Laminate flooring has been around for nearly 50 years, and Unilin was there at the very beginning. Over that time, laminate has undergone a major transformation—both in terms of look and feel and in terms of performance. Today, Unilin’s laminate floors are a model of sustainability and even circularity. This is because recovered wood is the primary raw material, but also because we can now recycle the entire floor. Thanks to continuous innovation, floor-to-floor recycling is no longer just a pipe dream.
The origin of laminate flooring
Laminate is one of the most popular flooring types worldwide. It’s a story that begins in the small Swedish village of Perstorp, during a brainstorming session about alternative uses for laminate panels intended for kitchen countertops. Without fully realizing it, the inventors laid the foundation for a sustainable, easy-to-install floor that would change the industry forever.
Discover the origin story of laminate
Interior design expert Kelly visits one of the inventors of laminate flooring in Sweden.
The click system that revolutionised the flooring industry, Laurent tells us all about it!
Constant innovation
Laminate flooring is also a prime example of innovation. “Inventor” Laurent Meersseman (R&D Director at Unilin Flooring) shows how Unilin is making laminate flooring increasingly beautiful, stronger, and more user-friendly.
And General Manager Laminate Rogier Verkarre delves deeper into the innovations and the future of laminate.
Read the interview with Rogier Verkarre
The Uniclic revolution
In the 1990s, Unilin launched the smart Uniclic click system. It was nothing short of a revolutionary innovation: suddenly, any DIY enthusiast could install a floor. But everything changed for manufacturers as well. By sharing the technology with competitors, Unilin introduced a completely new business model.
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Recycling: from floor to floor
Laminate isn’t just sustainable, Unilin can now turn it into a circular product. Thanks to a new, patented technology, wood fibers from the laminate’s HDF core are recycled and reused something that had been impossible for years. Geert Coudenys (R&D Director at Unilin Panels) explains how he and his team cracked the code.
How MDF and laminate recycling works
Geert explains how his team managed to recycle wood fibres from used laminate flooring.
How can we make laminate recycling the norm? Professor Francesca Ostuzzi shares her thoughts.
The next step
Over the past half-century, laminate flooring has evolved into a completely different product thanks to continuous innovation. Today, new challenges lie ahead. Due to climate change, a circular economy is an absolute must. Professor Francesca Ostuzzi (UGent) explains how the entire ecosystem must work together to make true circularity possible.
The full interview with Prof. Ostuzzi
Our circular approach
Circular and sustainable production has been in Unilin’s DNA since its inception. Today, that approach is more relevant than ever. Read here to find out exactly where we stand as a company based on the R strategies for circularity.
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What the journey taught us
Interior design expert Kelly Claessens traveled across Europe to uncover the story of laminate flooring. From its unexpected origins in Sweden, through groundbreaking Belgian innovations, to a promising, circular future: discover her surprising journey here.
Kelly looks back on her trip through Europe: what did she learn about laminate flooring?
Read more
The origin of laminate: how a Swedish brainstorming session in 1977 turned the flooring market upside down
Unilin takes the circular economy to the next level with recycling line for MDF, HDF and laminate
Unilin has achieved a world first in Bazeilles, France: for the first time, MDF and HDF boards – the core of laminate floors – can be recycled on an industrial scale. . Thanks to a €20 million investment, the company is now able to make the wood fibres from these boards reusable for the production of new decorative panels and laminate floors.
How Uniclic revolutionised the entire flooring industry
What began as a clever technical solution to facilitate the installation of laminate flooring grew into a game changer in the flooring industry while laying the foundation for the success of Unilin Technologies, Unilin’s IP and licensing division.
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Circularity in Unilin’s DNA: our approach through the R-strategies
At Unilin we believe that a circular approach is the only way for an industrial company to be truly future-proof. Circularity is not only part of our sustainability strategy One Home, it is firmly embedded in our DNA. Since our foundation in 1960, we have turned residual flows from other industries into new products. Back then we produced chipboards from flax shives, a by-product of the flax industry. In the 1980s we switched to residual flows from the wood industry. Today we build on that with a clear ambition: to make our products fully circular, step by step and without compromising on design, quality or cost.
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Why is laminate still so popular after 50 years?
What began in the 1980s as an innovative flooring solution remains one of the most popular and versatile flooring types: laminate. Thanks to continuous innovation, smart product development and a strong focus on design and sustainability, laminate has remained a popular favourite for nearly half a century. How is that possible? We talked to Rogier Verkarre, General Manager Laminate at Unilin.
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From waste to resource: how Unilin recycles MDF and laminate floors
What happens to your old laminate floor? At Unilin, the answer is clear: collect and recycle. Through the Recover programme, we collect old floors and a technological world first allows us to recycle them into new MDF and HDF panels, the core of laminate flooring. “For years, recycling the panels seemed impossible,” says Geert Coudenys, R&D Director at Unilin Panels.