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European Producers of Laminate Flooring Association e.V.

EPLF

The Association of the European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF), established in 1994, is an association incorporated under German law (Registration No.

Lobbying Activity

Response to European strategy for housing construction

18 Sept 2025

The Association of the European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) welcomes the European Commission's call for evidence on the European Strategy for Housing Construction, as part of the European Affordable Housing Plan. The laminate flooring sector stands ready to directly support the EUs objectives of ensuring affordable and sustainable housing in Europe. To this end, this contribution stresses the importance of recognizing and promoting wood-based construction materials as a key enabler of the Housing Construction Strategy. Laminate flooring is sustainable and affordable. Made by wood coming from sustainably managed forestry and crooked wood from road maintenance, laminate is a viable alternative to fossil based or non-renewable materials. As such, it plays an important role in the cascading use of wood. Acting as a carbon capture mechanism, laminate also contributes to decarbonisation: on average, the sector captures over 200k tonnes of CO2 each year, removing carbon from the atmosphere for min 25 years. Designed to be a durable and affordable choice for buildings, laminate flooring can contribute to long-term cost savings and improved efficiency. Thanks to its user-friendly installation processes, such as the click system it is easy and fast to install and uninstall, providing flexibility for users and reducing the need for extensive labour, resources, and waste at end-of-life. With a minimum reference service life is of 25 years, and some companies in the sector offering lifetime warranties, such longevity reduces the need for frequent replacements, thereby minimising waste and maintenance costs, contributing to long-lasting housing in Europe. In light of the huge sustainability and affordability potential of laminate flooring, the EPLF calls for a Housing Construction Strategy that addresses the following aspects: 1. Unlock economic incentives for wood-based value chains through EU funding and public procurement: Revising the criteria for public procurement presents an excellent opportunity to boost investments into the production of all our homes foundation, in particular for wood-based construction materials. To this end, the EAHP should review and amend the Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, including the mandatory use of materials that bring a high climate mitigation potential, such as wood-based carbon-storing products. 2. Promote Made in Europe housing: The laminate producing companies play a vital role in creating approximately 100,000 jobs and at least the double in indirect jobs in the EU, particularly in rural European areas where employment opportunities can be limited. With over 20 production facilities and operations across Europe, we not only provide stable employment but also contribute to the economic vitality of local communities. We source 95% of our materials within the EU and often within a 250 km radius. This reinforces our commitment to strengthening the economic fabric of European communities while reducing our carbon through minimised transportation emissions. 3. Remove regulatory and standardisation barriers: Our sector is currently threatened by regulatory and standardization barriers. To safeguard the competitiveness of European laminate flooring manufacturers, it is essential to establish a level playing field and create a true EU single market for our products in the face of different national approaches (e.g., on the lifetime of our product). A deep regulatory simplification and streamlining is also needed. 4. Protect against unfair competition from other products and regions: Competitiveness is the backbone of Europe and among the major objectives of the European Institutions. Looking at the construction sector, EU policymakers should address flooring imports from Asia that may not meet the same environmental and ethical standards, creating negative impacts not only for our industry but for the whole EU economy. Please find attached a more detailed position paper.
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Meeting with Borja Giménez Larraz (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

4 Jun 2025 · Housing Crisis in the EU

Response to Review of the Construction Products Regulation

12 Jul 2022

The European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) endorses the Construction Products Europe (CPE) position paper on the revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which has already been submitted to the European Commission's online consultation. In this document, CPE acknowledges the release of the long-awaited EC proposal for a new Construction Products Regulation which aims at resolving the implementation issues impacting the industry and that have regularly been brought to the attention of the EC. CPE is pleased to submit comments to this proposal which hopefully will meet the objectives set by the Green Deal, provided the whole system tabled is simple and easy to understand for all players along the construction value chain. CPE welcomes the following principles put forward in the EC proposal: • Underpinning the Single Market for construction products • Including circularity principles and environmental sustainability objectives • Setting standardisation at the core • Reinforcing the CE marking of construction products • Facilitating information exchange along the value chain with digitalisation • Clarifying EADs/ETAs development procedures • Strengthening the role of market surveillance authorities. Alongside these positive aspects, there are, however, a number of issues of concern that this position paper brings to the attention of the European Commission: 1. Scope of the Regulation 2. Aspects related to digitalisation 3. Principle of good governance 4. Standardisation 5. Obligations for manufacturers 6. Focus on environmental obligations and sustainability principles 7. Implementation of the legal framework 8. Harmonised zone 9. Complaint Portal 10. Inherent Safety products requirements 11. Products Information Requirements 12. Assessment and Verification Systems (Annex V) CPE will however continue to engage in a constructive dialogue with the co-legislators to deliver a system that takes into consideration the needs of all construction value chain stakeholders. A detailed version of this contribution is enclosed for your consideration.
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