Research

Look what I got in the mail from Forbo...got a Forbo Product Guide 2011, Sustain Straight to the Points, Forbo Cleaning and Care Guide 2011, Environment Brochure 2006, 1 Marmoleum Real sample, 1 Marmoleum Composition Tile (MCT) sample, and 1 Marmoleum Dual sample.

The Marmoleum, Marmoleum Dual Tile, and MCT contain 46.5% recycled content, which is wood flour and tall oil.  The indoor environmental quality of all three tiles with their adhesive meets the requirements set, and consists of low emitting materials.  Marmoleum contains 33% by weight of renewable materials including linseed oil, pine rosin, and jute.  Marmoleum Dual Tile and MCT contain 23% by weight of renewable materials including linseed oil and pine rosin.  

The rosin used is a key agent in the first step of making the Marmoleum tiles.  It is tapped from pine trees, which doesn't affect the tree's growth.  Along with linseed oil, the two give the tiles their strength and flexible qualities.  Linseed oil is the most important raw material used in the tiles.  It comes from the pressing of the seeds from the flax plant.  In the past, it was used as a cooking oil and for lighting.  The linseed oil is mixed with Tall oil, which is a recycled post-industrial by-product of the Kraft paper industry.  This helps pout the oxidation process in the production of the tiles.  Jute is the backing material used.  It's natural, and comes from the yarn form of the webbing spun from jute grown in India and Bangladesh.  The pigments used are ecologically responsible pigments that don't contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium.  Other materials in the tiles include wood flour, cork flour, and limestone.

In the production of linoleum the main impact is due to the amount of energy used.  The whole process consists of oxidation, mixing, calendaring, and drying.  For years, Forbo has been working on lower the amount of energy they us, and in 2004 they managed an energy saving of 3.2%.  The energy sources used are electricity and natural gas.  

All over the world, Forbo has obtained numerous awards for being environmentally friendly.  In the US, Desk Top and Bulletin Board received an environment award in 1997.  The Sequoia Award is given to organizations that demonstrate environmental innovation and leadership in conservation techniques, applications and processes.  Also, they received from Buildings Magazine's Innovations Award for 'Environmental Sensivity' at the Neocom World's Trade Fair in 1998, 1999, and 2001.

Marmoleum consumes about 28-35 kg of oil during the production process.  The amount of CO2 released is about 29-36 kg.  

The tiles life span is around 25-40 years, and after that the floors need to be replaced and disposed of properly.  The options for disposing of the old tiles are incineration or landfill.  With incineration the burning of linoleum is about the same amount of CO2 released as the raw materials within the tiles.  The linoleum is a closed loop system, which means the energy obtained from incinerating linoleum is roughly equivalent to, or even more than, that which is used in production.  With landfilling the tiles, the linoleum can safely be added to landfill refuse sites where it natural decomposes.  Linoleum is biodegradable and doesn't release any harmful substances or gases.