Shaw Industries
As the world’s largest recycler of post-consumer carpet, David Wilkerson, corporate director of sustainability and product stewardship, and Rick Ramirez, vice president of sustainability, said Shaw is continually looking for innovative ways of reducing waste, improving manufacturing processes and preserving natural resources.”
In 2008, Shaw pledged to the U.S. Department of Energy to reduce energy intensity by 25% by 2017. Cornerstone to this commitment is a joint venture announced last April with DAK Americas named Clear Path Recycling in Fayetteville, N.C. Scheduled to open next month, it will be the largest PET recycling operation in North America, recycling 280 million pounds annually once at full capacity.
“By recycling 280 million pounds of PET bottles, over 1 million cubic yards per year of land- fill space will be saved,” Ramirez said. In addition, annual energy savings versus the cost to polymerize virgin PET amounts to approximately 2.5 trillion BTUs, equal to the amount of primary energy necessary to power 18,000 U.S. homes per year.
Wilkerson added, “Conserving PET bottles and energy through Clear Path brings new life to Shaw’s ClearTouch bulk continuous filament PET carpet. Through the joint venture, new styles will be added to the collection, offering more environmental value for Shaw customers.” The stage for this is already set, he explained. “Last year, Shaw announced that millions of pounds of bottles were used to manufacture ClearTouch carpets. And last month, ClearTouch earned 25% post-consumer recycled content designation from UL Environment.
Beyond Clear Path, Ramirez said Shaw’s sustainability philosophy was made transparent in 2008 with its first Sustainability Report, outlining sustainable efforts within the company up to hat point. The document “demonstrates Shaw’s commitment to leadership… and the belief that sustainability and innovation are not only inextricably linked—they are the only two guarantors of long-term success in our sustainability journey.”
-Matthew Spieler