We’re ringing in this Earth Week with some exciting news - celebrating our second year in a row being Climate Neutral Certified!
Being Climate Neutral Certified means that we’ve measured our carbon emissions from the past year, offset them completely, and are actively working towards more solutions to reduce our footprint with every decision we make.
The building materials industry is notorious for waste. Flooret took on the challenge of defying that reputation and inviting other brands in our space to do the same. We are committed to sustainability in every aspect of our company.
"Since launching Climate Neutral, we've seen the power of companies pushing others in their industry to become certified. Flooret is an early actor, and we are excited to see their leadership motivate others to get on board and take immediate action on climate," says Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral.
We’re a small team, and each one of us has a passion for the environment that goes beyond the office.
“As someone who loves going to the beach, camping, and visiting national parks, combatting climate change is a cause that's very close to my heart. I am so proud to work at a Climate Neutral company like Flooret,” says Ashlee Palka, our brand manager.
What does a Climate Neutral Certification process look like?
To reach the Climate Neutral Certified standard, we undergo a rigorous process of testing, reporting, and revising our Climate Action plan.
We measured our employee commute times, energy usage in-warehouse and in-office, shipment impact, and the production of our raw materials.
“We had to dig into every part of the company,” Co-Founder Tal Atid says. “It was actually really interesting, and I really enjoyed it.”
Flooret aims to be earth-friendly from the inside out. We start by constructing our floors with the lowest carbon footprint materials possible, like limestone. We did extensive research on the life cycle of vinyl, making sure our Modin Rigid plank was durable enough to never need a replacement.
“I think the best part about being Climate Neutral Certified is the impact we’ll have on the rest of the industry to do the same,” Community Coordinator Chesiree Katter says. “I hope we can inspire other flooring companies to earn this label and commit to helping our planet.”
Some customers even reuse their Flooret vinyl plank flooring for some fun! Using your leftover flooring, including samples, is a great way to help the earth. Check out this video for five ideas to upcycle your vinyl planks.
Moving Forward
Through all our research, we found the area we needed to work the hardest was finding alternative methods of transport for our flooring. We are growing every day, and one day hope to operate all our transport on eco-friendly vehicles. We consciously ship orders from whichever warehouse is closest to its destination to save on unnecessary transportation time, and offer will-call orders so customers in close distance can pick up sample or flooring orders without us using heavy duty trucks.
We operate our warehouses sustainably in many other ways, including:
- Using all electric lifts instead of propane fueled equipment
- Using 100% post-consumer recycled material for our sample packaging, and recycling all cardboard
- Sending our saw blades in to get resharpened as many times as possible instead of immediately replacing them with new ones
- Using motion sensored lights that turn off after inactivity
- Using a cleaning service that only uses eco-friendly products
We are also in the process of creating a new collection of engineered hardwood flooring that is both beautiful and sustainable at the same time.
We look forward to making the necessary changes needed to remain a company that is Climate Neutral Certified and contributes towards the well being of the planet.
We're a group of like-minded individuals who are proud to be leading the flooring industry towards a sustainable future through our climate neutral certification," says Co-Founder Michael Maddux.
From all of us at Flooret, Happy Earth Day!
