With newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet telling stories about the environment every day, have you ever wondered what types of environmental programs Mohawk Industries has to not only lessen its manufacturing footprint but help end users lessen theirs? Are you curious to see what its environmental philosophy is? Want to find out about the mill’s latest eco-friendly products? Do you have a story to tell about or want to comment on one of Mohawk’s green products or programs?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then look no further than Greenworks, a program by Mohawk that puts all its environmental projects under a single umbrella, making it easier for the company and society to showcase, communicate and discuss what is happening.

In addition to putting its programs under one roof, Greenworks is also about communication and interaction. To get the latest on Mohawk’s eco initiatives, simply visit www.mohawkgreenworks.com. To post a comment on environmental matters or to ask the company a question relating to its green programs, go to www.greenworksblog.com—a blog that allows Mohawk to explain its programs and readers to ask questions that will be answered by key Mohawk staff members.

Frank Endrenyi, Mohawk’s vice president of sustainable development, said Greenworks was developed as a vehicle to allow consumers, dealers, employees and others to better understand the full scope of Mohawk’s environmental efforts. “It’s easy to say you’re green,” he explained. “It’s a lot more difficult to actually be green. Greenworks is an umbrella program that is designed to help people understand how much effort goes into this process and how it impacts every level of our company.”

Greenworks not only covers the spectrum of environmental practices—“the 5 Rs” as Endrenyi says: recycle, renew, reuse, recover and reduce—it is a platform that gives Mohawk a single voice for communicating its myriad of environmental programs globally as well as allowing the company to get feedback directly from end users.

This is important, he explained, as the environment and how companies interact with it is becoming increasingly important to the general public. How much so? “In 2004, 21% [of U.S. voters] said they voted for candidates in part based on their environmental records.”

Growing awareness

Want more? Surveys of customers also show that half worry more about environmental issues than they did five years ago, and 59% said they are “somewhat or extremely likely” to purchase a carpet or flooring product that is environmentally acceptable. These figures are only going to grow in the years ahead, Endrenyi noted as 99% of schoolchildren in the country now have access to environmental classes.

“With these figures in mind, we as a company need to have answers for consumers,” he explained. “And we need to provide our dealers with the information they will need to address the environment.”

This is where the two Web sites come into play. “[They] put us into a position where we can have some sustained conversations with consumers and dealers,” Endrenyi said. “We are truly looking forward to doing this because we believe we have some good things to say.”

As you browse through the Greenworks Web site and blog, and see the myriad of environmental programs, initiatives, products and undertakings within the Mohawk world you will quickly realize that Endrenyi’s last comment may just be the understatement of the century.