Sustainability practices: Interview with Ruben Desmet (Unilin Flooring)

Ruben Desmet
President at Unilin Flooring

Ruben Desmet graduated Cum Laude in Civil Engineer – Mechanics & Electronics from KU Leuven. He also holds an MBA from Oxford University.
From 2002 to 2013, he worked at Lano Carpets. In 2013, he joined Unilin Flooring, as General Manager for Laminate from 2013 to 2018, and then became President from 2018 to present.

EPLF: What sustainable (or recycling or take-back) practices has your company recently implemented in the production of laminate flooring? 

We have invested in our HDF plants to recycle MDF/HDF back into HDF. This patented technology is unique in the world and allows to save raw material and energy. 

EPLF: Are you able to measure the impact of these practices?

Yes, of course. We monitor the energy consumption per m³ of HDF and we know how much recycled wood we have collected and used in our HDF.

EPLF: Do you have any other plans for the future?

The plan is to scale this technology so that a growing part of the HDF raw materials is recycled.
Furthermore, we are increasing the recycled content of all laminate components (packaging, paper, glue) and reducing the carbon footprint of our plants by investing in solar, biomass and wind energy.

For more information about Unilin, please visit www.unilin.com.