DALTON, GA - Shaw Industries recently announced that the company has expanded its Environmental Guarantee, worldwide. Introduced nearly 10 years ago, the Environmental Guarantee pledges that Shaw will take back its tile and broadloom products backed with EcoWorx at the end of their useful lives and recycle back into new EcoWorx carpet backing.
Extending the Guarantee beyond the continental United States helps ensure an economically and environmentally viable alternative for all Shaw customers, according to Shaw vice president of sustainability Rick Ramirez. "It's also in keeping with our Cradle-to- CradleSM design philosophy, which includes taking responsibility for our products at the end of their useful lives."
"Cradle-to-Cradle products such as EcoWorx carpet backing are designed to be collected, deconstructed and remanufactured back into new product at the end of their useful life. We want customers to return their used EcoWorx product to us because we can turn it back into new EcoWorx over and over again, reducing our demand for new raw materials in the process," adds Ramirez.
The decision to take the guarantee global comes in response to growing demand from Shaw's worldwide customer base for help closing the loop with carpet reclamation and recycling, according to Shaw vice president of commercial sales and marketing Tim Baucom. "Questions regarding a product's sustainability-especially when it comes to what happens to a product at the end of its useful life-are not limited to the U.S. building industry," notes Baucom. "As Shaw's global presence continues to expand, so have the needs of our customers.
"The Environmental Guarantee is a great opportunity to assure customers within and beyond the U.S. that choosing a Shaw EcoWorx backed product means choosing a product that does not need to be landfilled at the end of its useful life-and that Shaw is providing an easy, convenient means of making sure those products are truly recycled," he adds.
The first of its kind in the industry, the guarantee states that Shaw Industries Inc. guarantees the transportation and recycling of any tile or broadloom carpet made with EcoWorx backing at no cost to customers within the United States, Canada and Mexico.
All other international locations will incur transportation costs from their site to the nearest international port, from which point Shaw then guarantees the transportation costs and recycling expenses.
To make taking advantage of the guarantee as easy as possible, the back of all EcoWorx products are printed with a toll-free number for customers to call for collection and recycling.
About EcoWorx
EcoWorx is a Cradle-to-Cradle-certified backing for tile and broadloom carpet, containing 40 percent recycled content and 10 percent post-consumer recycled content, respectively. Introduced in 1999, EcoWorx was first developed as a replacement for traditional carpet tile backing made from PVC. Today, EcoWorx technology is used exclusively for all Shaw tile and is available for broadloom.
About Shaw Industries
Shaw Industries Group Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is one of the world's largest carpet manufacturers and a leading floor covering provider with approximately 29,000 associates. Headquartered in Dalton, GA, the company manufactures and distributes carpeting, rugs, hardwood, laminate, and ceramic tile for residential and commercial applications worldwide. A recognized leader in environmental stewardship, Shaw has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and Cradle-to-Cradle design solutions, collectively termed the Shaw Green Edge. For more information, visit www.shawfloors.com.
