WASHINGTON, DC -- After a long-time in the making, the first-of-its-kind Flooring Sustainability Summit launched on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, and organizers and all those involved are excited that it is a success. The two-day conference, which is being held in Washington, DC, is providing participants with a unique platform to outline sustainability objectives and prioritize standards, certifications and initiatives that drive the flooring industry forward. The Summit is a collaborative effort of Tile Council of North America (TCNA), the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), the Natural Stone Institute (NSI) and the American Laminate Flooring Association. 

“We are thrilled,” said Bill Griese, deputy executive director of TCNA. “This has been a long time coming. This is something we have been aiming to have for years. It really is like a dream come true. The idea that this hasn’t existed before blows all of our minds. Getting the entire flooring industry together – competitive hats aside to talk about real issues. Let’s find where we can agree, find where we agree to disagree and where there are opportunities for alignment, initiative and collaboration. We are off to a great start.” 

The opening keynote panel featured leading experts from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), International Interior Design Association (IIDA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Initiative (GBI). 

“Launching an event is not for the faint of heart,” said Jennifer Heinold, president of Taffy Event Strategies. “We are really proud of what we were able to do here. We leaned very heavily on our co-host associations – The Tile Council of North America, the National Wood Flooring Association, the Natural Stone Institute and the North American Laminate Flooring Association. They really helped us to pull together the vision and the mission for this event, which again, is to collaborate and create an opportunity for our community to come together to foster relevant discussion.”

During the first day of the Summit, which is being held at the Westin Washington DC Downtown, three panel discussions took place, targeting issues such as green building standardization, health and materials reporting, and embodied carbon. Moreover, government organizations, including the General Services Administration (GSA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), were represented, along with sustainability leaders from Habitable, International WELL Building Institute, International Living Future Institute, U.S. Green Building Council and Green Building Initiative. 

“What we are hoping to get out of this is amplifying our own efforts,” said Sarah Gregg, marketing director of the Natural Stone Institute. “We are making sure that working together will get us to the places we need to be because some of the things we can’t do on our own. We need to do them collaboratively.”

Today is the second day of the Summit and attendees will join at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center where sustainability briefings will be held, as well as networking opportunities with industry and government leaders.