throughout the life cycle.
Quick-Step laminate, hybrid vinyl and timber flooring

Our efforts on the product level

We take specific environmental measures for our different products. Read all about how our laminate, timber and hybrid vinyl flooring is made.