A pathway to a greener building
June 23rd 2008

3M claims the bulk of dirt found inside a building is walked in on the soles of shoes. If you can prevent it, you’re saving, time, money and chemicals. The company says its modular Nomad Matting can nip the problem in the bud – and reduce environmental impact

Many more businesses are now starting to realise the benefits of ‘going green’ – with recycling being the most prevalent. But to make a real difference businesses need to make a further commitment to protecting our environment through such measures as green cleaning.

• 80 per cent of the dirt that is found in a building is walked in on the soles of shoes
• When it rains, that dirt level is multiplied by a factor of ten
• It costs around £900 to clean up one kilo of dirt
• If not cleaned up this dirt degrades other floors in the building which could mean they need replacing 30% sooner

The costs and chemicals associated with cleaning up this dirt, do not lend themselves to the green cleaning image. Furthermore the environmental and financial cost could be easily minimised by suitable, durable, quality matting – one that retains dirt and moisture from the shoes that walk over it. The sustainable way is to make sure matting in the entrance grabs hold of as much dirt and moisture as possible to stop it from being walked around the building.

Best foot forward

3M works to develop new technologies and products to help encourage sustainability and as a solution to this issue has developed the comprehensive Nomad Matting range.

“Companies are constantly looking for ways to go green and cut costs and entrance matting should logically be at the beginning of this process but it is often overlooked,” says 3M Building and Commercial Services, Simon Newington. “The clean up operation of dirt trodden into a building can cost thousands and involve even more chemicals – effective, durable matting which retains the maximum amount of dirt and moisture can dramatically reduce the clean up operation.

We also advise that the walk-on area is larger than is generally the case at present – ideally between six to nine metres. Together these measures can greatly reduce costs and environmental impact. It’s an economic and environmental solution.”

Rental mat mileage

Rental matting is also recognised as a false economy for a sustainable building, both in terms of quality and its impact on the environment. In most cases the products are of cut pile construction that is not effective at removing dirt and loose laid mats do not meet DDA requirements.

With more and more companies trying to reduce their carbon footprints, the collection and laundry at a remote site creates additional transportation costs and environmental pollution that are preventable. The typical cost of renting a mat for one year would buy a Nomad mat that would last up to five years – a much more sustainable option.

3M Nomad Modular Matting Systems are a new concept in entrance matting using standard panels that interlock to combine scraping and carpet elements together to produce a custom entrance mat. The scraper element can be used externally and internally with a carpet element designed for internal use. This matting is suitable for traffic volumes up to 5000 feet per day.

Further floorcare - diamond pads shine without chemicals 3M’s The High Shine diamond floor cleaning system generates high shine without the need for chemicals due to the layer of real diamond particles within the Diamond Plus Pads. The system is comprised of three pads: the Scotch-Brite Plus Purple Diamond Pad, the Scotch-Brite Plus Sienna Diamond Pad and the Orange and Green Daily maintenance pad which are used in a sequence to create and maintain a high level of shine.

The product is typically used on large areas of marble or terrazzo floors, e.g. in supermarkets, by customers who use large quantities of chemicals – therefore the net effect on chemical usage reduction could be significant.