Calhoun, Ga.—Mohawk Group said it strengthens its commitment to sustainability with the release of seven Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), highlighting its most sustainable products and processes to date. Each EPD covers Mohawk Group’s four commercial carpet tile platforms and three commercial LVT platforms. These latest EPDs generate the largest selection of soft and hard surface flooring options with a net-positive carbon impact, according to the company.
“At Mohawk Group, sustainability is at the core of everything we do,” said Jackie Dettmar, VP of commercial marketing and product development. “We continually challenge ourselves to design and manufacture innovative products with reduced impact on our planet and our people. Getting these product specific EPDs published help our customers reach their sustainability imperatives for the built environment.”
According to the company, an EPD is a comprehensive report disclosing a product’s environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle. These reports are third-party certified by UL and based on international standards. The report includes several environmental impact categories, including Global Warming Potential (GWP). These metrics are broken down into each life stage of the product. The A1-A3 GWP equals the carbon emitted during raw material processing, supply chain transportation and product manufacturing—this is called embodied carbon.
The newly released EcoFlex One is Mohawk Group’s lowest embodied carbon carpet product to date. Alongside this product launch, Mohawk Group said it continues to follow a three-step pathway to Net Positive. First, the company said it has historically measured its footprint and published initial EPDs in 2014. Secondly, the company said its innovative efforts have significantly reduced its carbon footprint, shown by EcoFlex One’s 50% reduction compared to traditional cushioned carpet tile. EcoFlex One is said to be lighter than other cushioned tiles, contains at least 10% post-consumer content and is manufactured in Mohawk’s living site in Glasgow, Va.
As part of the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Living Product Challenge, Mohawk Group said it offsets with credible projects to offer net positive carbon and net positive water. Furthermore, in January 2022, all floor covering products including carpet tile, broadloom, woven, LVT and other resilient surfaces went beyond carbon neutral, meaning an additional 5% carbon offset beyond neutral, for a net-positive impact on the environment, the company said.
Mohawk Group released its first product-specific EPD for its domestic commercial LVT. These products are made in the USA at its closed-loop facility in Dalton, Ga., and boast 100% mass allocated post-industrial recycled content. In addition to making reductions through increased recycled content and manufacturing efficiency, Mohawk Group’s LVT is part of its Beyond Carbon Neutral program. The result is a product that reduces more carbon than it generates throughout its supply chain and manufacturing.
According to the company, these contribute to Mohawk Group’s mission to become net-zero before 2040. On Sept. 27, 2021, Mohawk Group signed The Climate Pledge—a sustainability-driven effort originally cofounded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019. The company joined more than 300 signatories that are also committed to accelerated climate action. By signing the pledge, Mohawk Group said it commits to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions regularly, implement decarbonization strategies and neutralize remaining emissions with permanent and socially beneficial offsets.