CFA Immediate Past President Alan McEwan Talks Proactivity on Sustainability From the Exceptional to Everyday

CFA immediate past-president and F. Ball and Co. Ltd. technical representative Alan McEwan, speaks about how the Association is taking a proactive role in driving industry change and ensuring sustainable practices become the norm.

As we launch the CFA Guide to Sustainability 2026–2027, I am encouraged by how far our sector has come. In last year’s Guide, I emphasised that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility and that change requires a collective effort. I highlighted how contractors and manufacturers were beginning to find that green practices were not just the right thing to do, but also made clear business sense. We’ve since seen remarkable progress as manufacturers have designed for circularity and contractors have begun integrating effective waste management into their daily operations and investing in electric and hybrid vehicles.

While previous years were defined by innovation and pilot projects, our theme for 2026 is ‘Scaling Sustainability’. We are no longer just asking ‘Can we do this?’, but how we can do it at a scale that transforms the entire sector.

Key developments

To achieve this, the CFA and Council are not simply observing industry change but are actively helping drive it.

We have put our shoulder firmly behind the growing importance of the UK Flooring Sustainability Alliance (UKSFA), formerly Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK), and the CFA is playing a key role in supporting and strengthening that organisation.

Our backing of the UKSFA through membership support, close collaboration and Richard Catt joining the Board as a non-executive director demonstrates a much stronger strategic partnership between our two organisations. This represents a significant commitment from the CFA, allowing us to bring our valuable CISUFLO experience and our members along with us as we guide the whole flooring supply chain towards a more circular future.

Highlighting this shared ambition, you’ll find a number of articles from the UKSFA in this year’s Sustainability Guide.

For our members, scaling means moving from simple product labelling to fully traceable material lifecycles that allow for guaranteed recyclability, and ensuring that sustainable installation systems and advanced adhesive technologies become the everyday standard.

Scaling also requires that these developments are not only environmentally sound but also commercially viable and profitable for businesses of all sizes.

Regulation and leadership

The legislative landscape is shifting rapidly. With Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Future Homes and Buildings Standard now in effect, the societal pressure I mentioned last year has become a legal reality.

For those who heeded the call to be proactive, these changes represent an opportunity rather than a burden.

We are also scaling through education. By embedding green skills into our apprenticeship standards, we have already begun building a workforce that views sustainable waste disposal and carbon management as fundamental to the future of the trade.

The path ahead

The CFA also has an important role in sharing best practice with regard to sustainability and the environment, as well as highlighting forthcoming legislation and what it means for members, so they can prepare well in advance of it coming into effect. In this guide, you will find more examples of how leading companies are scaling their operations to meet these new demands.

We are moving towards a future where a circular economy is the only economy. It is only by scaling our collective efforts that we can ensure the contract flooring industry remains a leader in the transition to Net Zero. Let’s make the sustainable choice the standard choice.

For the latest contract flooring sustainability advice visit the CFA Guide to Sustainability 2026–2027.