International flooring specialist Gerflor have donated Gradus carpet products to The Salvation Army to help
support social projects and to put surplus stock to good uses in a sustainable way. This charitable initiative is
the commitment the business has to its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goal.
Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) is the trading arm of The Salvation Army and, along with
Gerflor and Gradus, are an active member of Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) network.
Commenting on the donation to The Salvation Army David Collins-Lafferty, Marketing Manager, Gerflor
said, “We have worked with The Salvation Army to donate and deliver discontinued carpet that will be sold
through three of their donation centres to generate funds for the charity. We have donated two-and fourmetre-wide rolls in six various discontinued colours. As part of the donation plan, we also agreed with The
Salvation Army that we would cut rolls down to manageable lengths of five linear metres. This supports
them with storage and handling. In total we expect to donate around 1,500m2 during the first half of 2024.
The relationship was developed through the core funder status that we have with the carpet recycling UK
organisation.”
Commenting on the donation Richard Shea the Service Development Manager at the Salvation Army
Trading Company said, “Gerflor were keen to do more with extending the useful life of Gradus carpets and
diverting more items away from disposal. Going forward, the products will be distributed to our 240 charity
shops so that they can go on to be reused or repurposed. The profits received from the resale of these
carpets and will be given to our parent charity to continue to support the exceptional work they do across
the UK.”
Richard Shea also said, “Gerflor and Gradus have been a pleasure to work with, reusing carpet is something
that they are both passionate about. They were very supportive, with regard to our processes, so that we
could maximise the potential and work collaboratively to get these items into our donation centres .”
Shea continued by adding, “Both Gerflor and Gradus are well-known and credible brands in the flooring
industry, and it's amazing to see their passion about ‘reuse’ align with ours. Through this exciting new
partnership, we will see flooring fulfil its purpose, being reused instead of being disposed of and reducing
the gap in furniture poverty, which effects so many people in the UK.”
David Collins-Lafferty added, “Although sustainability has always been an important priority at both Gerflor
and Gradus, in 2023 whilst updating the Gradus CSR report to communicate our ongoing results and set our
2025 sustainability goals, we were also evaluating additional ways to increase our corporate social
responsibility, one way being that we could help charitable causes with donations of end-of-life but unused
Gradus carpet. At this time, we had also joined the Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) organisation.
The Salvation Army Trading Company is also a member of CRUK , so a conversation was started to see if we
could make donations happen to support such a worthy cause.”
David Collins-Lafferty concluded, “As a carpet manufacturer and supplier, we care about the environment
and the community. That is why we’ve worked hard to donate our end-of-life carpets to the charity, where
they can be reused for various causes. By doing so, we not only reduce our environmental impact but
support social initiatives. We believe that donating our end-of-life carpets is not only a responsible choice,
but also a rewarding one.”
Richard Shea ended by saying, “Thanks to partnerships like this, we can continue to help raise vital funds to
support the most vulnerable in the community. The Salvation Army provide practical help for people in
need, such as specialist support for survivors and potential victims of modern slavery, shelter for those
experiencing homelessness and so much more. Flooring your home is a life changing experience and we are
pleased to be able to make this available in collaboration with Gerflor and Gradus.”
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by
calling 01625 428922, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.
To learn more about the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd, visit www.satcol.org or follow them on social
media @reuse2repurpose.
