Better business sense from the ground up

Much is made by companies from all areas of commerce about the various sustainability initiatives undertaken, subscribed to and instigated but is this all just ‘greenwashing’ to get us to spend our money—and how do we even begin to qualify these assertions?

“Firstly, do your own research, the information is so much more readily available these days,” says Umesh Dayal, Director of Heritage Carpets. “Most legitimate manufacturers are being far more transparent around their practices and are willing to make their documentation available to the public.

“Look to see if the company you’re interested in has an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its products. An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable data and other relevant information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its life-cycle.”

Umesh says you should also check to see if the company you’re looking into has similar expectations of its supply chain and whether it offers circular economy assurances.

“As little as 10 years ago, companies were brushing these concerns aside and now they are a reflection of the market expectation at this level.”

Established in 2007, Heritage Carpets is a family-owned business specialising in commercial carpet for education, hospitality and office applications.

“There are no commercial carpet tile manufacturers in New Zealand, which means we have been forced to turn to overseas manufacturers to source our products. Over the years that has involved a lot of travel and graft to find producers with high ethical standards with whom to partner.

“However, that is the commitment we made to ourselves and to our customers—to partner with legitimate producers who have transparency around their processes. We take that responsibility pretty seriously and in turn, the market trusts us with that responsibility.”

Umesh says Heritage Carpets’ partners are the actual producers, which means they have been able to visit the factories where their products are manufactured and see for themselves the commitment each brand has for the environment and the end user.

“Our partners don’t claim to be perfect—neither do we expect them to be—but they’re always striving to be better. At the same time we have to respond to the market, that’s why our commitment is to sustainability and quality product—for us the two go hand-in-hand.”

Of equal importance in the sustainability journey is what happens to the product at the end of its lifecycle and what options exist for its reuse or disposal.

“Supporting a circular economy is another facet to which we’re devoted. That’s why we take product back at the end of its lifespan and divert it from landfill. This is more than just a commercial obligation, it’s a personal drive as well—changing the way the industry thinks around construction waste. We’re proud to be a part of that ongoing change and we’re not afraid to keep pushing the industry on behalf of our customers.

“Similarly, handling of the product from manufacturing to installation also has an impact on the environment. Single-site production eliminates the movement of components from production site to production site, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of these products. We take this on board with every part of our business, which is why we always try to support local businesses with all of our office requirements/purchases.”

Heritage Carpets supports two key brands: modulyss and Bentley.

Modulyss is a Belgian brand that designs, manufactures and supplies commercial carpet tiles for the international market.

“As far as European carpet makers go, they’re quite ground-breaking,” says Umesh. “They are a single-site producer, which means all production takes place at one site, allowing us to know where every modulyss carpet tile comes from.

“They were the first European carpet producer to incorporate Econyl 100 per cent recycled nylon fibre into their products. It’s not so uncommon now but modulyss picked it up first and it was one of the reasons why we sought to partner with them—products made from Econyl contribute to a circular economy.”

modulyss offers more than 500 products across 35 collections, all of which are Cradle to Cradle-certified.

California-based carpet and flooring manufacturer Bentley has been operating out of the same facility since being established in 1979, a facility that carries LEED-EBOM® Gold certification for existing buildings.

“California has very stringent regulations around manufacturing and sustainability—in fact, they’re some of the most rigorous in America—and this, coupled with Bentley’s more than 40 years’ industry experience, made them a logical choice for us to partner with.

“Bentley has championed the use of recycled and recyclable materials for many years now and will soon be launching a new product made from a new type of recycled yarn, which we will be excited to bring to the New Zealand market.”

Bentley products are covered by the International Living Future Institute’s, Declare Program.

“New Zealand consumers are becoming more and more material savvy, they want and expect quality,” says Umesh. “Modulyss and Bentley offer the best of both with products that also satisfy Kiwi aesthetics.

“As an importer, we have definitely had our challenges with COVID-19 but do have stocks in our Auckland warehouse and continue to ship nationwide. There is going to be more impact in the short-term, especially around shipping costs, which will continue to rise for the next little while—this is, unfortunately, a global reality. The best advice is to order early.”

Learn more about the sustainable commercial carpet options for your next project.