FAQ - PURLINE organic flooring

PURLINE is a multiple award-winning and European certified, chlorine-free elastic floor covering, which is produced on the basis of renewable and natural raw materials. After years of development and research, the petrochemical raw materials could be replaced by biochemical ones.

wineo PURLINE organic flooring is a high-quality polyurethane flooring. The basis is ecuran, a high-performance composite material which is predominantly made from vegetable oils such as rapeseed or castor oil and naturally occurring mineral components such as chalk.

Ecuran, so-called bio-polyurethane, is the result of many years of research by Windmöller. Started - still without a name - in 2004, this innovative material is today the sustainable alternative for flooring and acoustic mats. In a unique process, the material can be adapted to the most demanding requirements of flooring products without the use of plasticisers, solvents or other potentially harmful ingredients. Ecuran products show their excellence not only with their outstanding technical performance and durability, but also meet the highest emission standards for interiors. Furthermore, it has been possible to replace commonly used petrochemical polyols in the polyurethane formulation with natural oils, which contributes to ecuran as one of the most sustainable materials for flooring products fulfilling the requirements of the Cradle to Cradle standard. Windmöller has had the name "ecuran" protected since 2018 and produces ecuran products exclusively in Germany. Ecuran products are in demand from manufacturers all over the world.

PURLINE Organic Floor is based on ecuran, a high-performance composite material which is predominantly made from vegetable oils such as rapeseed or castor oil and naturally occurring mineral components such as chalk.

PURLINE is plasticizer and solvent-free. PURLINE has a very good solvent resistance and is also largely resistant to alkalis. Reactions with other products are very rare. In some cases, reactions can occur in contact with dyed chemical substances.

Unfortunately, industrial production without an ecological footprint does not yet exist. This also applies to Windmöller. This is why PURLINE organic flooring is not climate-neutral.  "Climate neutral" can only be achieved transactionally, e.g. by purchasing often questionable emission reduction certificates and limiting the scope of consideration. We believe this to be misleading and conceals the true cost of climate impact. 
We see it as our responsibility to keep the footprint of our production as small as possible and to continue reducing it. In doing so, we focus on real changes to optimise the CO²  footprint as much as possible.

In order to achieve transparency and comparability, while at the same time achieving results that are as reliable as possible, we use the ecocockpit tool of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to create a carbon footprint of our production sites. We can already say that we have been able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% through the use of renewable energy, the use of renewable raw materials and the optimisation of our production processes. 

All Scope 1&2 emissions are taken into account. Scope 1 stands for emissions that occur directly in the company and are therefore within our control (incl. company vehicles and business trips), and Scope 2 is for the climate impact of purchased energy. 

The footprint of the supply chains (raw materials) falls under Scope 3 and is not included in these calculations, as a reliable calculation is not yet possible. Therefore, the limitation to Scope 1 & 2 is the general standard, which makes sense given that the CO² balance of a raw material which is Scope 3 for us, is Scope 1 for the manufacturer. Adding up all the carbon footprints in the supply chain would lead to double-entry calculations.

When calculating the carbon footprint of a company, a distinction is made between the different scopes 1, 2 and 3.

Scope 1 includes the direct release of climate-damaging gases within the company's production;

Scope 2 is the indirect release of climate-damaging gases by energy suppliers; and Scope 3 is the indirect release of climate-damaging gases in the upstream and downstream supply chain.

Scope 3 is not included in the usual carbon footprint calculations, or only on a pro rata basis (e.g. employee travel), as a reliable calculation is generally not yet possible here.

The limitation to Scope 1 & 2 is therefore the general standard. This also makes sense given the CO² balance of a raw material is Scope 3 for us, but Scope 1 for its manufacturer. Adding up all the carbon footprints in the supply chain would lead to double-entry calculations. Of course, this does not absolve a company from its responsibility for Scope 3 emissions, but the possibilities to influence this are very limited.

PURLINE Organic Floor is (VOC) emission-free.

PURLINE has the Blue Angel, Greenguard Silver, TFI-TÜV PROFiCERT, the DGNB Navigator Label, the EPD Label of the German Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V., the Finnish M1 for building products, the Danish Indoor Climate Label, the French A+ Seal, the eco bau Bais Schweiz rating and the American Floor Score Label.

PURLINE organic floor is odourless. PURLINE organic floor is very easy to clean (see also point below), resistant to alcohol and solvents, scratch-resistant and dimensionally stable.  In addition, it shows high stability under punctual loading and excellent recovery behaviour as well as very good UV resistance (see also point 11). Particularly remarkable are the natural raw materials, such as rapeseed and castor oil, which make PURLINE organic floor a proven environmentally friendly product.

PURLINE organic floor is manufactured with a very hard-wearing PU top layer. The PU topcoat is extremely hard-wearing, requires little maintenance and reduces maintenance costs substantially. PURLINE organic floor is cleaned as needed at daily or longer intervals. Loose dirt can be removed by sweeping, vacuuming or damp wiping. Suitable microfibre wiping systems (e.g. Tronic or Sprint Ultra from Vermop) or impregnated fleece cloths are suitable for damp wiping. In the case of heavy soiling with adhering impurities, a PU cleaner is added to the cleaning water and the floor is freed from soiling in a two-stage wiping process.
Alternatively, a suitable automatic scrubber-dryer with red cleaning pad, white melamine resin pad (e.g. from 3M) or soft scrub brush can be used.

