Products

The Mohawk Group ups contract carpet’s environmental ante

by Lewis Perkins

Six billion lbs. of discarded carpet weigh heavy on North American landfills every year, a staggering statistic that is helping propel an industry-wide initiative to trim down carpet’s burden on the environment and ensure a more sustainable future. In an effort to advance this mission, The Mohawk Group (Mohawk) has made several significant investments in state-of-the-art technologies that have already proven valuable steps forward in dramatically minimizing waste while maximizing the lifecycle of its products. Mohawk’s GreenWorks Center, SMART book and Encycle backing system are not only reducing the company’s own environmental footprint, but also that of its customers and the entire industry.

Green at work Affirming Mohawk’s design-for-the-environment mantra, the company officially opened the doors to its first-of-its-kind GreenWorks Center in November 2007. An innovative, scalable carpet recycling facility, GreenWorks Center is not only the first to process all major types of synthetic carpet fiber—accounting for 90 percent of the nation’s post-consumer carpet waste—but also the only recycling program to recover 90 percent of those materials into useable products. Regardless of manufacturer, yardage or yarn system, the Center works with the C.A.R.E. (Carpet America Recovery Effort) initiative and Mohawk’s own ReCover reclamation program to reclaim all major types of synthetic fiber – Nylon 6, Nylon 6,6, and Polypropylene. Leveraging advanced recycling technology, GreenWorks Center will process 100 percent of the carpet it receives, including fiber, backing and latex, and it will also manage a variety of thermoplastic non-carpet recyclables. The majority of recycled material processed at the Center will go “carpet to carpet”—face fiber to backing, backing to backing, and in the near future face fiber to face fiber. Ensuring that minimal materials go to waste, the Center will process a percentage of the materials to be used in Engineered Resins that are shipped to Mohawk’s Engineered Resin partners. This material can then be used to produce chair components, consumer accessory products for lawn equipment, storage containers and hundreds of other valuable plastic components containing post consumer content (electrical outlets, hub caps, gears, engine components, etc.).

GreenWorks is the carpet recycling facility of The Mohawk Group.

Recycling carpet can be a time-consuming and costly process, particularly when adding up the fuel costs amid rising gasoline prices for transporting carpeting to designated reclamation facilities across the country. The real beauty of GreenWorks is its flexibility—Mohawk can bring its recycling technology right to the carpet. And furthering the environmental efficiency of the entire process, recyclers can keep fuel and transportation costs down by strategically locating their operations close to GreenWorks processing centers.

Backing carpet’s future

Lees Carpets takes contract interiors on an exciting journey across the U.S. with its new Sojourn Collection, a refined medley of broadloom and modular carpet that bridges aesthetic appeal and application with multi-dimensional textures and sophisticated colors.

One of the reasons carpet is historically challenging and costly to recycle is because most carpet must be separated (face fibers from backing) before recycling is possible. Additionally, most traditional carpet backing systems incorporate PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a component that limits effecive recycling. Answering this challenge while setting a new standard for sustainable carpeting, Mohawk introduced Encycle, an innovative PVC-free modular carpet backing system. Designed with three 100 percent thermoplastic layers and zero water-based components, Encycle is the only carpet tile that is completely recyclable back into itself without separation. Using advanced extrusion technology, which melts the plastic into liquid sheets, Encycle products can be “thermally re-activated” or melted into new Encycle backing without ever separating the face fibers from the backing layers.

Encycle products also incorporate 35 percent pre-consumer recycled content by total product weight, and are completely impervious to moisture—before and after installation. And, incorporating 28 percent less virgin raw materials than its previous generation PVC modular carpet, Encycle weighs less, a benefit that accrues to more ergonomic installation and reduced shipping and fuel charges—saving energy, time and money.

Making the grade

Mohawk is a firm believer that sustainability is not a pass/fail course; it’s a lifelong lesson in environmental responsibility. With this in mind, Mohawk developed an intelligent alternative to conventional samples books. The SMART book, which aptly stands for Sustainable Materials and Responsible Technology, is a revolutionary approach in the creation and distribution of carpet samples that minimizes waste and saves energy.

While commercial carpeting options are growing, design firms’ sample libraries are getting smaller. The SMART book is designed to not only take up less space, but also to be easily and quickly updated—significantly extending its shelf life. A strategic blend of carpet and high-definition photography, the SMART book uses 63 percent fewer virgin raw materials, helping to reduce design waste by minimizing the necessity for physical carpet samples. Weighing in at less than two lbs., the SMART book is more than half the weight of traditional samples books, which accrues to less oil and fuel needed to produce and ship the product. In fact, each SMART book conserves enough energy to power up to four U.S. households for an entire year. Further, by primarily leveraging high-resolution digital images to create fully accurate photo reproductions of the carpet patterns, colorways and installation options, the SMART book helps save up to four quarts of oil per book by simply diminishing the amount of tufted carpet material required.

The SMART book uses 63 percent fewer virgin raw materials, helping to reduce design waste by minimizing the necessity for physical carpet samples.

In 2006 alone, Mohawk produced over 600,000 sample books. Using the SMART book will not only reduce the number of sample books needed in the years ahead, but it will help drive down costs, save energy and maximize efficiencies today. Made of 100 percent recyclable chipboard, even the SMART book itself is environmentally friendly. It also contains pre- and post-consumer content.

