Company Profile: Shaw Floors

The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.

When a company is the largest in its industry, it certainly has the clout to lead by example. This is just what Shaw Floors, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, has set out to do. Collectively known as The Shaw Green Edge, Shaw’s environmental initiatives have embraced the model of “cradle to cradle” resource use, recycling synthetic products that would otherwise be bound for the landfill.

John Bradshaw, Shaw’s Environmental Marketing Manager, recently discussed Shaw’s innovations and plans for the future.

Company Overview

In addition to manufacturing carpet, Shaw produces hardwood, laminate, ceramic and area rugs. Like the recycled Nylon 6 carpet the company produces, many of these products are available in environmentally-friendly options.

History of Shaw Floors

First operating as the Star Dye Company, Shaw has been in business since 1946. Shaw has since grown into a multi-million dollar Fortune 500 company.

Company Eco-Friendliness

Bradshaw says that Shaw’s commitment to the environment continues to grow. The company recycles materials and reduces energy, water and fuel use in manufacturing. It also purchased and continues to operate a previously mothballed carpet recycling facility.

Today, at Shaw’s Evergreen recycling facility in Augusta, Georgia, Nylon 6 carpet from all over the country is collected and recycled. The base material for this carpet is oil, and even with the energy needed for the recycling process and transportation of used carpet, the petroleum savings is significant.

“Most carpet that gets pulled up goes to the flooring store and is thrown in the dumpster,” according to Bradshaw. “We have found a process that takes this post-consumer carpet back to its original state, and we can do it over and over again without losing any of the carpet’s properties. We knew recycling was the right thing to do, and we spent millions of dollars to learn how.”

Shaw now collects up to 300 million pounds of post-consumer carpet per year. In addition, Shaw has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent since 2000 and uses a waste-to-energy system to convert wood and carpet waste into steam that is used to power its manufacturing facilities.

Environmental Trends in the Industry

Bradshaw has seen an emphasis on efficiency from a natural resource standpoint. He says, “If you look at sustainability you need to look at where the resources are coming from and how they are being produced, and since our product is petroleum based, you have a double whammy. It is very important to use resources over and over again.”

He also sees a trend in the industry toward looking for and sharing innovative ways to recycle because of both the environmental and economic benefits. “The more we talk about recycling, the more our company and industry will continue to do the same,” he says.

Importance of Consumers

Consumers can increase demand for recycled products by purchasing flooring that contains post-consumer content. They can complete the loop by ensuring that their old flooring and carpet is recycled whenever possible. Shaw has set up carpet collection sites throughout the country, and you can locate one through the company’s site. You can also find out where to recycle carpet using Earth 911.

Most Exciting Part of Running Shaw Floors

Bradshaw started with a blank slate on carpet recycling, and he and his team at Shaw were able to put carpet recycling on the map. He says, “We feel very strongly about producer responsibility; what we produce, we have to take care of.”

Bradshaw understands that whether through recycling or downcycling, it is important to keep products out of landfills.

Future Plans

The team at Shaw continues to work on ways to recycle all carpet types, as well as ways to reduce energy and water use. Shaw plans to continue to embrace the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, while developing technology that will allow the company and industry to become even more environmentally efficient.

“Environmental responsibility is not just the right thing to do, it is also economically viable,” Bradshaw says.

Favorite of the Three R’s

Bradshaw’s favorite is recycle because “in order for sustainability practices to be mainlined into business philosophies, you have to encourage growth. Recycling, if it’s done properly, will allow us to continue to be good stewards of the resources we’re using.”