星空传媒

For flooring suppliers It's not only the smell of fresh, clean air that is driving them to develop green products, but the sweet smell of cash. There's literally millions of square feet in government buildings and offices for 鈥榚nvironmentally aware' corporations such as BP that need floorcoverings.

Established manufacturers such as Interface, Tarkett and Milliken already boast green credentials: their production facilities are energy-efficient and they have signed up to schemes to buy energy credits to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.

Now a tiny entrant to the market is rocking the boat. Alan Best, founder of Green Concept Carpet Tiles asks: "What is the point of developing the most energy efficient factory if you are churning out a product which uses virgin petrochemicals for its yarn and PVC for its backing?"

Using the analogy of a cigarette factory, Best adds. "You could have the most energy efficient factory ever, but you are still churning out a deadly product."

Just when his wife was hoping Best might go for early retirement, the energetic Scotsman decided to strike out on his own to create the 鈥榞reenest' carpet tile he could manage. The result is a product that uses 80% recycled yarn and a new backing which is made from natural rubber and chalk. With a history in pharmaceuticals and business development, he had been working as a consultant on the development of a similar product called Renewal for two years before he went solo.

Green Concept is based in Preston, the heartland of Britain's once-flourishing textile industry. There are plenty of manufacturers there to make the tiles and, says Best, the UK has the cream of carpet designers. Green Concept is a one-man business, buying in expertise where needed.

Best has had to overcome rejection from the banks, which didn't want to know. Finance for the project has come from Best's own pocket and those of his friends. "My wife thought I was raving mad when I started doing it."

Government strategy

But Best believes he has found a niche. "The carpet industry in the UK has been decimated in the last 20 years or so. The only growth area is in quality end carpet tiles," he says. "The way to make money in the flooring industry is to give the market what it wants and what it wants is generally green product."

He is hoping that the government's sustainable development strategy, which says that from this month government departments and local government must show that they are procuring sustainably, will provide impetus to his business.

The first metre of the new backing, the formula for which Best has cooked up with Stadex Industries, has yet to roll off the production line. This does not dampen Best's enthusiasm, however. "A major government department has picked up on me," he says.

"I have had an enquiry about refurbishing a whole chain of banks. I get two or three new enquiries every day."

The major manufacturers say they can't use more recycled material than they are already using in their carpet tiles because this would compromise the carpet's performance. There are also concerns about gel foam backing which gained a reputation for disintegration when it was used 30 years ago.

Best, of course, thinks he has these things covered. His recycled yarn, which comes from the US, is made from a wear-resistant grade of nylon (nylon 6:6 for any pharmaceutical fact fans out there). The backing, which is made from natural rather than from synthetic rubber, is a new improved recipe with anti-ageing additives and preservatives rejigged.

Comparisons with other carpet tiles may be difficult however. Best has shunned the BRE's Guide to Sustainable 星空传媒 which awards ecopoints and gives products an alphabetic rating. He says he doesn't like the rating system because the likes of Tarkett have As for their products and he thinks Green Concept is better than that.

He also admits that the 拢25,000 price tag for the service was a bit of turn-off. He would have liked to get a Flower label, a Europe-wide ecolabel, but there isn't one for carpet tiles, so he ended up with a Canadian label called Environmental Choice.

Best is convinced he's onto a winner. And he's not stopping here. Next development: using nanotechnology to create an in-built coating so that the carpet doesn't need cleaning. Watch this space.