So What is PVC-Free?

First, PVC-free is not an officially defined flooring material category, despite recognition by CSI. Resilient flooring that is PVC-free simply refers to the grouping of floor materials that meet resilient standards and do not contain PVC. These flooring material ingredients vary widely and can range from alternative chemical compositions to bio-based products. The market types for PVC-free flooring include mineral materials, bio-based materials, and other materials. Linoleum, rubber, and cork are well-known PVC-free materials that have been in the marketplace for many years. Newer resilient PVC-free product examples include polyolefin base and bio-based polyurethane.

Because of the wide span of products that can claim PVC-free status, simply choosing a PVC-free flooring material does not necessarily mean securing a sustainable product or a product with enhanced durability. Not all PVC-free materials would be considered environmentally friendly. Some PVC-free products are even manufactured using petrochemicals. Some may have a higher Global Warming Potential (GWP) than PVC. However, some of the best and most environmentally friendly PVC-free flooring choices do demonstrate low carbon composition, can gain certification as bio-based and Red-List Free, or earn Cradle to Cradle Certified® and FloorScore® status. It is imperative that the designer and specifier have access to transparent material information, which can also be found in the product Health Product Declaration (HPD), to make the best product determination where sustainability is a concern.

Additionally, when it comes to design and durability, it also pays to be discerning. Linoleum and rubber have very limited capabilities to create specific designs or patterns. PVC-free products may also lack the performance characteristics necessary for demanding commercial environments. Nevertheless, technologies in certain PVC-free flooring materials allow for planks, tiles, and sheet goods that perform equal to or better than vinyl, even in high-traffic areas. Many of these products can also replicate the natural wood and stone looks just like LVT or vinyl sheet. Material and manufacturer transparency is vital to allow a specifier to fully understand the design options, performance capabilities, and technical life of each PVC-free product.

Photo courtesy of Matter Surfaces and provided by Windmoeller Inc.

Bio-based polyurethane floor coverings provide a superlative combination of unbeatable performance, limitless design, and incomparable sustainability.

Advances in PVC-Free Materials

A newer resilient flooring material that has been in the US market since 2014 is bio-based polyurethane. This material falls under ASTM F3403 sheet and ASTM F3404 planks & tiles. This PVC-free material includes the same design flexibility as vinyl and the same or better performance. Bio-based polyurethanes represent a major step forward for sustainable and durable resilient flooring alternatives to PVC.

An example of this bio-based polyurethane material is manufactured in Germany and is the result of many years of research and innovation. Using a unique thermosetting process, the German manufacturing firm succeeded in engineering flooring products in which conventional petrochemical polyols have been replaced by natural oils to formulate the polyurethane formula. The result is a high-performance composite material made primarily from plant-based oils, like castor, and naturally occurring minerals such as chalk. This material deliberately refrains from using plasticizers, solvents, or chlorine, making it ideally suited to applications with stringent health or sustainability standards. The resulting bio-based polyurethane material makes beautiful, long-lasting flooring solutions more sustainable. The hallmark of bio-based polyurethane material developments is the technologically unsurpassed proportion of renewable and natural raw materials they contain.

The benefits of advances in bio-based polyurethane are many – this material technology offers a sustainable, natural product with no risk to health. These floors are also strong; their physical properties remain unchanged even after being subjected to extreme stress, resist indentation, and are dimensionally stable. The floors are flexible, withstand heavy loads, and have a long life.

To make a confident and clear decision, designers must not only know what the flooring material they are selecting actually is, but also how it is expected to perform. Understanding industry standards and minimum performance is a key to more confident selection.

UNDERSTANDING INDUSTRY TESTING STANDARDS

At Sunnyvale, for designer Amelia Moore, bio-based polyurethane flooring emerged as the clear winner. It ticked all the boxes. The product boasted exceptional durability and resistance to scratches and dents from everyday wear and tear, as well as good impact resistance. It offered the ability to use matching color and design between plank and sheet material, to meet the demands of different application areas. The inevitable shifting of desks and chairs would not cause indentation in the flooring. The bio-based polyurethane would be easy to clean and have stain-resistant properties to minimize future maintenance needs. Most importantly, bio-based polyurethane is free of PVC and VOCs, creating a healthy environment for students and staff. The design flexibility was the ultimate game-changer. Bio-based polyurethane flooring offered a vast array of colors and patterns, allowing Amelia to create a unique theme for each section of the corridor and classrooms, fostering a vibrant and stimulating learning environment. It permitted for those themes to be continued in sheet material for areas like the cafeteria and multipurpose rooms. Yet, Amelia needed to quantify these benefits and the new floor’s performance clearly to the school’s administrators and board. She turned, as a starting point, to industry standards.

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)® MasterFormat® is the specifications standard for the built environment and provides the basis for organizing information within contract documents. While this offers invaluable structure and format, the actual information on products should be derived from testing and standards. Industry testing methods and specification standards are created to provide quality control and to set minimum criteria that products must meet to be promoted. To use these standards when making product decisions, it is important to understand the meaning behind industry testing and to recognize what truly drives performance.

Standards Organizations

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are three prominent organizations involved in setting product standards, each with unique purposes, missions, and structures. While ASTM and ANSI provide guidelines that are based more for the US market, ISO offers a global perspective. Each organization's standards can affect everything from material selection and design specifications to installation processes and sustainability considerations. ASTM’s mission is to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence. In the context of resilient flooring, ASTM standards cover aspects like material composition, performance testing, installation, and maintenance of flooring materials.

Using ASTM Standards in Decision-Making and Clarification

ASTM's resilient floor covering standards are instrumental in specifying and testing the physical and mechanical properties, as well as in providing the installation procedures for resilient flooring, which includes linoleum, vinyl composition tile, and sheet vinyl among others. These criteria help to determine the abrasion, puncture, and impact resistance, flexibility, electrical resistance, thickness, and heat and light stability permitted. By adhering to these standards, manufacturers can ensure that their products meet minimum performance requirements, designers and specifiers can select appropriate materials for specific applications, and users can have confidence in the durability and safety of the flooring installed in their spaces. Overall, ASTM standards play a crucial role in promoting quality and reliability in the resilient flooring industry.

New ASTM Standards for Polyurethane Resilient Flooring

Bio-based polyurethane resilient flooring materials offer great promise for the flooring market. However, it is important that they and their claims have been tested appropriately and in a manner where results are repeatable. Two newer ASTM Standards covering performance requirements for resilient polyurethane flooring were issued in 2022. The ASTM Technical Committee for Resilient Flooring, F06, approved the standards that define compositional and performance requirements for heterogeneous polyurethane flooring. According to ASTM F06 member Todd Jones, the performance requirements section of the standards (F3403 and F3404) includes resistance to chemicals, heat and light, static load recovery, residual indentation, flexibility, and caster chair testing.⁴