Existing and new products are divided into four categories illustrated in the diagram above. ‘Synthetic’ is the class of products made of more than 20% virgin synthetic materials, which are characterised by their functional and design potential. The ‘Regenerative’ class defines products made from a minimum of 80% renewable materials, which are either grown naturally or safely man-made. ‘Recycled’ classifies products made from safely recycled material sourced from both post-industrial and post-consumer waste. And ‘Circular’ denotes products that are looped back for product life extension.
While Circularity is the ultimate goal, achieving this requires systemic change. At the moment our Really range of boards, which is made from post-industrial textile waste and offers a material take-back program, fits this category. Kvadrat has set a strategic target to offer suitable circular service models for different product groups; there is already a repair service in place for Kvadrat Shade and Kvadrat Rugs, for example. The ultimate aim is to keep products in circulation for as long as possible before eventually upcycling the materials for a second life.