Progressive Measures

It was in 1949 that Bolon launched its first product – a rag rug made of textile waste. Thus, from the very outset, this was part of this Swedish family business’ vision. Today, Bolon collaborates with international creatives such as Patricia Urquiola and Jean Nouvel to produce its woven designer flooring. The aim is for all the company's vinyl floorings to be 50 percent capable of being transformed into new resources at the end of their service life by 2028. The company's factory in Ulricehamn operates entirely on energy sources identified by the manufacturer. It also has its own processing plant and a comprehensive range of different return programs for its customers is already at the planning stage. Furthermore, the company produces a specially formulated softening agent.

"Our attitude to climate protection takes the entire value chain into consideration," explains Hakan Nordin at Bolon. As one of the cofounders of Greenpeace Sweden, the biochemist has worked on environmental issues for 40 years. "We have undertaken to be a forward-looking enterprise in the fight against climate change and to produce more circular products," he states. Vinyl as a material requires only a small amount of materials and energy per square meter. Moreover, the flooring can be used for a long time.

Welche Farben oder welches Design die KundInnen für ihre Böden auswählen, macht dabei keinen Unterschied. Darüber hinaus konnte für die Produktion der Akustikböden die Verwendung von Post-Consumer-Abfällen eingeführt werden. Insgesamt zwölf Prozent des Produkts stammt aus gebrauchten PET-Flaschen. "Für mich ist Kunststoff bei verantwortungsvoller Nutzung ein Teil der Lösung für weniger Klimabelastung", so Nordin. "Angetrieben von dem Innovationsgeist, dem Können und der schieren positiven Einstellung, die Bolon prägen, bin ich gelassen optimistisch, dass wir unser Versprechen halten werden", so Marie Eklund, Geschäftsführerin von Bolon.