Migrations Biobased Tile from Armstrong

Enter Armstrong’s Migrations line of biobased composition tile. Introduced at the 2007 Greenbuild Conference in Chicago—the product will become available in early 2008—Migrations uses BioStride, a newly developed corn-based polyester binder instead of PVC to hold the tile together. Armstrong invented and has applied for a patent on BioStride, but the polymer will be produced by a partner company. As with VCT, the majority of the tile content is limestone (about 85% by weight), including about 10% post-consumer recycled limestone. The BioStride polyester, which includes a small percentage of petroleum products, allows the flooring to contribute to a rapidly renewable credit in the LEED Rating System. (While biobased polymers offer alternatives to petrochemical feedstocks, some environmentalists raise concerns about the chemical-, water-, and energy-intensity of products derived from corn, as well as the U.S. reliance on genetically modified strains of corn.)

Migrations has been certified through the FloorScore program of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute as complying with California’s 01350 indoor air quality standards. (See