14 Environmentally Friendly Flooring Choices for Eco-Conscious Homeowners

On the hunt for eco-friendly flooring options? You’re not alone! 

If you’re anything like us, your ideal types of flooring aren’t just strong and beautiful—they’re sustainable and environmentally friendly, too. 

That’s why we’ve put together this list of 19 fantastic eco-friendly flooring options for sustainably-minded flooring buyers! 

#1. Bamboo Flooring: Fast-Growing & Sustainable

While many people think of bamboo as a type of hardwood flooring, it’s part of the grass family. And like other grasses, it grows seriously fast.

Bamboo only takes three to five years to grow to maturity (while the trees used to make traditional hardwood floors can take decades). This makes bamboo a very sustainable flooring choice.

Best of all, bamboo flooring functions just like all other types of wood flooring. It comes in both solid and engineered varieties (check out the pros and cons of engineered bamboo flooring for more info on that).

Often, bamboo is manufactured overseas—so you have to consider the carbon footprint involved in shipping it to the USA. Additionally, some bamboo floors are sourced from companies that clear-cut bamboo forests, destroying precious ecosystems and animal habitats.

That’s why the best bamboo flooring comes with a Forest Stewardship Council certificate showing that it has been sustainably harvested. 

And if you want to make sure you’re getting eco-friendly flooring, buy a product manufactured here in the USA!

#2. Stone Tiles: Timeless, Beautiful, and All-Natural

Natural stone makes our list of eco-friendly flooring options because it’s exactly what it sounds like—a natural product.

That means it’s durable, it doesn’t require a ton of maintenance, it won’t emit toxic gases into the environment or your home, and it requires minimal resources to produce. 

Just remember that some natural stone materials like marble, slate, or even granite are sometimes mined outside of the USA.

So when you’re weighing the environmental impact of these types of tiles, make sure to factor in any shipping concerns. The large carbon footprint of importation could potentially cancel out the eco-friendliness of your stone floors.

Again: if sustainable flooring is important to you, ask a local flooring expert about how to find locally (or at least domestically) produced stone flooring. 

#3. Concrete Flooring: Extremely Durable and Eco-Friendly 

Concrete isn’t just an excellent scratch-resistant flooring option. It’s an eco-friendly flooring option too. 

Why? Because concrete is essentially an all-natural floor. It’s made of rocks, clay, sand, and other naturally-occurring materials. That means it’s easy to source and easy to recycle.

But of course, you won’t need to recycle it anytime soon. Concrete is extremely durable and super chic. Concrete flooring that looks like wood, for instance, is one of the most beautiful and longest-lasting surfaces around.

#4. Cork Floors: Comfortable and Renewable

Suffer from allergies? Cork floors can help. Want a durable, versatile floor? Cork’s a great option. Achy joints? You guessed it—get some cork flooring! 

Look, we could talk all day about the versatility and benefits that the best corkfloors bring to the table. 

Instead, let’s talk about why cork production has such a minimal impact on the environment—and what makes cork such a sustainable flooring option. 

Cork is naturally renewable

Cork comes from cork trees, but the product is only harvested from the tree’s bark. Because cork harvests only take a tree’s bark, so the same tree can be periodically harvested over and over for up to 250 years. 

But wait, there’s more!

Cork flooring is made from recycled waste material that’s left over after wine bottle corks are produced. That’s what we call an eco-friendly flooring material!

#5. Engineered Hardwood: A Cost-Effective, Eco-Friendly Flooring Choice

Let’s get right to the point. Engineered wood is real wood. We hear a lot of this fake wood flooring nonsense, but the fact is, there’s nothing fake about engineered hardwood. 

That said, engineered wood is more environmentally friendly than its solid wood counterpart! Why? Because of the way it’s produced.

See, engineered wood is created by attaching a solid hardwood veneer to a super-durable durable plywood core. The way the veneer is cut doesn’t produce any sawdust, so more of the tree can be used. That may not seem like a big deal, but it does add up.  

Translation: engineered wood is a more sustainable wood flooring choice than solid wood. And the cost to install engineered hardwood flooring is also much lower for the same reason!

#6. Reclaimed Hardwood: Eco-Friendly by Definition 

Speaking of wood floors: if you’re trying to find the best hardwood floors for your home, we’d recommend going beyond new products and checking out some reclaimed wood as well. 

Reclaimed hardwood is an eco-friendly flooring option by definition—because it’s essentially a recycled product!

Think of the huge environmental impact involved in harvesting trees and turning them into flooring. Reclaimed hardwood avoids this process and lowers the environmental footprint of your floors as a result.

Plus, many of the best hardwood floor brands sell reclaimed hardwood flooring in addition to new wood. So you don’t have to worry about being short on choices!

#7. Pine and Other Softwoods: More Sustainable than Hardwoods  

Treated right, softwood surfaces like pine and Douglas fir flooring can last for generations. But that’s not why we consider pine flooring one of the most eco-friendly flooring options around.

