Dalton—When it comes to environmental stewardship, there is little argument the flooring industry is at the forefront when compared to other trades. Up until now, the focus has been in producing products for commercial use and reducing the use of natural resources during the manufacturing process.

Within this context, Shaw Industries has led the way in both areas, from reducing greenhouse emissions by over 90% per square yard of production to its EcoWorx carpet tile products which received numerous honors, including the 2003 Environmental Protection Agency’s Presidential Green Chemistry Award for “discovering innovative ways to significantly reduce pollution at its sources and for use of chemistry to improve the environment.”

“We’ve been doing the right thing for years,” said Vance Bell, Shaw’s CEO, “especially on the manufacturing and commercial sides where we are recognized as a leader in many areas. Now is the time to establish that same position in residential.”

With that, the company announced that in 2007 it will become the first mill to offer environmentally friendly carpet for residential use as all Anso nylon products will contain post-consumer recycled content. These products will also contain a label letting consumers know the carpet is recyclable. In addition, Shaw will launch Epic, a hardwood floor in which the veneer uses up to two-thirds less harvested wood than comparable solid and engineered products. Plus, its core is made from wood fiber that comes from the manufacture of other products and, it comes from managed forests. (Editor’s note: FCNews will highlight these and other 2007 Shaw introductions in future issues.)

Shaw feels the timing is right thanks to new innovations at the manufacturing level combined with rising public interest in wanting to do the right thing in order to help protect the environment.

“Green is mainstream,” Bell explained. “We continue to see a tidal wave across corporate America for more sustainable products and in individuals wanting to buy them. Builders are asking for them as well and if you don’t have an answer for them, they will look elsewhere.”

These two initiatives are part of an overriding theme called the “Shaw Green Edge,” a term the company will use for what is considered one of the nation’s most aggressive environmental programs.

In fact, Randy Merritt, Shaw’s president, noted Green Edge encompasses more than 100 environmental initiatives with which the company is currently involved, plus future endeavors. “This is not something we are just doing; it is what we are about.”

Both Bell and Merritt made a point of saying being focused on the environment is simply one of Shaw’s core values, and the Green Edge program will tie together the company’s other core components of honesty, integrity and hard work.

“This is a long-term investment in environmental solutions,” Bell said. “We have worked very hard for many years to be on the forefront of environmentally responsible business practices. However, there is still much to be done. Shaw Green Edge demonstrates our commitment to creating long-term environmental solutions with an immediate focus on discovering ways to improve our day-to-day processes and lowering the environmental impact of flooring.”

Merritt said along with the core values, innovation plays a large role in the Green Edge commitment because products must provide “real solutions for real problems backed by scientific answers—not just talk.”

He pointed to the company’s award-winning programs for reducing waste, which include winning the 2006 California Waste Reductions Awards Program (WRAP) in honor of its efforts to reduce waste at its California facilities.

“We thought we were good at reducing waste,” Merritt explained, “but new innovations show just how much better we can be.”

He cited the company’s ability to create colors without using harmful chemicals or how it can make twice the amount of product with a gallon of water than it did just a few years back as two initiatives where new innovations played an important role.

Shaw’s energy reductions program has been so good Bell said it is on a pace to hit “a world-class 3% annual reduction in energy use per square yard of carpet.”

All of Shaw’s 100-plus Green Edge initiatives are part of the company’s ultimate goal of leaving no footprint on the planet, other than its reputation for quality, professionalism and so forth. The end result is what is called cradle-to-cradle. This means synthetic products can be collected and returned to manufacturing the original product over and over without any loss of performance when compared to the virgin material.

It is with this knowledge that Merritt called many of Shaw’s initiatives “transitional strategies. Until we get to the point where the process is cradle-to-cradle, the job isn’t finished. These are starting points or steps along the way to achieving ultimate success.

“The fact is,” he explained, “the word sustainable, is probably the most abused word when it comes to environmental talk. Most products termed sustainable can be turned into other products, thus delaying their trip to the landfill. While this eases the pressure on landfills, they will eventually get there. So these are what we call less bad than what was before. But that is not what sustainable really means.”

According to “Webster’s New World College Dictionary,” sustainable is “characterized by a practice that sustains a given condition...without destroying or depleting natural resources, polluting the environment, etc.”

So, using this definition, most products termed sustainable are not as the natural resources within them eventually find their way to the landfill. Shaw’s 2007 Anso introductions will be examples of products that are truly sustainable (cradle-to-cradle) in that each of their components can be broken down and turned back to the same finished products without a loss of quality.

And, the good news for retailers and consumers, is this is all done without adding to the overall cost of the product. “Consumers want to do the right thing when it comes to purchasing environmentally friendly products,” Bell said, “but economic conditions and performance loss have made it a slow process. When all is equal, she will purchase the environmentally friendly product, and that is what we have done with Anso nylon.”

Shaw’s Green Edge efforts are not just being recognized with government awards. Bill McDonough, a world-famous environmentalist and architect and author of “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,” called Shaw a world leader. “We are at a critical moment in industrial history and Shaw is at the forefront.

“The idea is to eliminate the concept of waste by recycling synthetic materials again and again,” he added. “With a population of 6.4 billion, humans will need to continuously recycle these technical nutrients in order to celebrate abundance and avoid the cradle-to-grave practices of the past. Shaw’s green efforts help contribute not only to a better industry, but a better world.”

Even world famous billionaire Warren Buffett, who heads Berkshire Hathaway, Shaw’s parent, likes what he sees. “There is only one planet Earth, and how well we do is how well we behave. The planet will not conform to us—we have to conform to it. This takes a world effort and cooperation, but we can’t sit around and wait. It wasn’t raining when Noah started on the Ark. We have to think ahead, and I’m proud of Shaw and what it is doing and accomplishing in this area.”

Both Bell and Merritt conceded that while the company has made great strides in its environmental programs over the last 21 years, it has been relatively quiet in letting both the industry and general public know about it.

Green Edge changes that as it will not only act as the umbrella term for Shaw’s environmental programs, “it will be used to communicate the company’s position as the undisputed industry leader in environmental stewardship.”

As proof, Shaw will be launching a dedicated Green Edge Web site before the end of the month to promote and push environmental awareness. Shaw felt this was the best place to begin because research shows the Internet has become her primary source of information and its use is still growing. Consumers will be able to access the Web site through a link at the company’s consumer portal, www.shaw floors.com.