Reeds Carpets Shares Commitment to BS 8901

Malcolm Hicken, Non-Executive Director of Reeds Carpets, presents Reeds' commitment to reducing the environmental impact of carpet waste in the exhibition & events industry. "Carpet is the second biggest waste generator within the industry," he says, "whose great concerns are about the mountains of post-exhibition carpeting that is being dumped into landfills every year. The industry tally is now regarded as totaling a mind-boggling, estimate, twelve million square meters of non-biodegradable floor covering every year!"

Hicken believes that BS 8901 is a win-win for suppliers, planners and the entire events planning industry and says they're working on becoming more environmentally sustainable by seeking out new processes, and developing a carpeting that will be generally recyclable.



All of this is good, but I don't understand why he didn't talk about developing flooring that could be reused many times. Producing carpeting that's made from recyclable materials is a step in the right direction, but this recycled carpeting will then just end up in the landfills too. Why not create processes and rental systems for temporary use of floor coverings that can be reused a number of times at other events? Or why not partner with convention centers and hotels to develop floor covering that is more flexible and can be swapped out as needed for various events? A step in the right direction is good, but a leap would be even better!