Calhoun, Ga.—Mohawk recently released its fourth annual sustainability report. The interactive report, available exclusively online at mohawksustainability.com, highlights the company’s good choices in 2012 and reaffirms its commitment to global stakeholders. “Our success as a company is defined by the choices we make every day,” said Jeff Lorberbaum, chairman and CEO. “As our global footprint continues to grow, we’ll continue to make responsible choices that bring the most value to our stakeholders, our customers and our people.”
According to William Kilbride, chief sustainability officer, “Across our entire organization, 2012 was a tremendous year of progress in employee wellness and safety as well as in energy, emission and water reduction. We continue to invest in our people, product innovation and process improvements to drive long-term value for our stakeholders and achieve our long-term business goals.”
In 2012, Mohawk received recognition for its good choices from several regional and national organizations. Once again, Newsweek ranked Mohawk the highest among flooring manufacturers in its annual ranking of America’s largest green companies, while the Southeastern Corporate Sustainability Rankings placed the company third among Georgia companies in their 2012 rankings.
“Our goals are aggressive and impactful,” noted Kilbride, “and take substantial effort to achieve. As you’ll see in our report, regardless of the challenges, we remain committed to making choices that will help us accomplish our 2020 goals so that all of our stakeholders win.”
Since the inception of its formal sustainability reports, the mill has adhered to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines and has had its data verified by an independent auditing firm. For the second year in a row, the report meets GRI’s requirement for a B+ application level, which places Mohawk among the leaders in transparency of reporting sustainable practices.
Mohawk remains dedicated to integrity and open communication with all stakeholders. For the fourth consecutive year, the company has enlisted FIRA as its report assurance provider. Headquartered in the Netherlands, FIRA is a global company that ensures all sustainability data and claims are analyzed and validated.
Highlights from Mohawk’s 2012 sustainability report:
- Repurposed more than 29 million pounds of recycled crumb rubber—the equivalent of 1.45 million rubber tires—to create beautiful door mats;
- Recycled approximately three billion plastic soda bottles to manufacture EverStrand carpet;
- Wellness initiatives around nutrition and exercise saw a combined 8,500 pounds lost by participants;
- Earned a Top 5 designation in Training magazine’s annual Top 125 rankings;
- Invested millions of dollars in our communities through employee and company contributions to local and national charitable organizations;
- Diverted more than one billion pounds of foam trim from landfills since 2005 to create first quality carpet cushion;
- In 2012, recycled nearly five million pounds of glass into fashionable tile products, and
- Reduced water usage by 30%, or nearly 1.3 billion gallons, since 2008.