Reading a recycled content claim
A recycled content figure is only as useful as its detail. Pre-consumer (also called post-industrial) content is waste recovered from manufacturing, such as sawdust, trimmings or off-spec material. Post-consumer content comes from products that were used and thrown away. Both keep material out of landfills; the FTC Green Guides expect a claim to say how much of the product is recycled, which is why we list the manufacturer's percentage wherever one is published and say "not stated" where it is not.
Recycled content by product
Marmoleum linoleum: 43%, up to 48% for Modular. Forbo reports 43% recycled content for Marmoleum sheet and Cinch Loc Seal panels (the squares use the same linoleum), and up to 48% for Marmoleum Modular tiles and planks. The rest is mostly natural raw material: linseed oil, rosin, wood flour and limestone.
Mohawk PureTech: 70% total. Mohawk reports 70% total recycled content for PureTech, a waterproof click plank made in the USA with a PVC-free, plant-based core.
Mannington Restoration laminate: over 70% post-industrial. Mannington states that its laminate floors are made with over 70% post-industrial recycled content, and each Restoration pattern's product sheet lists recycled content. Laminate is a printed wood look on a wood fiber (HDF) core; see the laminate category for the patterns.
Kährs Aware: percentage not stated. Kährs builds Aware from HDF made partly from recycled wood, a comfort layer of natural and recycled textile fibers, and a backing of recycled cork from wine stopper production. Kährs states it contains no PVC or plastic and carries the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Why cork is not listed here
Much of the cork in flooring is granulated material left over from making wine stoppers, so cork floors put a by-product to use. Wicanders does not publish a recycled content percentage for the floors we sell, so we list cork on the sustainable flooring page for its renewable content instead of calling it recycled.
Recycled is not the same as PVC-free or low emission
Recycled content tells you where the material came from, not what it is. Mohawk PureTech and Kährs Aware are made without PVC; Mannington does not market its laminate as PVC-free, so we state its composition instead. For indoor air, check the emissions certification: the Restoration laminate is FloorScore certified. Our certifications guide explains the difference.
What happens to the floor you take out
Recycled content is half of the picture; the other half is the old floor. When we remove flooring, clean wood offcuts, cardboard and metal trim are separated for recycling where local facilities accept them, and suspect older resilient floors are tested for asbestos before anyone disturbs them. See sustainable floor renovation for how we plan a replacement, or get an installed price.
Common questions
Which floor you sell has the most recycled content?
By the manufacturers' figures, Mohawk PureTech (70% total) and Mannington Restoration laminate (over 70% post-industrial). Marmoleum reports 43%, and up to 48% for Modular. Kährs Aware uses several recycled materials but does not publish a total.
Is recycled content flooring durable?
How a floor wears depends on its construction and wear layer, not on its recycled share. Each product page lists the construction, wear layer and warranty details the manufacturer publishes.
Is recycled flooring PVC-free?
Not necessarily. Marmoleum, Mohawk PureTech and Kährs Aware are made without PVC. Laminate is not vinyl, but Mannington does not market it as PVC-free, so we state its composition instead.
