Commercial flooring maker Tandus said it has finalized a five-year, $83 million deal to provide flooring for the largest community college district in the U.S. The agreement with the Los Angeles Community College District, which oversees nine colleges in L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, gives Tandus exclusive rights to supply environmentally sustainable contract carpeting for all construction projects in the district. According to Tandus, the deal is the “largest such contract awarded, as well as the most environmentally sustainable [agreement], in the history of the flooring industry.”

According to Glen Hussmann, president and ceo of the Dalton, Ga.-based company, Tandus won the supply contract when it demonstrated that it could meet California’s strict “Gold Platinum Standards” and offer a sustainable warranty. He added that environmental concerns were a major priority for school officials.

School official Larry Eisenberg noted that the contract with Tandus is in keeping with the LACCD’s mission to provide a “better quality of life” for students.

Additional criteria used to meet the district’s sustainability guidelines included: third party certification ensuring that no antimicrobials have been added to the products, third party environmentally preferred product certification, meeting all U.S. Federal Trade Commission guidelines for environmental marketing, the use of backing materials containing no less than 40 percent recycled content, and face yarns containing at least 10 percent recycled content.