DESSO, a leading European carpet and sports pitches manufacturer, has introduced to the region a new carpet collection that is claimed to increase the brightness of a room by up to 14 per cent, while allowing substantial savings in lighting bills.

“The Desso Light Reflection Master collection consists of a range of light shaded carpet tiles, increasing the light reflection in a room. The higher the reflection, the less artificial light is required. As a result, lighting costs can be reduced, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions,” says Andre Dulka, regional director for the Middle East, Africa and India of Desso, which has its regional headquarters in Dubai, UAE.

The floor, usually one of the largest surfaces in a room, can make a big difference to the amount of light reflected. External and independent tests have determined the effect of Desso Light Reflection Master and indicate that carpets with high light reflectance values (LRV) can improve the brightness on the office walls and ceilings, he says.

LRV is a measure that is used primarily in the interior and design world and is the total quantity of visible and usable light (of all wavelengths and in every direction) reflected by surfaces that are illuminated by a light source.

“A lighter environment produces greater light reflection. More specifically, ceilings, walls and floors can be designed to produce greater levels of light reflection because they cover large surfaces areas as well,” adds Dulka.

The average employee spends as many as 1,880 hours per year (over 21 per cent of his time) in an office environment. Therefore, it is obvious that the brightness of a room will have a major impact on the well-being of employees. Improved lighting solutions can lead to an increased level of health, productivity and an improved feeling of comfort and security, saving energy and money at the same time.

“The presence and quality of light is essential for people to be able to function properly. It leads to better performance because it raises concentration levels and boosts efficiency. The new Desso Light Reflection Master range is the latest addition to our ‘functionality’ range including Desso AirMaster for improved indoor air quality and Desso SoundMaster offering improved acoustics. All are designed to offer an improved working environment, having a positive impact on staff comfort and performance,” says Dulka.

Desso recently reached a new milestone as its commercial and consumer carpet products have become the first in the world to be certified under Version 3.0 of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

Desso is also the first carpet manufacturer in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to adopt the Cradle to Cradle design, the objective being to create continuous cycles of both biological and technical ‘nutrients’. This means that products are made from positively defined materials that are easy to disassemble, in order to create new products in both the biological and technical cycles, whilst using manufacturing processes which rely on renewable energy, seek to conserve water, and to embrace social responsibility.

Within this concept, Desso introduced a new carpet tile backing called Desso EcoBase Carpet tiles which have achieved Cradle to Cradle Silver certification reaching a level where up to 97 per cent of the materials are positively defined.

A substantial part of Desso’s commercial carpet tile range as well as commercial and consumer broadloom carpets have also achieved Cradle to Cradle certified Bronze.

“We are pleased to be first company in the world to be awarded certification under Cradle to Cradle Certified Version 3.0, which will continue to help us create products that contribute to the health and well-being of local and regional residents as well as making a positive contribution towards the environment,” says Dulka.

The US-based Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) is a non-profit organisation established to serve as an independent assessment, auditing and certification authority for Cradle to Cradle product certification.

Prior to formal Cradle to Cradle certification being granted, products, materials and components must all undergo a rigorous assessment procedure. The initial stages of the certification process comprise assessing raw materials in terms of human and environmental health criteria, and evaluating the manufacturing process according to recycling potential, energy and water use, and social responsibility.

To achieve the milestone, Desso developed an innovative separation technique called Refinity, which enables the company to separate the yarn and other fibres from the backing, thereby producing two main material streams that can be recycled.

After an additional purification stage, the yarn (with the required purity) is returned to the yarn manufacturer for the production of new yarn. Some virgin material is needed to compensate for losses and process inefficiency.

The bitumen backing (used in most carpet tiles in Europe presently) is reused in road construction and the roofing sector. All non-recyclable fractions will be used as secondary fuel in the cement industry. The polyolefin-based layer of the Desso EcoBase backing is 100 per cent safely recyclable.

In addition, Desso has taken steps to ensure that clients’ old carpets are safely recycled by launching its TakeBack programme to ensure that products will be recycled according to Cradle to Cradle principles.

“We can take back all types of used carpet, except for those products containing PVC (polyvinyl choride), to ensure it will be safely recycled into new carpet products, or used in other recycling initiatives. By sourcing positively defined raw materials, introducing new manufacturing methods and collecting used carpets from clients, we are doing everything we can to achieve a closed loop process (from production to use and back again),” says Dulka.

Desso aims to collect 50,000 tonnes of post-consumer carpet by 2020.