Tarkett Hosts Second Annual Sustainability Summit, Highlighting Ongoing Commitment to Drive Industry Environmental and Performance Standards

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Nov 05, 2014, 11:18 ET

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Underscoring its ongoing commitment to environmental education and eco-innovation, Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions, hosted its second annual Sustainability Summit in Cleveland, Ohio. The company's global Chief Executive Officer, Michel Giannuzzi shared Tarkett's "Four P's" strategy to help build a sustainable world through purpose, people, planet and profit.

Tarkett also invited Sudeep Motupalli Rao, PhD, from the United States Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (EPEA) to explain the Cradle to Cradle^® (C2C) framework and the circular economy challenges. Following Sudeep Motupalli, Andrew Winston, Author and Founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, shared his vision of "The Big Pivot: Doing Business in a Hotter, Scarcer, More Open World."

More than 30 architects, designers, distributors, contractors and end-users from leading companies throughout North America were in attendance.

The summit provided an interactive forum for architects and designers who are committed to sustainable design and building to connect with one another, while gaining a greater understanding of industry-critical topics like material transparency and optimization, circular economy and recycling.

"Having the opportunity to share our sustainable vision with North American architects and designers is vital to our journey in improving performance standards throughout the industry," said Michel Giannuzzi, Chief Executive Officer of Tarkett Group. "Tarkett strives to communicate in a transparent manner with solutions that answer and anticipate not only architect's and designer's needs but also users' expectations - combining people's wellbeing, environmental protection, performance and aestheticism."

Working in tandem with the scientific institute EPEA, Tarkett has focused on developing and manufacturing products that address the circular economy through people, planet and profit, and widely deploying the C2C principles within the company. EPEA values are based on intelligent, aesthetic and eco-effective design and are dedicated to optimizing products within the C2C framework. Interactive roundtable discussions throughout the seminar addressed not only Tarkett and EPEA framework, but also the evolution of materials transparency and chemical regulations as well as logistical challenges with integrating sustainability into business and recycling.

Mr. Giannuzzi and Diane Martel, Vice President of Environmental Planning and Strategy for Tarkett North America, presented the company's annual ReStart™ Awards, which honor the architect, designer, installer, distributor and/or end user whose project has successfully diverted the largest quantity of flooring from landfills using the company's ReStart Recycling and Reclamation Program.

Tarkett's history as an innovator in sustainable solutions dates back to 1957 when a recycling program for vinyl tile was created to reduce waste in landfills. The company has extended its efforts globally and in 2011, Tarkett began applying C2C principles in partnership with the EPEA in the eco-design of products across all global brands, moving toward a goal of circular, closed-loop design and manufacturing.

"For more than half a century we have worked to make materials that are as good as possible using eco-design as an innovation engine," said Martel. "We strive to lead the industry in low VOC emissions and phthalate-free vinyl flooring, and want to encourage manufacturers to rethink raw material choices and for architects, designers or specifiers to select sustainable solutions that open new territories. This conference is about expanding our notion of sustainability and sharing best practices so we can create new options."

Following the Tarkett Sustainability Summit, Mr. Giannuzzi joined other global business leaders at the Third Global Forum "Flourish and Prosper" at Case Western University in Cleveland to share experiences and discuss how sustainable practices positively affect profitability and can be managed as a growth engine for new business opportunities and how to fully embed sustainable practices within the organization.

Tarkett is represented commercially in North America by the Johnsonite and Tandus Centiva brands. For more information about Tarkett's sustainable initiatives worldwide, visit www.tarkett.com. To learn more about the company's North American commercial and residential line of flooring products, visit www.tarkettna.com and www.tandus-centiva.com.

About Tarkett
Tarkett is a global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions for flooring and sports surfaces. With a wide range of products including vinyl, linoleum, carpet, rubber, wood & laminate, synthetic turf and athletics track, the Group serves customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. With 11,000 employees and 32 production sites, Tarkett sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to sustainable development, the Group has implemented an eco-innovation strategy and promotes circular economy. Tarkett net sales of 2.5 billion euros in 2013 are balanced between Europe, North America and new economies. Tarkett is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A, ticker TKTT, ISIN: FR0004188670) and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid & Small, CAC All-Tradable. For more information about Tarkett global, please visit www.tarkett.com. To learn more about Tarkett North America, visit www.tarkettna.com.

SOURCE Tarkett