ReStart: Giving materials a second life with our take-back and recycling program

Recycling isn’t just good for the planet – it helps cut carbon emissions, saves natural resources, and is a way better option than discarding or burning waste. That’s why we’re aiming high: 30% recycled content in our production by 2030.

Recycling has been a part of our mission for a long time – since 1957, when we started reusing vinyl flooring production waste in Sweden. Then in 2010, we launched ReStart®, our take-back and recycling program giving materials a second life. It is now up and running in 29 countries across five continents with a total of eight recycling centres in eight countries, covering vinyl, linoleum, and carpets to drive circular flooring solutions.

Every little step counts, and we’re all in for a more sustainable future. Here’s how we’re doing it:

Step 1: Get Started – Kickstart the journey towards circular flooring 

The process begins with a local ReStart® partner, providing dedicated collection containers for safe and efficient material storage before pickup.

Step 2: Fill & Schedule – Collect, pack, and recycle

Once the ReStart® containers are ready, they are filled with used flooring materials. Then, a quick pick up scheduling with the local Tarkett waste collector ensures safe transport to the sorting facility.

Step 3: Sort & Weigh – Prepping for a new life

At the sorting facility, flooring materials are carefully weighed and sorted to ensure that only the best quality moves forward in the recycling process. 

Step 4: Turning waste into new floors

After sorting, flooring materials head to a Tarkett recycling facility, where they’re transformed into high-quality raw materials. This ensures reuse: a breakthrough in circular flooring solutions.

Step 5: A Fresh Start – Flooring reimagined

The final step? Recycled raw materials are reborn into brand-new Tarkett flooring. Designed for durability, beauty, and sustainability. ReStart® is about shaping the next generation of high-performance, sustainable floors. 

Want an example of how we recycle materials back into our products?

Discover our innovative recycling process: from collection to granulation and lab testing, discarded floors are transformed into raw materials for creating new, sustainable flooring. Together, we’re building the way to better floors.

“We have reached strong progress with ReStart®, our take-back and recycling program, by transforming end-of-use flooring and recycled materials into new floors. In the last six years, we have increased our collection through ReStart® by 51%,” says Arnaud Marquis, Chief Sustainability and Safety Officer at Tarkett. 

At Tarkett, every square metre of recycled flooring is a meaningful step toward a more sustainable future.

As these efforts grow, the impact becomes even clearer.