Shaw has introduced its first Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold (V3.1) flooring products, representing the latest in the company’s sustainability achievements.
The company has long been committed to Cradle to Cradle® design and its focus on material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship and social fairness. Shaw’s EcoWorx®-backed carpet tile (introduced in 1999) was the first flooring to ever be Cradle to Cradle Certified® and was one of the first products from any industry to obtain that achievement. Today, almost 90 percent of the products the company manufactures are Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze, Silver or now Gold.
“At Shaw, we take a people-centric approach to sustainability -- what we call sustain[HUMAN]ability®,” noted Kellie Ballew, vice president of global sustainability at Shaw. “We are proud of this latest step in our continued journey to create a better future and a better world, a world in which we collectively value and invest in the wellbeing and the success of all people and our planet.”
The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold Reverse carpet tile collection is being offered by Patcraft, a Shaw Industries brand and leader in high-performance commercial flooring. The collection uses a carefully curated selection of materials to meet stringent standards for sustainable products.
“As we push ourselves to innovate both our products and processes, we are excited to launch Reverse, as it embodies our commitment to sustainable design and to a design process that connects our inner spaces with our outer world,” said Shannon Cochran, vice president of marketing and design for Patcraft.
The functionality of the styles within Reverse make them suitable for a variety of end use spaces, especially spaces that aim to not just include beautiful, high performing flooring, but seek products that are deemed safe and sustainable through the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program.
The Reverse collection is constructed with EcoSolution Q100TM yarn, which is a yarn system that offers 100 percent post-industrial recycled content allocated from waste minimization and collection efforts. Using this yarn in conjunction with EcoWorx® backing creates a lower, overall embodied carbon footprint for the product, which is reflected in the EC3 tool. Products are manufactured with EcoWorx® backing, which can be recycled at the end of their useful life and made into more EcoWorx® flooring through Patcraft’s re[TURN]® Reclamation Program. The Reverse collection is carbon neutral through the purchase of verified carbon offsets, and it is manufactured in a carbon neutral manufacturing facility. Products are backed with limited lifetime warranties against stain, colorfastness to light, static and abrasive wear for maximum performance and appearance retention.