In 2018, Renoleum competed in the Circular Challenge. They found a way to separate old linoleum from its jute substrate and grind up and press the old Marmoleum to produce new panels. Forbo supplied the residual stream.

This composite material has many applications. To give the jury and the client a better idea of how you could use it, the team developed a product line, featuring chairs and lamps made from this composite material. That’s when Ikea’s curiosity was piqued, among others.

After the Circular Challenge, one of the team members continued to develop the Renoleum project in-house at Forbo. This led to the creation of two types of panels, namely Multilin (provisional name) and Linoleum Particle Board. Multilin is a homogeneous panel, to which you can add color and other properties. It is suitable for mass production and can be used as a veneer finish for cabinets and desks or as underlay.

Linoleum Particle Board (LPB), meanwhile, is a solution for linoleum that is older than 15 years. The older the flooring, the more fragile and rigid the material becomes. All of the flooring can be incorporated in the LPB, from the jute substrate to the linoleum proper. It may not be as sturdy as Multilin perhaps, but it can be used in kitchens for an industrial look kitchen worktop. Forbo is currently developing and testing these materials.