Shaw Industries has been recognized for the "Best Sustainability by a Manufacturing Company" from the radio show "Energy Matters."
Tim Echols, vice chair of the state's Public Service Commission, presented the Energy Matters award to the Dalton, Georgia-based carpet company in recognition of its recycling efforts in the production of floorcoverings. Shaw recycles old carpets and produces new ones with recycled plastic bottles and other plastics in its manufacturing process.
"Shaw's leadership in sustainability is a model for companies across Georgia," Echols said in an award announcement. "We are proud to have them in our state and look forward to further innovations."
Since 2006, Shaw has reclaimed almost 1 billion pounds of carpet, including its EcoWorx backed carpet tile which is made and recycled in Bartow County, Georgia and turned into carpet at manufacturing facilities in Adairsville and Cartersville. EcoWorx became the first product in the world in 2021 to achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver under the new, more rigorous version of the standard.
Additionally, in 2021 Shaw Industries introduced a revolutionary new flooring platform constructed with 30% post-consumer recycled bottles, taking waste bottles and recycling them into highly durable flooring. Each square yard of this product, known as ReWorxTM, contains an average of 61 post-consumer plastic bottles and is recyclable back into itself.
"Recognizing the connection between the ingredients that go into our products and the health and wellbeing of the planet and its people, our strategy puts people at the heart of all we do," Kellie Ballew, vice president of global sustainability at Shaw, said in the company's sustainability report.
Shaw is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and has more than $6 billion in annual revenue and over 20,000 employees worldwide.
- Compiled by Dave Flessner