Mohawk is in the midst of what it describes as a “Resilient Revolution,” an aggressive category promotion campaign led by its newly launched PureTech collection—a line of environmentally friendly, high-performance waterproof offerings.
Based on early feedback from Mohawk dealers who carry the product, the launch is off to a promising start. “The new Mohawk PureTech product is going to be the hottest product in 2024,” said Don Lovato, owner of Carpet Source USA, Albuquerque, N.M. “It is extremely scratch resistant, truly waterproof and plant-based, which a lot of people will be drawn to. We ordered about five pallets, and we’ve already sold them all—with a good profit.”
Others report similar experiences. Craig Phillips, president/CEO of The Flooring Edge, with three Ohio-based flooring stores, was one of the key customers Mohawk took to Austin, Texas, earlier this year to get a sneak peek at the innovative new product. “I liked it from the moment I saw it,” Phillips said. “I love the story that can be told about this new introduction. As soon as they had the initial inventory ready to go, we took a strong stocking position in it. We have had great selling success with it so far.”
Rick Oderio, president of San Jose, Calif.-based Conklin Bros., was one of the first retailers on the West Coast to preview PureTech. It was in back in October in Monterey, Calif., that Oderio learned not only the specifics of the product in terms of how it’s made, but he also got a glimpse of the marketing push behind the new line and the alliance with Plastic Bank, the company Mohawk is partnering with in sourcing material for the product—material that will be derived from ocean plastic waste and recycled into cores.
“David Katz, the founder of Plastic Bank, made one heck of a presentation,” Oderio recalled. “Based on this experience, I can easily say bravo to Mohawk and Plastic Bank. The partnership between these two companies is inspiring. The product itself has excellent visuals coupled with PVC-free innovation, and the product’s waterproof claims is likely to make quite a splash in the pool of new product introductions. Throw in the Plastic Bank story and this product may just sell itself. Finally, there is innovation in flooring we can get behind.”
Lovato, Phillips and Oderio are not alone. Chris Kemp, owner of Kemp’s Dalton West Flooring in Newnan, Ga., was also impressed with the new PVC-free line. “I really like the new PureTech products,” he told FCNews. “We have been stocking it in three colors. Installers love it as well as customers.”
Selling points
PureTech is a PVC-free rigid core product Mohawk is positioning as a sustainable alternative to WPC and SPC. In fact, Mohawk will market PureTech as its own category—RPC, an acronym for renewable polymer core. “We have seen some evolution from WPC to SPC,” said Seth Arnold vice president, residential marketing. “Now there’s this emerging group [of products] that some call ECO. We believe RPC is the right way of positioning it.”
While PureTech is not the first PVC-free product on the market, one of the ways Mohawk is differentiating theirs is by making it more economically viable for the masses. “PVC-free products tend to be more expensive,” Arnold said. “We have made the deliberate decision to go after that $2.99 to $3.99 retail price point. We want to build this category at the volume portion of the market.”
Also deliberate is to push the sustainable story at a time when environmental concerns are front and center, particularly with Millennials and Gen Z. And it’s an easy story for RSAs to tell. “If you are looking for a resilient floor, we have a PVC-free waterproof product that is made from renewable organic material and 70% recycled content,” Arnold explained. “There is a sensitivity to PVC; PVC-free really resonates.”
What’s more, every purchase of PureTech contributes to stopping ocean plastic in partnership with Plastic Bank. “Studies show 93% of consumers want to do business with a brand that takes a stand on the environment,” Arnold said. “People care about two issues: climate change and ocean plastic. There is 60%-70% awareness of those two problems. In fact, ocean plastic has become a greater concern amongst the general population than climate change. It’s highly emotional. People have a sense of guilt. They know they need to do something.”
