What sustainable alternatives are available for exhibition floors?
Exhibition flooring becomes sustainable above all through repeated use. As an alternative to single-use carpet, modular flooring systems that can be lifted and taken away have therefore become the norm: reusable carpet tiles, click and puzzle systems made of plastic, and rubber granulate click tiles. This also includes hire systems booked through the stand builder, because the same floor area serves several exhibitors.
The second consideration is the raw material. Carpet tiles are available with recycled synthetic fibres, and elastic coverings are produced from recycled granulate, for instance from rubber granulate recovered from end-of-life tyres. What remains decisive, though, is the number of times a floor is used: a covering that survives ten trade fair appearances avoids more waste than a single-use product made from recycled fibres.
WARCO produces exhibition flooring as rubber click tiles in PU-bound rubber granulate. The base layer consists largely of granulate from end-of-life tyres, while the colourfast EPDM top layer forms the surface. Laying is done without adhesive, so the floor area can be lifted undamaged after the fair and laid again at the next venue, in halls just as readily as outdoors. The tiles are cleaned with a damp mop, and rain and frost do them no harm.