PURLINE Organic Floor has a highly durable PU top layer as a surface that does not require any maintenance or coating. Should a coating nevertheless be applied, the highly compacted surface would have to be pre-treated abrasively beforehand, otherwise a coating would not last permanently.

PURLINE organic floor has a very good chemical resistance and is resistant to all surface disinfectants and transparent alcoholic skin disinfectants.
All commercially available colourless DGHM-listed floor disinfectants for vinyl floor coverings are approved for the disinfection of PURLINE organic floors.

PURLINE organic floor and all installation aids should be acclimatised for at least 24 hours before installation in the rooms to be laid under the following conditions:

• Air temperature in the room > 18°C (but not more than 26°C)  
• subfloor temperature > 15°C (not more than 22°C)  
• Relative humidity 50-65%.
• Please ensure a healthy room climate of approx. 20 °C at 50 - 65 % relative humidity during use!

PURLINE has a light fastness according to EN ISO 105-B02 of ≥ 7 (excellent).

All wineo floor coverings have a very high light fastness. This is tested and documented by independent institutes in accordance with international standards. However, in areas with strong UV light exposure (floor-to-ceiling windows, conservatories) bleaching or colour changes cannot be excluded in the long term. Sufficiently dimensioned shading can prevent or minimise bleaching and colour changes.

Due to its very closed and wear-resistant transparent polyurethane top layer and the entire product structure, PURLINE Organic Floor is very suitable for use in high humidity rooms (kitchen, domestic bathroom, etc.). This applies to both the PURLINE sheeting and the PURLINE plank. However, it is important to note that in these areas glued products are preferable to clicked products. In the case of professionally bonded planks and sheets, moisture can only penetrate the joint areas or under the flooring after a very long period of exposure, even if the flooring is not jointed. In the case of heat welded floor coverings, the risk of damage caused by moisture penetrating from above is almost eliminated.

Bio-plastics are plastics that are produced on the basis of renewable raw materials. The definition of bio-plastics is not always the same in specialist literature. Some petrochemical but biodegradable plastics are also counted as bio-plastics. To date, the minimum number of components made from renewable raw materials in bio-plastics has also not been defined. Plastics made from renewable raw materials can be both biodegradable and non-degradable. (Source: Future market bio-plastics. Federal Environment Agency & Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)

The basic principle behind the Cradle2Cradle philosophy is convincing and ground-breaking for the future. It is internationally recognised and, unlike other labels, represents an overall sustainability balance. We at Windmöller can identify very well with this way of thinking. Cradle2Cradle products are thought through to the end during their development. In addition to the entire product life-cycle, Windmöller also considers its far-reaching global impact. The criteria on which the evaluation is based are many times higher, visionary and wider than those of other environmental labels.
The following five areas were evaluated in detail:

Material health:
PURLINE organic flooring is free of CMR ingredients (carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic to reproduction) and complies with C2C emission standards. Material reutilisation: (Circulatory

Material reutilisation (Circulatory capacity):
PURLINE is recyclable and contains a high proportion of rapidly renewable raw materials.

Renewable Energy and Carbon Management (use of renewable energy):
The production of PURLINE uses 100% renewable (climate-neutral) energy.

Water stewardship: (Responsible use of water):
The production of PURLINE does not consume water or produce waste water (for sanitary purposes only)

Social fairness: (social justice):
The raw materials used for PURLINE are produced in a socially responsible manner and Windmöller has implemented innovative social standards for the benefit of its employees that go beyond the usual high German standards.

In the elastic flooring area, there are only a few floorings that have been awarded Cradle to Cradle. PURLINE organic flooring has been awarded the C2C certificate "silver". We attach great importance to the fact that our product is not only sustainable - performance and design diversity are just as important. PURLINE uses printed décor papers for a wide variety of designs. These décor papers are not currently Cradle2Cradle gold certifiable. The criterion with the lowest score determines the overall result.

We have dealt intensively with this topic and evaluated various scenarios with their impact on the environment. The use of renewable raw materials in PURLINE organic flooring is a much more effective contribution to recycling than is possible with current recycling structures. From today's point of view, recycling does not yet bring any benefits, but rather involves a risk of additional environmental pollution through transport as well as a lack of collection and sorting systems. For this reason, in our product development we focused not only on the selection of raw materials but also on the fact that PURLINE can be disposed of uncritically through all established recycling channels. At present, this is primarily the use of energy in waste incineration. For regions where there is no waste incineration infrastructure, it is important that PURLINE does not contain problematic substances that are critical in landfills. The improvement and establishment of recycling routes is, of course, part of our development and corporate objectives.

No, PURLINE organic flooring cannot be composted.

No. Unlike other floor coverings that have to be disposed of critically, PURLINE organic flooring is safe to dispose of. It can be disposed of with normal household waste.

The production of PURLINE organic flooring at the Detmold site is operated with climate-neutral green electricity and climate-neutral process heat. At both locations, we have also installed ultra-modern photovoltaic systems that supply our own production facilities with electricity and feed unused energy into the public grid. On average, a total of around 325,000 kWh per year are generated by the company itself.

The castor-oil plant is usually not cultivated in Europe because it is a tropical plant. The castor oil for use in PURLINE comes mainly from India and is typically cultivated by small farmers who also use castor oil as a protective plant for agricultural land. The cultivation of the castor oil plant is socially acceptable, does not take place in mono cultures or on cleared areas and does not compete with food cultivation. Comparably high criteria apply to alternative vegetable oils. Windmöller processes 7,000 tonnes of castor oil annually.