More sustainable adhesives have been developed for use on carpet tiles that are as effective as conventional adhesives and hold up well when cleaned with professional carpet extraction methods.

Although the data were not broken down by type, the nonprofit Carpet America Recovery Effort estimates that more than 5 billion pounds of carpet are sent to landfills each year. The new adhesive could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of carpet tiles since it would allow them to be recycled.

Carpet tiles, sometimes called interlocking carpet tiles, are also growing in popularity in settings such as airports, convention centers, hospitals and other high-traffic venues. Facility managers and custodial workers find them to be very durable and relatively easy to clean, as well as to remove should they become damaged or excessively soiled.