Jeff West, Shaw Flooring
By Staff -- Library Journal, 09/15/2005
When did Shaw's commitment to sustainable design begin?
In started with our launch of Eco Worx back in 1999. A strong influence on us was Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The challenge for us was to create a sustainable backing for carpet tiles so that the raw materials could be unzipped and plowed back into the regular process. That's the model—to reuse material over and over again. On every tile, we print information about recycling and our 800 number. We'll pick it up anywhere and bring it back to our facility at no cost.
What reception has Eco Worx received?
In the early years we really wondered how far this would go. But while the cost was slightly more, at least when first launched, than traditional PVC backing, we soon realized that the quality was superior. Over time, Eco Worx became the backing of choice. What started as an environmental specialty became mainstream, then our only stream—last year we stopped making PVC. What's the moral? That in doing something good for the earth, you can discover a product that's even better. Just because it is recyclable doesn't mean it will be inferior—it may even perform better.
Jeff West is VP of Marketing, Shaw Contract Group, representing nearly 5000 different color and backing combinations of flooring for institutional settings
