PARIS, June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions for flooring and sports surfaces, will attend the World Economic Forum's ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on 1st-2nd June.

The ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) summit celebrates 25 years of the shaping of the regional agenda in South-East Asia, culminating in the launch of the free trade ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The importance of the region is underlined by the fact that 60% of the world's population lives there and it accounts for a third of the global economy.

The summit will explore the impact of the many challenges facing the region from changing regional economic conditions to new waves of technology disrupting business models, development paths and labour force competitiveness. It will seek to examine ways the region can grow with purpose, giving social inclusion and environmental protection the same priority as competitiveness. Rod Brookes, Managing Director of Tarkett Asia will attend the event and engage in various sessions and meetings, during the two days.

Tarkett joined the World Economic Forum as a Partner Company in January 2016 as a dual member, covering the Global Challenge initiative on the 'Environment and Natural Resource Security' and as an Industry Partner for 'Infrastructure and Urban Development'. The World Economic Forum brings together the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas at international summits.  

"I am delighted to be part of this important summit," says Tarkett Asia Managing Director, Rod Brookes. "At Tarkett, we are committed to delivering environmentally responsible products that contribute to people's health and wellbeing in the built environment. This is an imperative today in the face of fast urbanization, a growing world population and the pressure on natural resources.  I am looking forward to discussing this and other challenges at the meeting."

Across the year, Tarkett takes a full part in research and discussions organized by WEF into the circular economy and also the future of construction worldwide. Recently, it was a contributor to the new WEF report, "Shaping the Future of Construction: A healthy outlook and how to make it a reality", published in April - part of WEF's Industry Agenda project exploring how the engineering and construction sector can drive sustainable business growth.

About Tarkett:

With net sales of 2.7 billion euros in 2015, Tarkett is a global leader in innovative and sustainable solutions for flooring and sports surfaces. Offering a wide range of products including vinyl, linoleum, carpet, rubber, wood & laminate, synthetic turf and athletic tracks, the Group serves customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. With 12,000 employees and 34 industrial sites, Tarkett sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to sustainable development, the Group has implemented an eco‐innovation strategy and promotes circular economy. Tarkett is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A, ticker TKTT, ISIN: FR0004188670). http://www.tarkett.com.

SOURCE Tarkett