Tarkett‘s Design Days event in its Chicago Fulton Market showroom was a great opportunity for Dr John McKeon, Principal of the iAir Institute, to get together with influential people in the design industry. People like Gensler’s Benjamin Holsinger, who specialises in product development at the global design firm. It’s very interesting to hear his point of view on the impact of products on human health and on the environment, and how this industry trend has skyrocketed in recent times.
Along with Benjamin Holsinger, Dr. John McKeon, shared the stage with Ren DeCherney of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in a panel discussion with a full attendance and moderated by Roxane Spears, Vice President Sustainability North America, Tarkett.
The panellists discussed how designers like Gensler are committed to best in class design, using materials that have a positive impact on human health. Indeed, consumers are increasingly associating asthma & allergy friendly® with health. The demand is high, and science-backed products are the ones to watch as consumers are looking for certainty that the products they bring in to their homes keep the promises that they make. This is where credible science and third party certification, like the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, come into play.
With a history of 140 years, Tarkett is a worldwide leader in innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, with net sales of €2.8 billion in 2021. Tarkett have an impressive track record in developing flooring that prioritises the impact it may have on the health and well being of a buildings occupants.. Tarkett only recently expanded its CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® iQ® Granit™ collection and introduced the coordinating iQ® Eminent™ collection within their high-performance homogeneous vinyl sheet and tile products. The newest addition to their portfolio of CERTIFIED products, Powerbond® RS flooring, is the world’s first soft surface flooring to be CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly®. Powerbond RS is a hybrid resilient flooring, meaning it combines the look and feel of carpet with the durability and cleanability of a resilient surface.
Key Words
Tarkett, Design Days, trade show, healthy homes, certification, asthma, allergies, standards, third party certification, health and well being, indoor environment, asthma & allergy friendly®, Gensler,