We were founded on sustainable innovation – the first step of which eliminated a hundred million glue bottles annually with the invention of click flooring.
Since then, sustainability has been an integral part of our efforts to improve the quality and cost efficiency of floors.
If you want to protect the environment, you should choose a wood-based click floor that can be reused, is locally produced and where the raw wood comes from FSC-certified forests. If the surface layer is made of hardwood, it should be thin and reinforced so that large amounts of flooring can be manufactured from one log and so that the floor lasts a long time. This has been our goal in developing the new generation of wooden floors, which we call hardened wooden floors and ceramic wood composites, which are tougher, cheaper and above all more environmentally friendly than the equivalent traditional wood, plastic and ceramic floors.
Frequently asked questions about environment and sustainability
What environmental labels do your floors have?
Our floors have various environmental labels, including FSC, the Nordic Ecolabel and SundaHus evaluations. We are constantly making strides in our environmental efforts and more ecolabels will be added. Under the respective products on our website you can see which ecolabels your dream floor has.
Isn't it better to leave trees in their natural environment?
Leaving trees in the natural environment without care is not good for global warming. A forest that is not cultivated is environmentally neutral, since trees that decompose emit as much carbon dioxide as they have absorbed during their growth. A well-managed forest, on the other hand, grows faster and binds more carbon dioxide, which is stored in the timber for a long time if it is used as a construction material. The parts that do not become building materials, such as bark, can be used as heat sources and replace other energy sources with negative environmental impact.
Environmentally friendly forestry is based on less logging than growth and that certain areas that are important for biodiversity are left untouched. Since our factories are located in the vicinity of the forests that supply our wood, we can ensure that felling takes place in an environmentally friendly and responsible way.
How is diversity affected in the forests from which the timber comes?
The raw wood used in all Bjelin surfaces and core materials in our parquet floors is FSC-certified. FSC ensures that endangered species are actively protected in the forests that are certified and controlled by them. A forest managed in a responsible way also benefits biodiversity. FSC also strengthens the rights of both forest workers and the local population.
Why aren't all wooden floors environmentally positive
Up to this point, environmental aspects have not been particularly important when selecting flooring. Therefore, environmentally negative flooring that could be replaced with wood-based flooring in many applications is used. Furthermore, wooden floors have not been sufficiently durable and the price for long planks in particular has been high. The manufacturing capacity for wood-based flooring has also been limited to around 10% of the global flooring market, partly due to the shortage of oak.
All of this will change significantly in the future, as Woodura technology is now able to manufacture 10 times more hardened wooden floors from an oak log than traditional parquet. Hardened wooden floors are also stronger and cheaper than similar parquet floors. This is why Bjelin is building the world’s largest wood flooring factory, which will significantly increase capacity in the future and make it possible to replace other floors to a greater extent with more environmentally friendly wooden floors.
How do I know that a hardened wood or ceramic wood composite floor will last?
The technology for hardening wood, making it stronger and making surfaces of ceramic wood composite, was invented by our sister company Välinge Innovation back in 2008-2009 as a recycling project.
When we invent a new floor, we install it immediately in demanding environments. We therefore have test floors that have been in use for more than 10 years and the test results are excellent. The technology has been optimised since then. Together with Välinge, we have the world’s largest development centre for wooden floors, containing advanced laboratories with enormous climate chambers and instruments to test floors for impact resistance, durability, stain resistance and noise levels. Where we can simulate decades of wear – all to be able to produce the toughest and best flooring on the market.
How do I recycle or reuse my floor?
All floors from Bjelin are equipped with the strongest click joint on the market. We know this because it was our owners who invented the click floor in the 1990s.
We also know that one of our floors can easily be lifted and placed in another room – or even sold. It does not need to end up in the landfill. Our floors can also be ground down and reused as core materials for the production of new floors.