Sustainability & Recycling

Trade Show Flooring Recycling with Purpose

Sustainability matters across the exhibit and events industry. At Graphic Image Flooring, we are committed to reducing landfill waste and advancing responsible end-of-life solutions for trade show and event flooring.

That commitment has led us to establish formal recycling partnerships with select manufacturing partners to return specific carpet, vinyl, and floor mat products for true recycling. Instead of sending used materials to landfills, we work to ensure they are fully reprocessed and transformed into new raw materials.

There is a critical distinction in the flooring industry between reclamation and recycling.

Reclamation involves collecting and diverting used materials away from landfills for reuse or secondary processing.
Recycling, however, is a manufacturing process that breaks down carpet fibers and vinyl components into raw materials that can be used to produce new products.

Through true recycling, old trade show carpet and vinyl flooring can be converted into materials for automotive components, insulation, new carpet backing, composite products, and other industrial applications. This closed-loop flooring approach goes beyond diversion — it supports measurable waste reduction and material reuse.

Graphic Image Flooring has chosen to prioritize full recycling over simple reclamation. While this approach requires greater coordination and operational investment, it ensures that recyclable trade show flooring and sustainable event flooring materials are fully reprocessed whenever possible.

Our trade show flooring recycling program is currently available for:

  • Carpet
    • Infinity® Carpet
  • Vinyl Flooring
    • DuraLite™ Vinyl
    • Small Coin™ Flooring
    • Prestige® Vinyl Flooring
    • Endurance® Vinyl Flooring
    • Expressions XD™ Flooring
  • Floor Mats
    • Select Floor Mats

We’ve designed the return process to be straightforward and event-friendly — making sustainable exhibit flooring practical without adding complexity to your project.

At Graphic Image Flooring, sustainability is built into the lifecycle of our products — from production to performance to responsible recycling.

According to the Vinyl Institute:

  • Vinyl can be recycled and reprocessed into second-generation products generating more than billion pounds of vinyl recycled annually
  • Due to widespread post-industrial recycling, more than 99 percent of all manufactured vinyl compounds end up in a finished product
  • The longer a product lasts, the less energy and other resources must be expended to make and install replacement products
  • PVC products use fewer resources because they perform favorably in terms of energy efficiency, thermal insulating value, low contribution to greenhouse gases and product durability

Vinyl’s Environmental Footprint: Debunking Myths

Vinyl’s environmental performance has always been questioned. In this article, we’ll look into why negative reports about it are not true.

One of the most persistent myths is that vinyl is inherently harmful to the environment. In reality, vinyl’s exceptional durability contributes positively to sustainability.

Products made from vinyl, such as flooring, pipes, and medical equipment, often have life spans exceeding 30 to 50 years. Durability reduces frequent replacements, which saves resources and lowers material consumption.

Vinyl recycling in the US has been a sophisticated and mature market for decades. Leading US vinyl manufacturing companies are taking measures to ensure post-consumer and post-industrial vinyl waste returns to the production cycle rather than ending up in landfills. Mechanical recycling allows vinyl to be processed multiple times without a significant loss in performance, and many durable vinyl products can incorporate recycled content, enabling a truly circular value chain.

Innovations in chemical recycling are also opening new pathways for a closed-loop system that reduces environmental impact, by enabling the recovery of high-quality raw materials from complex or contaminated vinyl-containing waste streams.

Plus, vinyl’s long lifespan leads to fewer product replacements, reducing resource consumption over time. In this way, vinyl contributes to sustainable manufacturing strategies.

Credit: Vinyl Institute 1747 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 825 Washington, DC 20006