Pine is hardy, it’s resilient, and it grows very quickly—much more quickly than hardwood trees like oak or walnut. Plus, pine trees are easy to source locally, so you don’t have to worry about the carbon footprint involved in shipping your floors from across the world. 

#8. Glass Tiles: Beautiful, Sophisticated, and Recyclable

There are many different types of tile out there, and glass tile is one of the most beautiful—and eco-friendly. 

Why? 

Glass tiles are often made from recycled materials. And even if your glass tiles aren’t made of recycled materials, you can still recycle them at the end of their life in your home. That means you won’t be contributing to junk in a landfill. 

Not sold yet? Glass tiles also require less energy to produce compared to ceramic tiles. There is a catch though—they aren’t as durable as some of the other types of flooring like concrete. 

#9. Laminate Flooring: Durable, Affordable, and Surprisingly Green

What is laminate flooring, exactly? 

It’s a super-popular composite flooring material made of 3 layers: a core base layer, an image layer, and a durable plasticate wear layer. 

Laminate has been around for about 50 years, and it’s designed to add style and value to your home while withstanding wear and tear. 

It’s designed (most often) to look like wood, so it’s a top hardwood floor alternative for homeowners who want the look and feel of wood floors but with added durability—and often, at a more affordable price point.

But what makes it a green flooring option? The answer is in its construction! 

That base layer? It’s made of wood by-products and glue—so mostly recycled material. The image layer? Embossed paper. The wear layer? A thin sheet of plastic. 

All in all, it’s a surprisingly environmentally friendly floor.

#10. Linoleum: An Eco-Friendly Flooring Choice with a Huge Range of Designs

Why does linoleum make our list of eco-friendly flooring options? Because it’s made with 100% biodegradable materials like linseed oil and pine resin!

Marmoleum, one of the most popular modern linoleum brands, boasts the lowest environmental impact of any floor covering out there. Crazy, right?

Pro tip: many people confuse linoleum vs. laminate (and even vinyl)—but they’re very different materials. And on that note…

#11. Vinyl Plank: A Surprisingly Eco-Friendly Floor

We know what you’re thinking: vinyl? Eco-friendly flooring? There’s no way!

But oh yes, friends—the best types of vinyl flooring aren’t just beautiful and durable. They’re sustainable too! Indeed, vinyl is essentially made of plastic, and plastic isn’t environmentally friendly flooring.

But: since vinyl floors can last for decades and are often waterproof, you won’t need to replace them often—or at all. This drastically reduces the carbon footprint involved in replacing and disposing of flooring products.

Many of the best vinyl plank flooring brands come with decades-long or even lifetime warranties. 

Before you settle on a vinyl floor, though, make sure it’s FloorScore-certified.

These products are compliant with the state of California’s VOC emissions standards, which are some of the strictest in the country. That way, you know you’re getting the most environmentally friendly floor possible.

Our advice? Check out brands that only sell low-VOC flooring, like Proximity Mills.

#12. Porcelain and Ceramic Tile: Natural, Environmentally-Friendly Flooring

Porcelain and ceramic tiles have been around for literally thousands of years. Why? They’re made from natural materials (clay, mostly), and they have an incredibly long life cycle. 

That’s right—no VOCs, no formaldehyde, no trees being cut down, no plastic, no nothing. Just clay, glaze, and heat. Talk about environmentally friendly flooring!

And for our friends in hot or humid climates (Florida, we’re looking at you): tile conducts heat better than most other flooring types, which means tile floors lead to lower cooling bills.

#13. PET Carpet: Keeping Plastic Out of Landfills

Not pet, like a dog or cat—we’re talking P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthalate). Yeah, it’s a tongue twister. Stay with us here. What is PET? It’s a strong and stiff synthetic fiber. 

But what makes PET carpet an eco-friendly flooring choice? It’s made from recycled materials! Seriously—some manufacturers use recycled plastics from items like bottles and even tires to make PET carpets. 

#14. Wool Carpet: Durable, All-Natural, Eco-Friendly Flooring

Wool comes right off the sheep, so it’s a product that continuously replenishes itself. This natural fiber option is also stain-resistant and naturally fire-retardant.

There is a catch, though—while wool carpet is durable and renewable, it’s also a little pricey. If you want to incorporate the carpet option without going wall-to-wall, shop for smaller carpet pieces like peel-and-stick carpet tiles.

So: Which Eco-Friendly Flooring Option Is Right for You? 

There are plenty of sustainable flooring options available if you’re looking for a material that’s gorgeous, strong, and environmentally friendly.

We just hope we’ve helped you along in your floor-buying journey!

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention it again: the absolute best way to find the perfect eco-friendly flooring is to talk with a local flooring expert. 

So find a flooring store in your area and get started today!