This white paper “D5.1 White paper: strategy for implementing industry-wide collection schemes for the flooring industry” is available under the public deliverables section of the CISUFLO website: https://www.cisuflo.eu/download2/public-deliverables/#.
It aims to propose a strategy for the successful implementation of collection schemes for post-consumer flooring waste generated in both the commercial and residential sectors. The proposed strategy aims to promote sustainability, circular economy principles and responsible waste management practices in the flooring industry. This paper is a discussion document to promote further engagement within the industry and help to define a collection system for floorcoverings that will be the cornerstone of the development of the circular economy for the flooring sector. The paper focuses on laminate, textile, and resilient floorcoverings.

This document gives an overview of the flooring market, and the amounts of waste generated within. For each of the flooring types, the existing collection schemes are mentioned, and the related key barriers and challenges are listed, as the legislative drivers and incentives.

The legal and regulatory aspects which need to be considered when implementing a collection system for floor coverings are discussed like the Waste Framework Directive, waste shipment regulations and pre-demolition audits and waste management plans.

Best practices of collection and sorting schemes for vinyl, laminate and textile flooring across Europe are mentioned.

Key points that need to be kept in mind when designing an industry-wide collection scheme are listed, followed by a proposal on how the collection schemes of flooring waste should ideally look like, with individual requirement for each flooring type. This results in the description of an implementation plan of the proposed collection schemes.

Key stakeholders in the collection process are flooring specifiers, flooring installers/contractors, wholesalers, distributors and retailers, waste management companies and logistics companies. Their role in the collection of flooring waste has been described.

A strategy to raise awareness on the importance of participation in the collection systems is proposed.

The document also highlights how the monitoring of the effectiveness of the collection schemes could be done via collected waste volumes, reuse rates, recycling rates and landfill and incinceration rates. Some  mechanisms which are already in place are descirbed (PolyCert Europe and Polyrec).

This document also covers several open questions that still need to answered to in order to implement collection schemes.