Yes, our manufacturing facilities have several ISO (International Standards Organisation) certificates, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. These are checked on an annual basis.
More specific information on our certificates can be found in our annual sustainability report.
FAQ - Sourcing and raw materials
Discover the answers to the most common questions about the use of sustainable and renewable materials in our flooring production. If you don't find what you're looking for, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for further assistance.
Do you have ISO certification (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 26000, etc.) for all your manufacturing facilities?
How do I measure and compare the sustainability of a product?
By looking at and comparing the EDPs of different products and by identifying what is most important to you. See our most recent webinar on this topic, "How to select sustainable flooring."
Do you provide third-party-verified environmental data for your products?
We provide an EPD, or Environmental Product Declaration, for each of our products. An EPD is a product passport that tells you exactly what this product is and what it is made of. You can find information on:
• EPD values
• Global warming potential information on the sourcing and production phase(A1-A3), the use phase (A4-A5.1) and end of life phase (A1-A5). Biogenic carbon are published in renewed EPDs after July 1, 2022, according to the renewed EN 15804 standard.
All Forbo Flooring EPDs are third-party verified by UL Solutions. For France, we also provide FDES for each product.
Do your environmental data sheets show information on recycled content (pre- or post-consumer)?
Yes, although this is only mentioned as "recycled content".
Do you have Cradle to Cradle (C2C) or Cradle to Gate certification?
Cradle to Cradle is a private (commercial) organisation where an applicant will have to pay to have their products rated (bronze, silver, gold, platinum). The certification gives some indication of the sustainability profile of a product. The third-party verified LCAs and EPDs used by Forbo give a more transparent and detailed view and cover everything from cradle to cradle as well.
You can find all certificates, technical specifications, and Environmental Product Declarations in our download centre
What is the quality of the raw materials that you use?
We work with first-tier suppliers worldwide. We select virgin material from qualified sources to assure consistency and high quality in our products. All raw materials are checked and controlled in our laboratories before they are used in the production process. Please consult the specific EPDs for the raw materials used and their countries of origin.
How do I know you sourced or used sustainable materials from a sustainable company?
We expect our suppliers to have the same attitudes towards environmental issues as Forbo Flooring. They need to meet all the same standards that we ourselves uphold, including having an environmental management system and meeting the key fundamentals of the SA8000 social accountability standard.
We also ask suppliers to sign our Forbo Supplier Requirements Policy. This policy addresses all aspects of ethical and sustainable sourcing, such as quality management, anti-corruption measures, and raw material regulations.
What binder is used in your products?
The binder for linoleum is an oxidised combination of linseed oil and rosin. This combination provides linoleum cement (a sticky substance to which wood flour and limestone are added in order to create the granules that are calandered on the jute). In vinyl, the PVC paste acts as a binder along with the plasticizer and filler.