CLOSING THE LOOP ON CARPET TILE WASTE – A CIRCULAR SOLUTION FOR COMMERCIAL FLOORING

Sustainable Development Goals

Current Project Status:
Completed 2011 | Feasibility Study
Organizations Involved:
Klean Industries, Confidential Customer
Services:
Feasibility Studies, Due Diligence, Supply Chain Management, Carbon Management

Introduction:

In 2010, Klean Industries initiated a pilot program to recycle rubber from rubberized carpet tiles, allowing for their reuse. This concept played a crucial role in advancing solutions for tile carpet recycling programs and led to some of the innovations used today on a commercial level.  By transforming what would otherwise be landfill waste into high-value recovered materials, scalable pathways for recycling two of the most persistent waste streams are enabled, while also facilitating new circular products in rubber, plastic, and construction applications.

The Challenge:

Each year, millions of square meters of commercial carpet tiles are discarded during renovations or at the end of their useful life, many of which contain valuable materials such as carbon fibers and rubber backing. Historically, most of this waste ends up in landfills or incinerators, contributing to environmental degradation and the loss of embedded resources.

A global leader in sustainable modular flooring, who has long championed the need for circularity in the carpet industry, approached Klean Industries in 2010 to help develop a sustainable solution for carpet recycling. Yet, despite progress, a fully closed-loop system capable of extracting high-value materials from used carpet tiles and recycling them back into new products at scale remained a technical and economic challenge, until now.

The Solution

Klean Industries and its partners tackled this challenge head-on using a two-pronged, circular materials strategy:

1. Material Recovery:

End-of-life carpet tiles were mechanically separated into core components:

  • Recovered fiber filaments used in the surface layer,
  • The rubberized backing compound contains elastomers, fillers, and other performance polymers.

The reclaimed fibers were cleaned, refined, and reintegrated into new carpet tiles, supporting Klean partners' commitment to circular design and reducing demand for virgin carbon-based materials.

2. Advanced Rubber Co-Processing:

The rubber backing from used carpet tiles was blended with shredded rubber derived from end-of-life tires (ELTs) and co-processed using Klean’s advanced pre-processing and technologies, which used a thermal decomposition system:

  • Transformed mixed rubber waste into high-quality recovered carbon black (rCB),
  • Delivered consistent material outputs suitable for manufacturing new rubber backings for carpet tiles,
  • Recovered energy-rich gases and oils as sustainable fuels to reduce energy costs

By combining carpet waste and tire waste, this hybrid feedstock approach maximized resource recovery and reduced the environmental burden of both waste streams.

The Outcome

This initiative established a closed-loop production model, where end-of-life materials are continuously recycled and reintroduced into the carpet manufacturing process.

Key outcomes include:

  • Recovered fibers reintroduced into new modular carpet designs, supporting high performance and reduced environmental impact.
  • Recovered carbon black (rCB) used as a sustainable filler and pigment in new carpet tile backings, reducing reliance on fossil-derived carbon black.
  • Significant reductions in CO2 emissions versus landfilling or virgin material use are estimated at over 2 tonnes of CO2 saved per tonne of rCB produced.
  • Zero landfill waste from project operations, contributing to sustainability goals.
  • By integrating tire recycling with rubberized carpet tile recovery, this project demonstrates a scalable model for material circularity, showing how two traditionally complex waste streams can be transformed into valuable raw materials for next-generation products.

By integrating tire recycling with the recovery of rubberized carpet tiles, this project demonstrates a scalable model for material circularity, showing how two traditionally complex waste streams can be transformed into valuable raw materials for next-generation products.

Learn more: 

Turn Carpet Waste Into Circular Carbon Solutions

Why let carpet fiber waste sit in landfills when it can be converted into high-value products that can be reused to make new carbon and flooring products?

Solutions exist that enable OEMs and plastic and rubber compounders seeking sustainable feedstock replacements.

  • Partner with us to pilot feedstock trials or deploy full-scale, turnkey modular equipment.

If you would like to learn more about this project, please get in touch with us now >> GO.

This project addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by considering the goals and associated targets illustrated by the WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP). TIP provides a framework for action that outlines impactful pathways for the tire sector to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To learn more about how Klean's approach, solutions, and technologies contribute to advancing the SDGs, please review the report "Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap". See: https://www.wbcsd.org/Sector-Projects/Tire-Industry-Project/End-of-Life-Tires-ELTs