Shaw Industries Wins GPEC 2006 Environmental Award
04.25.2006
Dalton, GA - Shaw Industries' Commercial Division received the Environmental Stewardship Award in the Design for Sustainability™category at the 2006 Global Plastics Environmental Conference on March 1, 2006. The award was presented by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for creating and commercializing an innovative sustainable plastic product through its EcoWorx® backing. EcoWorx is a carpet tile backing constructed of thermoplastic polyolefin. The backing has been optimized through the MBDC protocol, ensuring its materials are safe for human health and the environment. As a cradle-to-cradle product, EcoWorx can be recycled in a continuous loop, back into its original use instead of being landfilled. EcoWorx also is a recipient of the EPA - sponsored Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. Shaw's EcoWorx carpet tile has less mass and has less embodied energy than traditional PVC carpet tiles, while maintaining equal or greater performance. Shaw exited PVC carpet tile production in 2004 as a result of the outstanding market success of EcoWorx. The criteria for evaluating the SPE award nominees include:
• Must be commercially adopted or accepted
• Demonstrates leadership in the areas of plastics and environment
• Demonstrates creativity, originality, and technological innovation
• Creates new markets that will benefit the environment
• Generates significant economic impact and value
• Contributes to the solution of environmental issues and improves quality of life.
"We are very pleased to receive this recognition from SPE. We are proud to offer an innovative product like EcoWorx to the carpet tile market. This product puts our customers in a win/win situation where they can be good stewards of the environment while getting an exceptional value in their flooring purchase," said Jim Andrews, plant manager of Shaw's state-of-the-art carpet tile facility.
