Marmoleum is made from natural raw materials, most of which are harvested as annual crops. Flax plants, which provide the vegetable linseed oil, jute, used for the mesh carrier on which linoleum is calendered and wood flour obtained from the waste material of production forestry, all during their lifetime capture CO2 which is absorbed in the plants and trees that are used to manufacture linoleum.
Forbo Marmoleum is the only CO2 neutral resilient flooring and the best choice for every sustainable interior. By using durable materials in your house, office, school, train, hospital or retail store you can also contribute to a better environment!
Discover our co2 produced Marmoleum flooring collection
The art of manufacturing linoleum is a process whereby natural raw materials are mixed and require time to cure and mature before the next production step.
In the 5 weeks, it takes to make linoleum, the energy used predominantly comes into play in the calendaring process and the heat required for the stoves that regulate the drying of the linoleum sheet. Both the Assendelft and Kirkcaldy linoleum plants are modern production environments that operate on 100% green electricity.
Making linoleum is considered an art, which is not learned at any trade or craft school. Determining the correct mixture of ingredients, allowing the right time for raw materials to settle, applying the correct temperature and pressure are skills the experts of Forbo Flooring must master.
Linoleum is a carbon dioxide (CO2) neutral product because the natural crops of jute, flax and trees absorb much carbon dioxide and the production process costs little energy. To be able to produce a CO2 neutral floor, that not only lasts for over thirty years but is also bio-degradable at its end of life, is truly unique.
To prove the eco-friendliness of our linoleum product, Forbo uses several assessments. The first is the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique resulting in an environmental product declaration (EPD). This declaration, which is transparent and third-party verified, is based on a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, to ultimate disposal or recycling.
This technique takes all the following aspects into account: environmental impact of raw material acquisition, energy use and efficiency, content of materials and chemical substances, emissions to air, soil and water and waste generation.
Watch the EPD of our linoleum products
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In the last couple of years, many natural phenomena occur due to climate changes. Think about drought in large parts of the world, flooding, and extremely powerful hurricanes. With Marmoleum CO2 neutral Forbo Flooring contributes to a better environment by producing a product which does not affect the worldwide climate change.
Paris Agreement 2015
The outcome of the Paris agreement 2015 is one where all countries across the world are unified in mitigating climate change in a program that begins in 2020 and should result in measurable effects in decreasing national CO2 levels over time. Marmoleum as an interior finishing product as such helps to achieve the ambition to reduce CO2 levels in our environment. This is already recognised by international environmental building standards such as LEED and Breeam which both recognise the credits linoleum offers.
A sense of responsibility towards the environment and subsequent generations are important components of our daily activities. We are constantly working to further develop our products and make the production process more climate-friendly.
Our products receive many worldwide quality marks and certifications for being environmental friendly. Forbo Marmoleum is the most durable floor in the world, so we are proud that environmental experts confirm this statement.
