In an industrial facility the floor covering must be not only mechanically, but also chemically and even thermally resistant. Therefore, at Ritols, the recipe for such a floor covering that would meet the high requirements was developed for almost two years.
The industrial three-component floor coverings offered by the company can be adapted not only to the customer's technical requirements, but also to the aesthetic wishes by adding color pigments or texture-forming additives. They also last longer - for about 10 years.
Until now, di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) has been used as a plasticizer in one of the components of this floor covering, but there are concerns that this substance is harmful to the human hormonal system. In addition, although there are no specific restrictions on the specific use of DINP, the industry is increasingly abandoning the use of phthalates as plasticizers altogether.
With the LIFE Fit for REACH project’s support for the substitution of hazardous substances allowed the addition of another plasticizer, DINCH, to the flooring component instead of DINP, which, according to the company's own representatives, provides both the same required properties and the required end result. After replacement, Ritol no longer uses at least 200 kg of DINP per year, and the flooring is just as durable and meets customer requirements.
The floor covering of the new composition has already been used, for example, in the company Ezerkauliņi, where approximately 1000 m2 is covered using this material, and the work is being continued.
Ritols is one of the few companies working in this field, and it has been operating in the Latvian market since the early 1990s.