When we recycle carpet tiles, their lifetime is extended and fewer resources are used to manufacture new ones. Carpet tiles that are not suitable for sale are sent on to other companies that can use them as fuel or make new products from them.

The carpet tiles consist of Ecotrust felt backings and tile faces. The Ecotrust felt backings are produced from recycled water bottles. An innovative production technique turns bottles into a soft yet strong PET felt material that is long lasting and has great acoustic performance. Ege uses Aquafil’s Econyl yarns produced from used fishing nets. Once the fishing nets are collected and cleaned, they are physically and chemically broken down and reborn as strong and hardwearing yarns for carpets.

Recover by Ege is the company’s take-back programme for the return and recycling of used carpets. The programme streamlines the use of materials so that Ege can utilise them for as long as possible rather than transporting the carpets for incineration.

Another part of the programme, Ege Vintage, includes a system for cleaning and resale of used carpet tiles through a webshop. The process is that, together with partners, Ege gathers carpet tiles, and then clean, sort and resell the best ones. The webshop has carpet tiles from flooring contractors who return them after removing them at a customer site.

The recycling system for carpet tiles is the first step on the path to 100% utilisation of the materials in Ege products. In the fully implemented “Recover by Ege Programme” components will be recycled into our Ege products: for example as filler in the backing. In 2019, Ege is expecting Cradle-to-Cradle certification on all of their products – while working towards the goal of a having a 100% closed recycle loop.