modulyss has become the first flooring brand to achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified® Full Scope Gold under version 4.0, setting a new benchmark for sustainable design in the soft flooring industry. This milestone proves that it's possible to create flooring that’s circular, healthy, low-impact and ethically made without compromising on aesthetics or performance.
We spoke to Ren DeCherney, Director of Built Environment at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, to understand what this certification really means for the industry, for designers and for the future of materials.
Raising the Bar for Flooring
Cradle to Cradle Certified® is widely considered the most advanced and demanding sustainability standard available. It evaluates products across five performance categories: material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.
“It’s a holistic certification. It pushes manufacturers to think beyond single-issue sustainability,” says DeCherney. “You can’t just focus on carbon or recycled content. You have to consider everything: from what’s in the product to how it’s made and who made it.”
What Makes Version 4.0 Different
Cradle to Cradle Certified® version 4.0 is the most advanced version of the standard to date, introducing tougher requirements across all five performance categories. It includes new global benchmarks for product circularity and social fairness, tighter carbon and air quality criteria to drive climate action, and expanded rules around clean water and healthy soils. Material health assessments are also aligned with stricter international chemical regulations, backed by an updated restricted substances list. For manufacturers, it raises the bar. For designers, it offers a new level of trust.
Transparency Down to the Molecule
One of the most rigorous aspects of the certification process is material health. Most ecolabels stop at screening for banned substances, but Cradle to Cradle Certified® goes further. To meet the material health requirements under version 4.0, modulyss had to identify every chemical in its products—down to 100 parts per million, per material—and then assess each one for its impact on human and environmental health. “You’ve basically catalogued anything that ever breathed on the product,” says DeCherney. “And you’ve worked with toxicologists to make sure those substances are genuinely safe, not just ‘not on a list.’”
This in-depth, third-party verified process sets Cradle to Cradle Certified® apart, giving designers confidence that what they specify is safe, not just compliant.
Circularity in Real Life
Achieving Gold means going beyond good intentions. modulyss had to prove its flooring products are actively being cycled in the way they were designed to be. That includes take-back systems, verified end-of-life pathways, and use of circular materials like ECONYL®, made from recovered fishing nets.
“You’re not just designing for circularity, you’re making it work in practice,” says DeCherney. “That’s a huge step for the flooring sector.”
Climate-Positive Potential
While many manufacturers are chasing carbon neutrality, Cradle to Cradle Certified® version 4.0 takes it further, by linking circularity directly to climate impact. modulyss products are designed to stay in use, reducing the need for virgin resources and avoiding the emissions tied to extraction and production.
“A circular economy could cut carbon emissions from building materials by up to 38% by 2050,” says DeCherney. “That’s the real opportunity, not just reducing carbon, but designing systems that make waste and emissions avoidable by default.”
Fair Labour, Fair Design
Social fairness is built into the certification process. modulyss had to demonstrate not only ethical working conditions in its own facilities, but also transparency and accountability across its supply chain.
“The built environment has a serious issue with forced and child labour. modulyss is taking that seriously,” says DeCherney. “When designers choose certified products, they’re influencing global supply chains. That kind of impact ripples far beyond a single project.”
A New Definition of Beauty
Design and sustainability are often seen as opposites, but that perception is fading fast.
“For a long time, sustainable products were seen as limited or bland. modulyss challenges that,” says DeCherney. “These products are innovative, bold and genuinely beautiful. They prove that you don’t have to choose between style and impact.”
What’s Next?
Gold certification under version 4.0 is a high bar but not the finish line. It’s a foundation for future progress. For modulyss, this certification is more than an achievement. It’s a clear signal of intent to keep designing, keep challenging, and keep shaping the future of flooring.
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