burmatex has become one of the first carpet manufacturers in the UK to achieve the highest possible rating under the UK Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Profiles Certification Scheme in assessment against the Green Guide to Specification.

All of burmatex’s carpet ranges, including fibre bonded carpet sheet and tiles and tufted tiles, have achieved an A-rating following the assessment of their Environmental Profiles by BRE Certification Ltd, an organisation providing independent environmental information about building materials and products. As part of the certification process, all of the inputs and outputs from the manufacture of burmatex carpets, including energy use, waste and pollution, were independently verified and the effects over the whole carpet lifecycle were measured for their environmental impact.

The achievement demonstrates that burmatex carpets make the minimal possible impact on the environment and allows the company to present customers and specifiers with credible, independently assessed, environmental information about its products. This is particularly important when considering that in a typical building, floor covering makes more of an environmental impact than any other material.

burmatex has its origins firmly grounded in environmentally sound practices and began life in 1917 recycling old clothing and rags. The company has invested heavily in developing its own unique four-stage “Recover” recycling process and now recycles more than 90% of its manufacturing waste. All burmatex carpet tile products contain ten per cent of post manufacturing recycled waste in the backing.

In addition to its “Recover” initiative, all burmatex carpet products are manufactured for heavy contract use and sold with a ten-year manufacturer’s guarantee – maximising the product life and reducing the need for the production and purchase of replacements.

Gordon Donald, Managing Director of burmatex commented: “We are extremely proud of this achievement and feel it confirms that operating as an environmentally responsible business is at the heart of everything we do. We are passionate about the care that goes into making our products and are always re-evaluating our production processes to minimise any potential damage to the environment.”