How did laminate flooring come about?
Laminate is now one of the world’s most popular floor types. The story begins in the Swedish village of Perstorp, during a brainstorming session about alternative uses for laminate panels for kitchen worktops. Without realising it at the time, the inventors laid the foundation for a sustainable, easy-to-install floor that would transform the industry.
Read the origin story of laminate
Sustainable from the start
Laminate has been a sustainable product from day one. Its base is one of the most renewable materials in existence: wood. But Unilin takes things one step further. Our laminate floors are made from recovered wood and, more recently, recycled wood: offcuts from sawmills, timber from sustainably managed forests, and even old laminate floors.
Constant innovation
Over the years, laminate floors have become a paragon of innovation. How did these changes contribute to the floor’s global success? ‘Inventor’ Laurent Meersseman (R&D Director Unilin Flooring) demonstrates how Unilin has continuously made laminate floors more attractive, high-performing and user-friendly.
The Uniclic revolution
In the 1990s, Unilin introduced the clever Uniclic click system. It was a revolutionary moment because suddenly DIY enthusiasts could install their own floor. But it wasn’t just a game changer for consumers. By sharing the technology with competitors, Unilin introduced an entirely new business model.
Read more about how Uniclic changed the whole flooring industry
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Floor to floor
Laminate is not only sustainable, it can now also be turned into a circular product. A new, patented technology enables Unilin to recycle the wood fibres from the HDF core of laminate floors and reuse them, something that had always been impossible. Geert Coudenys (R&D Director Unilin Panels) explains how he and his team cracked the code.
Read more about how MDF and laminate recycling works
The next step
Over half a century, laminate has become a completely different product thanks to constant innovation. Today, new challenges lie ahead. Climate change has made a circular economy an absolute must. Professor Francesca Ostuzzi (UGent) explains how not only the product but the entire ecosystem must contribute to making true circularity possible.
Our circular approach
Since its foundation, circular and sustainable production has been embedded in Unilin’s DNA. Today, that approach is more relevant than ever. Read on to see exactly how far the company has come by implementing the R-strategies for circularity.
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What the journey revealed
Interior design expert Kelly Claessens travelled across Europe to discover the story of laminate flooring. From its unexpected origins in Sweden, through groundbreaking Belgian innovations, to its promising, circular future: discover her surprising journey here.
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How a Swedish brainstorming session in 1977 turned the flooring market upside down
Unilin takes the circular economy to the next level with recycling line for MDF, HDF and laminate
Unilin has achieved a world first in Bazeilles, France: for the first time, MDF and HDF boards – the core of laminate floors – can be recycled on an industrial scale. . Thanks to a €20 million investment, the company is now able to make the wood fibres from these boards reusable for the production of new decorative panels and laminate floors.
How Uniclic revolutionised the entire flooring industry
What started as a clever technical solution to make the installation of laminate floors easier grew into a gamechanger for the entire flooring industry. It also laid the foundations for the success of Unilin Technologies, the IP and licencing division of Unilin.
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How laminate evolved from a sustainable to a circular product
Laminate flooring has been around for almost fifty years. From day one, laminate was a sustainable product. Over the next half-century, it has not only become more attractive and high-performing; it has also grown into a paragon of innovation and circularity. “Unilin’s technologies set the standard in the sector today,” says CEO Wim Messiaen.
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Circularity in Unilin’s DNA: our approach through the R-strategies
At Unilin we believe that a circular approach is the only way for an industrial company to be truly future-proof. Circularity is not only part of our sustainability strategy One Home, it is firmly embedded in our DNA. Since our foundation in 1960, we have turned residual flows from other industries into new products. Back then we produced chipboards from flax shives, a by-product of the flax industry. In the 1980s we switched to residual flows from the wood industry. Today we build on that with a clear ambition: to make our products fully circular, step by step and without compromising on design, quality or cost.
After 40 years laminate is a true classic and today it’s more innovative and sustainable than ever
What began in the 1980s as an innovative flooring solution is still one of the most popular and versatile flooring types: laminate. Thanks to continuous innovation, smart product development and a strong focus on design and sustainability, laminate has remained a true favourite for more than 40 decades. How is that possible? We talked to Rogier Verkarre, General Manager Laminate at Unilin.
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From waste to resource: how Unilin recycles laminate floors
What happens to your old laminate floor? At Unilin, the answer is clear: collect and recycle. Through the Recover programme, we collect old floors, which are then recycled into new MDF and HDF panels using a technological world first. “For years, recycling the panels seemed impossible,” says Geert Coudenys, R&D Director at Unilin Panels.