The man who lit the Bolon spark was our founder, Nils-Erik Eklund. Today, his grand daughters Annica and Marie keep the spirit alive. Since they took over the company from their parents Lars and Monica in 2003, they have been on a mission – to make Bolon a design-led innovator and fuse the conservative, traditional flooring branch with the boundless creativity of the world of fashion. That we have succeeded so spectacularly is satisfying. That in doing so, we’ve collaborated with world-renowned designers and architects as well as working with international brands makes us even more proud. However, pride is one thing and complacency is another – and standing still has never been an option here at Bolon.
This is our continuing story – and we sincerely hope that through our innovative, challenging and world leading flooring it becomes your inspiration.
Maybe it’s our location in the lush and scenic landscape of Västergötland, next to Lake Åsunden, that is rubbing off on our green thinking; we are keeping the manufacturing in Sweden as this makes sense both in terms of shorter transports and logistics, but also allows full control of the production process; the PVC flooring is produced without added phthalates; and the factory, warehouse and offices are cooled by geothermal means, using locally drawn groundwater rather than refrigerants that damage the ozone layer.
The collection Flow was Bolon’s first recycled flooring, and is a product of the company’s latest initiative, the recycling plant located in the Ulricehamn factory. Bolon has invested SEK 90 million into the process of transitioning to a more sustainable business. And just recently, Bolon secured the process that grinds and modifies old bits of flooring into granules that can then be bound and reshaped into a new material, starting the cycle over.
The plant will also have an impact that stretches outside the company itself. We accept waste products from other manufacturers. Getting rid of dangerous substances and recycling materials demand both time and financial commitment, but Bolon also prides itself on smaller but equally important actions that help the environment, whether that is using clean energy or filtering out particles in the factory air.
The well-being of our colleagues, being an ethical company and practicing what we preach is what matters to us – both now and in days to come.
At Bolon, development and sustainable innovation have always been close to our heart. Each generation has made its mark and left a lasting impression: our grandfather with his idea of weaving offcuts into rugs, our father with his innovative mindset and camping interest and Annica and I with one foot in fashion and one foot in design. Each of us has gone our own way and allowed our passion to drive the company forward. And my dream is for future generations to be able to hold their heads high when looking back at today’s Bolon and say: “They did it! They created long-term sustainable design floors.”
In order to achieve this, we continuously strive to improve all stages of our production and we have made good progress. For example, we have installed a recycling facility that enables waste material to be used to make new floors. Our entire factory is powered by 100% renewable electricity. And all collections have been free from toxic plasticisers and harmful heavy metals for many years. Moreover, we are testing methods for removing and recycling old floors, and naturally we are proud of this progress. Proud, but not content. We will continue to challenge ourselves and take responsibility for a sustainable future.
