The Healthy Flooring Network (HFN) admits to being ‘misled’ over funding for its campaign against carpets following revelations that Swedish laminate flooring company Pergo secretly gave money.
News that Pergo provided a reported £100,000 via intermediary New Harbour, a Swedish environmental consultancy, has challenged the group’s claims of waging an independent campaign for healthy flooring.
The Carpet Foundation, which represents the UK carpet industry, claims the Pergo funding ‘discredits’ HFN and asthma sufferers had been misled into removing their carpets and installing wood floors.
HFN, which backs alternative flooring including wood, has now disassociated itself from New Harbour and will seek funding from alternative sources.
An HFN spokesperson said: ‘The fact remains that all our research was commissioned by us in the UK from experts in different fields with independent laboratories doing chemical analysis, including Dr Jill Warner, a leading specialist in her field of asthma.
‘They did not know about Pergo and we did not know about Pergo. Whatever the Carpet Foundation may suggest we stand by the actual scientific findings.’
During the past year HFN has waged a high profile campaign, targeting the media, schools, local authorities, politicians, retailers and property developers to warn them of what it calls the dangers of carpets and PVC flooring.
Most recently (TTJ August 11/18) HFN called on consumers to share their bad experiences with carpets on its website.
