iQ Natural flooring,
one step towards a carbon neutral society
Nature is at the heart of the iQ Natural next generation story.
For this flooring has been developed to respect nature as much as possible and because nature has inspired its colour story.
It is nature that is offering the renewable raw material used to replace fossil feedstock to produce the vinyl used in iQ Natural. It is a biomass coming from wood residue (not competing with food production).
It is nature that is offering the bio plasticiser already used for years for iQ Natural.
It is also nature’s colours and landscapes that inspired our designers to imagine a collection to create harmony and well-being.
Tarkett has always been committed to providing sustainable solutions and is convinced that responsible vinyl is one of the best choices to meet climate challenges and construction requirements.
Discover how we have imagined the next generation of our iQ Natural vinyl flooring, offering a reduction of more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions compared to other equivalent flooring solutions*.
*versus average homogeneous vinyl floors, based on A and C modules (production, installation and end of life stages) from our EPD n° S-P-01508 with a recycling scenario through ReStart® in comparison to generic EPD-ERF-20180176-CCI1-EN with an incineration scenario.
A flooring solution with a greenhouse gas emission reduction of more than 60%*
*versus average homogeneous vinyl floors, based on A and C modules (production, installation and end of life stages) from our EPD n° S-P-01508 with a recycling scenario through ReStart® in comparison to generic EPD-ERF-20180176-CCI1-EN with an incineration scenario.
Discover the mass balance principles
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Eco-designed flooring
We design our products with Circular Economy principles in mind. And eco-design is also about selecting the right raw materials.
The next generation of iQ Natural brings a major innovation in that regard, being the world’s first floor with bio-attributed vinyl – Biovyn™ -substituting 100% of fossil feedstock by renewable biomass, made under the principles of mass-balance. This biomass comes from wood residue not competing with food production.
Bio-attribution means that a material is attributed an amount of bio-based feedstock according to mass balance principles. It is manufactured in a production system using biomass in parallel with fossil feedstock. During production the two feedstocks are mixed in the system, and the bio based part is “attributed” to a specific final product. The attribution through the whole supply chain is certified by a third party, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), to ensure the sustainability and credibility of the finished product.
Mass balance principles enable a ‘green transition’ within existing production infrastructure – without requiring resource intensive development of new production facilities – and is an essential tool to accelerate the green transition now.
For each square metre used, iQ Natural contributes to the transition from fossil to renewable raw materials – taking one step further towards a circular, carbon-neutral society. And still the technical and maintenance properties remain on the same high level of excellence.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), a globally recognized independent sustainability standard, certifies both the new raw material we use to produce iQ Natural (BiovynTM ) and iQ Natural itself. RSB is recognised to be a world trusted, peer-reviewed, international sustainability standard for the sustainable production of bio-based and advanced materials and fuels, and biomass. We have collaborated closely with RSB during the development of iQ Natural, to independently verify commitment to delivering socially and environmentally sustainable products. iQ Natural is the first flooring to achieve RSB certification.
Carbon neutral production
Decarbonising production means a change in the energy-consumption model. This is a key driver in fighting climate change.
Our plant in Ronneby, Sweden, that produces iQ Natural, has been using fossil free electricity for many years.
During 2019 major investments were also made to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels for process heat production. Two oil burners were replaced by electric ones which will give an estimated reduction of GHG with almost 4000 tons CO2 annually, that is saving 849 passenger vehicles driven for one year or 4000 return trips between Paris and New York by plane.
The very few remaining GHG emissions connected to the production of iQ Natural (9 tons) will be offset through REDD+ projects* supporting the TAMBOPATA Reserve.
This makes the production of iQ Natural carbon neutral.
* Tarkett supports the Tambopata-Bahuaja Biodiversity Reserve to raise awareness of REDD+ projects and take action on climate change and increase biodiversity, as well as support responsible agriculture and social fairness.
Close the loop
We strive with dedication to become a fully circular company; where waste is used as a resource.
Recycling is a cornerstone of circular transition, as it is an efficient way to save resources, reduce waste and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, it is less energy intensive to transform existing materials rather than to produce them from scratch using virgin raw materials.
Through Tarkett’s ReStart® take-back and recycling program we operate systems all over Europe where offcuts from installation of vinyl floors are collected and sent to our recycling centres.
Furthermore, to effectively recycle post-use vinyl floors, Tarkett Ronneby, in Sweden, where iQ Natural is manufactured, has recently launched an innovative industrial cleaning method. It allows used floors to be cleaned from glue and concrete residues, and then turned into vinyl granules of the same quality as virgin raw materials.
We designed our iQ flooring with recyclability in mind and are actively closing the circuits and loops with this next generation
To make a long story short iQ Natural is doing good at each step
of the life cycle
Design inspired by nature
A story rooted in Nature, our source of inspiration for the look & feel of iQ Natural
"There’s no richer source of creativity than Nature, which is where our designers draw their inspiration for iQ Natural’s range of colourways.
A palette of soft, subtle hues, combining tone on tone colours/shades/hues and neutrals that gently caress the senses. Select from Dawn, Crisp, Radiant, Relief and Dusk colour families, enriched with added texture from its ‘Natural Flake’ pattern composition.
The new Natural Flake pattern has been designed to accentuate and highlight architectural sections within a space but also to smooth out transitions between colourway combinations. Each colourway can be combined within its colour group or other iQ Natural groups, making it a versatile carrier for design. "
Discover the 5 colour families
And still all the well established benefits of our iQ ranges
iQ Natural is another iQ collection that excels under use.
Easy installation, long-lasting performance, hygiene, outstanding maintenance properties and looks, bound harmoniously into one solution. Its flexibility and homogeneous construction makes it the ideal solution for welding and coving in clinical areas (corridors, clean room,..) providing a watertight and smooth finish thus spaces that are safe and easy to clean for a perfect hygiene. All these features also makes iQ Natural compliant with the requirements of high infection risk areas. At just 2mm thick, it carries the lifelong performance of iQ homogeneous vinyl and is able to withstand decades of constant use without diminishing in its appearance, while being renovated back to its original form with regular ‘dry-buffing’.
With its very low VOC-emissions and phthalate-free composition, iQ ranges offer peace of mind that your flooring solution has no measurable impact on air conditions in closed spaces.
And for spaces where sound comfort is key, such as school corridors, kinder gardens or public buildings, iQ Natural Acoustic* will be the answer. Available in 10 colours, iQ Natural Acoustic offers an impact sound reduction of 15 dB
Let’s get practical
Homogeneous Vinyl
Circular Selection