Sustainable design

What is eco-design?

Right from the product design phase, this means taking environmental issues into consideration and anticipating what will happen when the product is no longer useful.
Eco-design is a real source of innovation, as BALSAN research and development teams are pushed to think differently, creating more environmentally responsible carpets for the future. Eco-design means a more “sustainably” used and socially responsible product. It isn’t always easy to achieve, but BALSAN, a member of the GUT (European association for environmentally-friendly carpet production), is committed to incorporating eco-design into the heart of our product lines. We’re committed to following a responsible environmental strategy. The design of every new item is influenced by how it could be reused in the future. The company sees production as a loop, rather than a linear chain (“produce, use, throw away”). This is a form of regeneration, taking inspiration from natural ecosystems.

Yarn: a significant potential for renewal

To manufacture our carpets, BALSAN has been shipping in large quantities of high-quality polyamide yarn from AQUAFIL for more than 20 years. Currently, BALSAN is pursuing an innovative new initiative with this supplier: recovering old fishing nets and transforming them into Nylon yarn. This is a truly ecological solution. By recovering these old nets, we can clean up our beaches and oceans as well as provide income for the underprivileged villagers who collect them. The recovered nets are recycled by Aquafil using their innovative ECONYL® regeneration system, which depolymerises them and transforms them into nylon fibre, enabling them to be transformed into clothes and carpets. Other networks have also been set up, forming a growing industry which recovers fibres removed from old carpets when they reach the end of their useful life. In the same way, these fibres are regenerated and used to manufacture new carpets.

Recycled bases: double benefits

Kinder to the environment and quieter too. This win-win opportunity highlights the importance of Sonic Confort recycled underlays. In a noisy world struggling with environmental issues, this base, made of at least 80% recycled polyester, represents a sustainable answer to two fundamental 21st century problems.

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