Second-Look Has Recycled 6.5 Million Pounds of Wallcovering Since 2007

Second-Look Recycled Wallcovering, the only closed-loop recycling program for post-consumer wallcovering, has recycled 6.5 million pounds or 3,250 tons of material since starting in 2007. The program is on a roll, recycling the weight of about 2,000 Honda Accords, enough to fill multiple parking lots. Second-Look reclaims post-consumer vinyl wallcovering and it’s the only program to recycle it back into new wallcoverings.

Second-Look reclamation services and recycled wallcoverings are available through Versa Wallcovering and other major wallcovering brands. Louisville-based LSI Wallcovering manages the program and produces the wallcoverings that contain 20 percent total recycled content, including 10 percent post-consumer material.

“We’re making it easy and cost-effective to recycle wallcovering,” says Beth Rich, Second-Look marketing director. “Second-Look sends reclamation bins to the demolition site and coordinates retrieval. For those placing new orders, we’ll cover the reclamation freight, saving the end user hauling and landfill fees. More and more specifiers are requesting wallcovering with recycled content, and we need partners in the field to help us reclaim post-consumer material.”

Second-Look recycled wallcoverings are certified to the NSF 342 Sustainability Standard for Wallcovering. They are made of Type II, low-VOC vinyl and use water-based inks and adhesives. The program has been recognized with five industry awards including Most Sustainable Gold Product Award from IIDEX/NeoCon Canada, Most Sustainable Product Award from the Healthcare Facilities Symposium, Innovations Environmental Grand Prize from Buildings magazine, and Editor’s Choice Awards from Architectural Record and Interiors & Sources.