Yiran Song, JLL, speaks with Ashleigh Savage, Smith Group; Eric Nelson, Aquafil; Paul Young, Tarkett and Arnaud Marquis, Tarkett, at Tarkett's third annual Circularity Summit.
[Solon, Ohio] This month, Tarkett hosted its third annual Circularity Summit, bringing together thought leaders from 14 distinct organizations serving the built environment to collaboratively tackle the challenges of achieving a circular economy. The group spent two days at the Inn at Serenbe, situated among Georgia’s Chattahoochee Hills, discussing topics such as deconstructing deconstruction, landfill diversion, reducing carbon impacts and integrating sustainable practices throughout all aspects of business strategy.
“Tarkett is committed to creating a circular economy that preserves our natural resources, reduces our impact on climate and closes the loop on waste,” said Roxane Spears, vice president of sustainability for Tarkett North America. “Taking these two days away from our desks to share diverse perspectives on challenges that matter to us all is vital in developing sustainable solutions.”
In addition to discussing how construction and deconstruction workflows can have meaningful impact on organizational carbon reduction, the group came to a consensus that it must become standard business practice to consider a product’s material ingredients, life cycle and end of life plan in manufacturing, specification, installation and flooring removal.
“Over the course of the two days, I was truly inspired by the wealth of knowledge shared, the insightful discussions, and the passionate commitment demonstrated by all the speakers and attendees,” said Vicky Choi, an associate director for project management at Gilead Sciences. “From exploring innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges, to discussing the importance of community engagement and sustainable practices, every session was both informative and thought-provoking.”
Tarkett’s Circularity Summit is just one of the initiatives the company leads in an effort to reach its SBTi 2030 target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent across Scopes 1, 2 and 3. ReStart, its take-back and recycling program, is another part of Tarkett’s approach to a circular economy. In 2023, Tarkett North America recycled over 1.5 million pounds of flooring waste through ReStart and innovated a way to recycle the non-PVC backing of post-consumer ethos carpet tile into new ethos backing, according to the company.