The Engine that Drives Design

A new era of invention and innovation is dawning at Beaulieu Commercial, led by the introduction of the revolutionary new modular tile backing system, Nexterra.

Years of research went into the development of the patented process that has resulted in Nexterra, and test results indicate the product has been worth the wait. Nexterra backing contains 85% post –consumer recycled materials diverted directly from landfills: 35% Polyethylene Terephthalate, or PET, from reclaimed plastic drink bottles, and 50% recycled glass. Since every 24 by 24-inch Nexterra-backed tile contains the equivalent of ten plastic16-ounce bottles, the recycled materials in Nexterra will significantly add to the over 40 million pounds of post consumer PET bottles Beaulieu already purchases each year to produce carpet fiber and other components.

“Recycled materials are easy to identify and are relatively easy to obtain,” says Beaulieu Commercial president James Lesslie. “Finding a way to make these materials work in a carpet tile backing took a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work.” Nexterra research also produced unexpected product improvements. “There were added benefits we were not anticipating,” Lesslie says. “The PET polymer interacts synergistically with the recycled glass to make the backing more stable and stronger. Nexterra tiles have twice the tuft bind strength as conventional carpet tiles.

“Nexterra has more benefits and greater potential than any other tile backing I have seen,” Lesslie adds. “This polymer system gives us performance characteristics that we never thought possible.”

Nexterra boasts another innovation that is news in itself. Of the modular carpet tile designs now planned for introduction with Nexterra backing, all will be treated with a remarkable new odor neutralizer and air purifier called Puralex. Testing on Puralex shows it helps reduce organic odors from the atmosphere, from food to smoke aromas.

Puralex is safe for the environment and, in contrast to surface treatments that wear off with time and steam cleanings, Puralex is a salt that reacts with heat to chemically bond with the carpet fiber. A self-renewing material, Puralex is durable enough to withstand multiple steam cleanings.

“Nexterra and Puralex represent the start of a new day at Beaulieu Commercial,” Lesslie says. “Developing things this innovative requires a more creative mindset, and our customers have already begun to notice that we are pioneering new research and development to bring unique products to market. We don’t think conventionally, we think about what a carpet can do rather than what it already does. When we reconfigured and redesigned the PET molecular structure, we achieved physical properties that exceeded our expectations. Nexterra technology has helped us bridge the gap between creativity and manufacturing. By envisioning the future through technological innovations, we are now able to embrace new ideas and turn them into realities.”

Nexterra also generates impressive LEED numbers as well. Its high percentage of post-consumer content garners twice the LEED dollar contribution as post-industrial materials. “Determining LEED contributions can be a timely process,” Lesslie says. “We have developed a calculator that is easy to use and eliminates the guesswork.”

Nexterra backing represents a new age in environmental design, in that it combines excellent sustainability with improved performance, without an increase in price. “People are looking for different solutions,” Lesslie says. “If given a choice, they will choose the environmental option, but our job as manufacturers is to supply those options cost-effectively. Nexterra is a breakthrough, but I assure you it’s just the beginning of the sustainable and environmental story at Beaulieu Commercial.”