Calhoun, Ga.—Mohawk Industries’ commitment to sustainability is year-round, so the company is shifting how it shares its sustainability story with a global audience.
“In the past, we’ve released our CSR on Earth Day, and we compacted a year’s worth of stories into our website along with the data that provides a quantitative evaluation of our progress toward our goals,” said Rami Vagal, Mohawk’s senior manager of sustainability. “We wanted our sustainability site to mirror our philosophy on sustainability. It’s not a once-a-year event; it’s an integral part of all we do 365 days each year.”
Mohawk’s 2019 sustainability report will be released online in May with an overview of the company’s environmental, social and community initiatives as well as a data-intensive assessment of the progress Mohawk is making toward reducing the consumption of natural resources in its operations around the globe.
The company’s detailed sustainability report includes advances toward meeting key goals, including reducing or recycling waste, conserving energy and water and lowering GHG emissions.
“Our reporting remains rigorous,” Vagal said. “We are pleased to update our internal audience and our global community on the progress we achieved during 2019 and to discuss how we will be setting new goals as we increase our internal accountability.”
Additional material will be featured on Mohawk’s sustainability site incrementally throughout 2020 to emphasize the stories behind the numbers, including features on sustainable products, partnerships with local groups that impact the company’s communities and initiatives to maintain safe, healthy and positive workplaces for its 42,000 associates.
“The challenges of COVID-19 have dramatically reinforced the importance of safety and wellness in the workplace,” Vagal said. “Among the many stories we’re eager to share this year is an example of helping the health care professionals on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis by converting part of our rug manufacturing operations into a production center for medical gowns and face shields to help address the shortage of medical supplies. We’re very proud of all of our associates who are participating in this project.”
The statistical highlights that Mohawk will feature in its 2019 sustainability report include:
- 50 zero waste to landfill plants around the globe, a new company record
- 7+ billion recycled plastic bottles transformed through Continuum process into polyester carpet and rugs in 2019
- 6.5+ billion pounds of material diverted from the waste stream
- Declare and Health Product Declaration certifications for EverStrand and Air.o lines
- 300+ Living Product Challenge Petal Certified commercial flooring products
To complement Mohawk’s extensive reporting, a collection of key stories will be posted in May, with dynamic content added throughout the year. The initial group of articles includes three ways Mohawk delivers sustainable products (recycled, bio-based and renewable content), achieving Living Product Certification for collections produced at the company’s Glasgow, Virginia facility, on-site energy production and a celebration of volunteers across the business.
“Mohawk’s industry-leading commitment to sustainability is celebrated through our stories,” Vagal said. “Throughout 2020, we’ll continue to update our sustainability site to introduce people to different ways our processes, products and people are making a difference.”