Sustainability | Carpet
As a major contributor to commercial production and waste cycles, the design and construction industry is focusing ever more on sustainability in new projects. It’s an incredibly important factor, and as designers, we love companies that make it easier for us to specify environmentally-conscious products and take part in sustainability programs.
Carpet is a big industry, and it’s installed into millions of new spaces each year. With that in mind, carpet companies can make a major environmental impact based on what materials they use, how they produce their products, and what sustainability efforts they choose to make. We love companies that take eco-consciousness seriously, so today we’re looking at sustainability in the carpet industry - take a look below to see some amazing companies and their products!
We love companies and products that are committed to reducing or eliminating post-consumer waste, and Shaw is doing just that! The company introduced the first Cradle to Cradle (C2C) flooring product more than 20 years ago, and continues to offer C2C products today. Moreover, their Re[TURN] Reclamation Program has allowed Shaw to reclaim and recycle almost 1 billion pounds of carpet since 2006, much of which has been reused in the production of new flooring products!
Mannington not only creates beautiful carpets, but the company produces them using less energy and resources! They are committed to reducing their environmental footprint, and were one of the original 50 Save Energy Now Leaders (now know as the Better Plants initiative). Mannington has 3.3 acres of solar arrays and has reduced energy intensity by 17% since 2007 - all while doubling their manufacturing sites!
Some of our favorite flooring is from EF Contract, and we love their commitment to reclamation! Their R4 Program was started in 2007, and focuses on the ideas of Return, Reuse, Recycle, & Reduce. Each year more than 60,000 pounds of waste are diverted from landfills through this program!
What sustainable carpets are you loving right now?
Sustainability | Tile
As we all know, there are a lot of sustainable materials and finishes on the market today. One product we find ourselves using constantly is tile, and luckily for us, there are lot of tile manufacturers committed to sustainability! There’s a common misconception that eco-friendly products are substandard to their traditional counterparts, but this is completely false. There are tons of amazing sustainable tile lines available on the market today!
Many beautiful tiles are made with recycled content! The collection seen here are recycled-content tiles from Crossville. In addition to manufacturing these eco-friendly materials, the company also maintained net zero waste consumption at their plants for the last 8 years!
Another initiative we love is Cradle to Cradle (C2C). It promotes materials that can be 100% recycled or upcycled at the end of their life, eliminating waste in a products’ lifecycle. Mosa is the first ceramic tile company to gain Cradle to Cradle Silver certification for the majority of it’s products. We love their commitment to sustainability and their tiles as well!
We’ve always loved using Fireclay Tile’s beautiful products, but more than that Fireclay is a very sustainable company! As a B Corporation, they’re committed to the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance. You can learn more about B-Corps here and see how Fireclay is implementing those values within the company here.
What sustainable tiles do you love to use most?