Questo è un’articolo in inglese scritto in collaborazione con Forbo per il loro blog dedicato ai trasporti.


Science fiction movies prepared us for the most outstanding and peculiar means of transportation in the future, but it did not succeed in correctly forecasting what was going to disrupt the industry. A new mix of life changing trends are shaking things up in this sector, offering a wide variety of possibilities to those working in the industry.

A new generation is shifting away from ownership of their own vehicle in favour of accessing resources that are shared (car sharing, pay per hour access) and can be used only when needed and this most of the time, means an increase in the number of passengers for public & private transportation.

Below are some interesting statistics about transportation and the new generation (1) that gives some context to the changes in transport use.

  • By 2011 the average American was driving 6% fewer miles/year than in 2004.
  • From 2001 to 2009 the average number of vehicle-miles travelled by young people (16-34 yrs old) decreased of 23%.
  • 45% of young people are consciously making an effort to replace driving with transportation alternatives. This, compared to 32% of older population.

These statistics are not unique to America but also extend to many countries in Europe (Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain), as well as Canada, Japan and South Korea.

There are many reasons for the vast changes in the transportation industry but the one gaining importance – especially after the new climate agreement set in Paris – is theenvironmental problem. With this climate agreement, the road is now very clearly set for a more sustainable world where capital, science, technology and policies will set new trends and laws also for sustainable transportation and for the use of sustainable practices and materials.

In this sense, Forbo Flooring’s Coral collection offers a series of characteristics that make a great flooring solution for the mobility challenges of tomorrow. Coral entrance flooring delivers superior performance even in the toughest environments, combining design and functionality as well as a more sustainable product.

Hidden in the construction of Forbo Flooring’s Coral collection is a special ingredient, theECONYL® nylon yarn. This yarn, produced by our supplier Aquafil, is 100% regenerated, using pre- and post-consumer waste material, for example old fishing nets, end-of-life carpets or plastic components. This waste material that would otherwise be dumped into landfills or oceans, is instead recovered by Aquafil from all over the world and transformed through the ECONYL® Regeneration system into first quality nylon yarn.

This process is the only one of its kind and is able to transform waste material into 100% regenerated and first quality ECONYL® yarn with the same characteristics and performance as yarn coming from fossil raw materials. This is another big advantage of using ECONYL® yarn in the Coral collection. We are not only contributing to recovering waste, reusing it and giving it a new life, but we also use waste instead of using fossil/raw materials that are normally used in the production of nylon yarn. This substitution of waste as a raw material instead of fossil fuels, allow us to reduce the CO2 emissions by 50% if compared to regular nylon yarn.

With such a collection, the implementation of sustainability practices in transportation is possible without compromising aesthetics and/or economic feasibility. It also sets the Coral collection ahead of some of the best materials for future sustainable transportation, both to lower environmental impact and to comply with the environmental regulations of tomorrow.

(1) Transportation and the New Generation – Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy by Frontier Group and U.S. PIRG Education Fund (2012)

Guest post written by Samara Croci – Brand & Online Communication at Aquafil

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FORBO’S TRANSPRESSBLOG