Shaw Industries Group, Inc., the world’s largest carpet manufacturer and a leading floor covering provider with more than $5 billion in annual sales, has released its inaugural sustainability report.
Headquartered in Dalton, Ga., Shaw Industries Group manufactures and distributes carpeting, rugs, hardwood, laminate and ceramic tile for residential and commercial product applications worldwide.
The company is a recognized leader in environmental stewardship and has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and cradle to cradle design solutions collectively termed the Shaw Green Edge.
The report reflects Shaw’s long history of investment in sustainable development and the company's fully vertically integrated organizational footprint.
Key highlights for 2008 include:
- Expansion of Shaw’s EcoWorx® Environmental Guarantee program worldwide - the Guarantee pledges that Shaw will take back and recycle its EcoWorx products at the end of their useful lives, at no charge to the customer.
- Availability of environmentally friendly products in all five flooring categories (carpet, area rugs, hardwood, laminate, tile and stone)
- Contributions of more than $2.3 million and countless hours to the United Way by Shaw and Shaw associates
- Announcement of Shaw as one of 240 Founding Members of The Climate Registry
- EPA/CARE Innovations in Recycling award for post-consumer carpet reclamation and recycling program
- Introduction of ClearTouch® PET filament with recycled content from reclaimed plastic bottles
- NSF 140 certification
- Reclamation of more than 244 million pounds of post-consumer carpet
since the launch of Shaw’s carpet collection network – 85% of which was
recycled carpet to carpet.
Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries Group said, “At Shaw, we believe in the importance of substantiating environmental claims as part of good governance, sound business conduct policy, and our long-standing values of honesty, integrity and hard work.”
Echoing similar sentiments,
Rick Ramirez, Shaw vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs said, “Accountability, transparency and disclosure of continuous improvement and progress are basic tenets of corporate sustainability, and our first report provides our stakeholders and customers with substantive evidence of our commitment.”
Other additional progress towards sustainability strategy announced by Shaw include:
- Post-consumer carpet reclamation of more than 250 million pounds
- Construction of a new Re2E energy reclamation facility
- Cradle to CradleCM certification of Shaw’s Epic Hardwood
- Investment in ClearPath Recycling LLC, the largest PET recycling facility in North America
Related LinksShaw Industries Group, IncSustainability Report
