PVC, like nylon, is one of the better thermoplastics. Some thermoplastics survive the process better than others. PVC belongs to a class of polymers called thermoplastics, which essentially means that they can be remelted and turned into new product. With plastics in general, landfilling is a big issue, because that material is essentially lost forever, a poor strategy for materials made of diminishing fossil fuel supplies. However, the affiliation with the problematic phthalates proved to be too strong, so in the last couple of years, led by firms like Tarkett, manufacturers have started introducing phthalate replacements, including bio-based plasticizers and a terephthalate called DOTP. The industry first moved to phthalates with higher molecular weights (like DINP), the idea being that these molecules would be too big to leach from the PVC. The bigger problem has been with the plasticizers, which for many years were made of phthalates (like DEHP and DOP) implicated in endocrine disruption and reproductive harm. In the past, stabilizers made of lead were more common, but these days it’s mostly tin. Then there are the stabilizers, designed to prevent thermal decomposition when the material is heated. The plasticizers convey elasticity to the product, making it bendable and malleable and giving it the necessary resilience to survive high foot traffic. Vinyl flooring uses two types of additives for structural performance: plasticizers and stabilizers. Most of the environmental progress in LVT (and PVC flooring in general) over the last few years has been in the greening of additives. Health product declarations and ingredient lists are also not widely used. For now, there are few manufacturer-specific environmental product declarations (EPDs). The multi-attribute certification, NSF-332, has also gained traction. The most commonly used green certifications for vinyl flooring tend to cover indoor air quality and volatile organic emissions (like FloorScore and Greenguard). Like all vinyl products, it has been in more of a defensive mode because of controversy over its ingredients. LVT is a relative newcomer to the sustainability game. And for now, imports account for over two thirds of domestic consumption. Currently, 63% of LVT goes to the residential market, and 37% goes to the commercial market.

flooring firms, some of which even have their own LVT capacity. Several prominent offshore producers, for instance, also sell to U.S. There are other estimates of the LVT industry that run far higher, generally because there is so much potential for double counting due to all the private labeling. is a $764 million industry, according to Market Insights LLC, with annual volume of about 405 million square feet. With massive growth in the category and a wave of investment in domestic production, and with most of the leading carpet tile players getting into the game, specifiers are turning their scrutiny toward LVT, which has a long way to go before it can call itself green. *30-Day Gotta Love It Guarantee - Live with your LVS Platinum floor after it's installed for 30 days, and if you decide you don't love it for any reason at the end of that period, we'll replace it with a Mannington floor of the same grade or equal value.Following years of carpet tile taking marketshare and making huge gains in the commercial market, luxury vinyl is now leading growth, and it’s doing so in both the residential and commercial markets.Ĭarpet tile got a lot greener over the years, reducing its environmental footprint more than any other flooring type, to meet the demands of the environmentally focused A&D community, and now LVT faces the same challenge. Lifetime warranty / Gotta Love It Guarantee*Īnd shopping couldn’t be any easier - just choose a pattern and color you love, and then choose the performance level you need. ScratchResist® HP wearlayer for exceptional performance Superior durability meets the ultimate softness underfoot Microban® Surface Protection - helping to keep your floors cleaner. Each pattern is enhanced with Mannington’s new, exclusive NatureForm® 4G technology for colors that are incredibly crisp and rich, and each is available in your choice of three performance levels – choose the one that suits your lifestyle and your home: LVS provides a broad range of natural designs, from realistic wood grains to elegant stones and rustic slates. With advanced printing and texturing technologies, LVS is the best-looking, best-performing sheet vinyl floor in the market. Mannington’s Luxury Vinyl Sheet (LVS) is the next evolution in sheet vinyl flooring.

Mannington sheet vinyl flooring