When shopping for flooring online, consumers face a vast array of options, from traditional hardwood to luxury vinyl plank (LVP), with varying quality, sustainability, and prices. This can make it difficult to balance aesthetics, durability, and environmental impact. Steller Floors, a maverick in the flooring space, addresses this challenge with innovative, eco-friendly solutions.
Co-founded by Britta Teller, PhD, Steller Floors leads in sustainable flooring. As Chief Sustainability Officer, Britta leverages her environmental science expertise to promote ethically sourced, environmentally responsible flooring. Through her popular blog and newsletter, Britta and her team educate and empower consumers, offering insights on the social and environmental costs of different flooring materials and practical advice on sustainable choices.
How is Steller Floors encouraging more sustainable flooring decisions?
In our experience everyone has a flooring story – and like our connections with nature, flooring stories can be very emotional. To help people make more rational decisions with their flooring choices, we recently wrote a blog post that delves into the significant environmental and social impacts associated with different flooring materials. We highlight how flooring choices can contribute to climate change through carbon emissions, and we discuss the substantial hidden financial costs tied to environmentally unfriendly flooring decisions. Instead we advocate for sustainable alternatives, like hardwood from secondary-regrowth forests.
You mentioned some staggering figures regarding carbon emissions and their financial implications. Can you elaborate on those?
The flooring industry alone is responsible for around 131 million tons of CO2 emissions annually in the USA, with carpet and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) contributing to 90% of these emissions. If we continue with the status quo, the cumulative social costs of these emissions from 2022 to 2050 could amount to $411.7 billion. This figure is based on current market valuations for carbon emissions and does not include the anticipated growth in both the social cost of carbon and the flooring market. To put it into perspective for homeowners, switching from LVP to hardwood in a 1,000 sqft project can reduce carbon emissions by 5 tons. Commercial owners can make an even larger impact with larger spaces.
How can consumers make more sustainable flooring choices, and what role does Steller Floors play in this?
Consumers can make a significant difference by choosing flooring materials that are sustainably sourced, have a lower environmental impact, and are ethically produced. At Steller Floors, we provide high-quality, sustainable hardwood flooring that is easy to install, refinish, and even reuse and we use 100% wind electricity during manufacturing. Our patented design and commitment to sustainability help consumers reduce their carbon footprint and promote green living.
Our tri-weekly newsletter and blog is designed to keep subscribers informed and engaged with the latest flooring news and design trends – and our readers have rated us over 4 and ½ stars with all survey respondents finding something relevant to them at least once a week. Given our extensive experience in flooring, we provide expert advice, guides, product comparisons, and DIY tips. It has become an invaluable resource for anyone planning a flooring project. We aim to provide our audience with the knowledge they need to make informed and sustainable flooring decisions.
