Dalton, Ga.-based carpet manufacturer and floor covering supplier Shaw Industries Group Inc.’s
EcoMade® rugs have received silver Cradle to Cradle
SM certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), a Charlottesville,
Va.-based sustainable design and product development consultancy.
MBDC’s Cradle to Cradle certification program evaluates products according to established
standards for environmental and human health, recyclability, water and energy efficiency, and
social responsibility. EcoMade rugs are constructed using recycled nylon 6, a closed-loop fiber
that can be repeatedly recycled into new nylon fiber. Post-consumer carpet and rugs made from nylon
6 can be sent to Shaw’s Evergreen Nylon Recycling operation in Augusta, Ga., to be converted into
caprolactum, the basis of this fiber. Shaw has recycled more than 160 million pounds of nylon 6
carpet and rug fiber – more than any other mill in the industry, according to the company.
Consumers may recycle their EcoMade rugs at no cost through Shaw’s complete recycling program.
“We’re honored that Shaw Living is the first rug manufacturer in the industry to have
received this recognition,” said Jeff Brown, vice president, Shaw Living, noting that EcoMade rugs
are the only 100-percent closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle rug currently available. “This certification
simply reinforces our message about the environmental preference of Shaw products.”
April 28, 2009
