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Global Warming Potential for floor coverings: What is it?
The climate crisis is increasingly shifting the focus to emission-friendly solutions in the construction industry, but also in private house building. One key figure that is becoming increasingly important is the Global Warming Potential. In this blog post, we explain how it affects floor coverings and how you can look out for environmentally friendly products when buying.
What is the Global Warming Potential?
The Global Warming Potential (GWP) reflects the extent to which various greenhouse gases contribute to global warming. It assesses the impact of a gas on global warming compared to carbon dioxide (CO₂) over a certain period of time. Some gases contribute more to warming and therefore have a higher GWP value.
CO₂ is used as a reference gas and has a GWP value of 1. In comparison, methane has a GWP value of around 25 over a period of 100 years and warms the atmosphere by a factor of around 25. The global warming potential can be used in the production of materials, objects and machines in order to compare the products and their manufacture.
Why is the Global Warming Potential relevant for floors?
Global Warming Potential is playing an increasingly important role in the selection of floor coverings. This is because building materials and their production can release significant amounts of greenhouse gases. The production, transportation, installation and disposal of flooring all contribute to the overall carbon footprint.
Sustainable flooring should therefore not only be durable and recyclable, but also have a low GWP. Materials such as vinyl, carpet or laminate can have very different environmental impacts, depending on the raw materials used and the production processes. For example, the production of PVC-based floor coverings can be associated with high emissions, while renewable raw materials such as wood or recyclable materials such as CERAMIN® tend to have lower GWP values.
By choosing floor coverings with a low GWP, building owners and architects can make a significant contribution to reducing a building's CO₂ emissions. This is particularly important in the context of international climate targets and the green transition in the construction sector.
Which floor covering is the most sustainable?
When comparing the GWP of floor coverings, the entire life cycle is taken into account. This includes not only the production, but also the transportation, installation, service life and disposal of the products. Many of these factors also indicate a high-quality floor covering.
A floor that should last for decades is robustly finished and professionally manufactured. The longer it lasts, the lower the emissions in this area. Regional or national raw materials improve the balance, while products from China or other parts of the world drive up the GWP. Health aspects are not included in the GWP, and yet consumers and especially those responsible for large construction projects should not ignore the health of their homes. We have published a own contribution written.
One Study from the year 2018 examined the life cycle assessment of various floor coverings and also compared their GWP. PVC floor coverings performed particularly poorly, with only carpets having even higher GWP values. This can be attributed to the very limited recyclability of PVC flooring and the controversial production and disposal of the material. Carpeting has to be replaced and cleaned more often than comparable floor coverings and therefore has the highest GWP value.
GWP: Figures from the field
Looking at the current values in the flooring industry, the current status is in line with the 2018 study. On average, one m² of vinyl flooring has a GWP of 10-20. This depends on the respective manufacturer and individual production. Laminate flooring has a greater fluctuation and ranges between a GWP of 5 and 15. We are very proud that our CERAMIN®collection with a GWP of between 5 and 10 has an above-average environmental balance. This is not only due to the unique recyclability, but also to the special properties of CERAMIN®.
The material specially developed by the CLASSEN Group for PVC-free wall and floor coverings is characterized by its environmentally and health-friendly composition. This makes it 100% recyclable and a sustainable alternative for vinyl and designer floor coverings. In addition to its environmental compatibility, the material is extremely robust and durable. All these factors contribute to the exceptionally low global warming potential of CERAMIN®-products at.
If you want to opt for environmentally conscious floor coverings without compromising on quality or versatile design, you should take a look at our collection.
