The flooring industry is at a turning point. For decades, the majority of resilient flooring has been made using plastics and petrochemical derivatives, materials that are carbon intensive to create and almost impossible to recycle at end of life. As millions of square metres continue to be fitted globally every year, the environmental cost grows. Karta was founded to subvert the norm, and, this year, that mission was recognised on a global stage.
Karta’s Recycled Leather Series has been named Winner in the Product Design: Flooring & Floor Coverings category at the SBID International Design Awards 2025, one of the most respected design awards in the world. Judged by leading industry experts and shaped by a public vote, the accolade celebrates products that deliver design excellence while but improving the way we build and live. This award is a new milestone in proving what’s possible with sustainable surfaces.
Every Karta floor begins with materials that are chosen for their renewability, circularity, and authenticity, beginning with the thousands of kilos of leather offcuts from the shoe and textiles industries sent to landfill each year. Through Karta, these fibres are re-engineered into a core element of each plank, forming a strong, naturally-durable layer that retains the natural depth and warmth of real leather.
Supporting this is a PEFC-certified wood fibre layer, made using timber offcuts that would otherwise be wasted. A cork backing, harvested without felling a single tree, provides comfort underfoot and removes the need for additional underlay materials, reducing both installation time and environmental impact.
The visual design of every plank is created using patented super-high-definition digital print technology, drawing from an extensive timber library built over three decades by Ted Todd and Woodworks. Each design originates from a real floor, sometimes rare, sometimes historic, sometimes reclaimed from buildings of cultural significance. With no recolours and no repeats across 20 boards, Karta preserves the character of tonal variation, knots, sap lines, medullary rays – everything that makes real wood feel alive.
Finally, each floor is finished with Karta Plated®, a plastic-free natural resin topcoat that delivers AC5 performance in durability suited to busy commercial spaces, restaurants, workplaces, and contemporary homes.
What sets Karta apart is its end-to-end approach to sustainability. Energy self-sufficient manufacturing, locally sourced raw materials, and reduced emissions across production and distribution mean that every stage is considered, measured, and improved.
The SBID Award recognises this commitment. It acknowledges that design need not come at ecological cost, and that performance and sustainability can coexist in one product.
Karta extends a genuine alternative to plastic-based flooring: one that prioritises planet-positive materials, reduces waste, and elevates the beauty of real timber in a new and future-focused format.
To explore the Recycled Leather Series first-hand, request a free sample box or speak to the Karta team about upcoming projects.
Visit kartafloors.com or call 0808 501 7321.