Closing the loop

Clearly, the commercial carpet industry is marking a steady shift from resource-dependent practices to dematerialization design—reducing design waste by improving energy and resource efficiencies, while increasing the reuse and recycling of its products. Just as important, specifiers are taking an increasingly active part by consciously choosing manufacturers who continue to thread sustainable practices into everything they do— from environmentally friendly products to social responsibility.
 
Above all, manufacturers, specifiers and facilities are reinforcing their commitment to the communities in which we live and work. Mohawk, including its four brands Karastan Contract, Lees Carpets, Bigelow Commercial and Durkan Hospitality, is a pioneer in the design of sustainable carpeting and continues to drive environmentally sound practices inside and outside of its facilities. The GreenWorks Center, Encycle backing and SMART book sampling vehicle are just three examples of its eco-friendly efforts to help ensure a more sustainable future.

Lewis Perkins is the director of environmental strategies for The Mohawk Group. For more information about Mohawk and its sustainability initiatives, visit www.MohawkGreenWorks.com

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Flooring has sustainable attributes

JACKSON, Miss. – The Armstrong floor plant in Jackson, Miss., is the first in the nation to manufacture Armstrong’s innovative BioBased Tile™, a new flooring made with patent-pending technology that reduces the use of fossil fuel. The first product in the BioBased Tile line, MIGRATIONS™, is available now in the United States for commercial applications.

Armstrong MIGRATIONS™ BioBased Tile is made from limestone and a binder that uses Armstrong’s proprietary polymer BioStride™, made from domestically grown corn, a rapidly renewable resource. The BioStride polymer replaces petroleum polymers, made from limited natural resources with polymers made from rapidly renewable ingredients. Armstrong BioBased Tile also uses 10% pre-consumer recycled material, diverting waste that would otherwise go to landfills.

MIGRATIONS BioBased Tile is FloorScore™ certified to meet or exceed the nation’s most stringent indoor air quality requirements for low emissions of volatile organic compounds. It also contributes to the U.S. Green Building Council’s credits for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. For more information, visit www.armstrong.com

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Clicking to green

ORLANDO, Fla. and PORTLAND, Ore. – The Green Electronic Council and Channel Intelligence have entered an alliance to provide wider availability of information on products compliant with the EPEAT standard.

EPEAT-registered products meet 23 mandatory environmental performance criteria. EPEAT is a required specification for federal purchasers of electronics.

This alliance will promote understanding and use of green electronics. For more information, see http://epeat.net/Docs/GEC-CI%20Alliance%20FINAL%20(2).pdf

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Guide outlines LEED design

LANCASTER, Penna. – ECORE International, manufacturer of ECOsurfaces commercial flooring, has introduced a guide that explains how ECOsufaces products can contribute to obtaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. The instructional 12-page booklet, "ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring & LEED," describes how the product line meets stringent criteria required to earn points under two of the six categories of LEED. For more information, see www.regupol.com/site/news.asp

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Reduce your furniture footprint

STEVENAGE, UK – The Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) has developed a Furniture FootprinterTM to help companies within the furniture supply chain to reduce their carbon footprints.
More sophisticated than a simple carbon calculator, the next generation carbon and ecological accounting tool is geared towards the issues facing the furniture sector, and calculates the footprints of specific products, projects, processes and whole organizations.

The easy to use, cost effective, secure, web-based tool is compatible with existing and emerging national and international standards. It is accessible to multiple users within an organization and is supported by accurate, comprehensive data, which are retained on the system to allow ongoing analysis.
The main features of Furniture FootprinterTM are

• calculates the carbon and ecological footprints of products, processes, projects, and companies;
• compares the impacts of different product or project options;
• identifies areas where significant improvements can be made;
• creates easy to understand reports and charts;
• helps to raise employee awareness;
• demonstrates continuous improvement; and
• stores data and is continuously updated to reflect the latest footprint figures.

The Furniture FootprinterTM has been created using a model devised by Best Foot Forward, which has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development and has worked on footprinting projects with organisations such as GlaxoSmithKline, the NHS, Virgin Trains and the rock band Radiohead. BFF already has a presence in the furniture sector having worked closely with manufacturers Herman Miller and Orangebox. For more information, see www.fira.co.uk/

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Dri-Eaz compact air scrubber removes harmful particulates

BURLINGTON, Wash. – The DefendAir HEPA 500 air scrubber from Dri-Eaz improves indoor air quality (IAQ) by removing harmful particulates, odor-causing molecules and worksite dust and debris.  The HEPA 500 is compact, lightweight, and features a built-in, balanced handle for easy, one-person transport from room to room.

The HEPA 500 uses high efficiency air filtration technology to remove particulates from the air – including anything from allergans (such as pollen and pet dander) to mold spores.  An optional carbon filter captures odor-causing gas molecules and harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

The durable, rotomolded HEPA 500 features built-in MICROBAN® antimicrobial product protection to inhibit growth of bacteria, mold and mildew.  The unit can be stacked vertically or laid down horizontally for operation – or stacked horizontally for space-saving storage and easy transport on a hand truck. For more information, see www.dri-eaz.com/PRODUCTS/HEPA500.html

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BIM can help analyze for sustainability

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Stantec, a sustainable solutions firm, uses an integrated design team approach on its projects and has a heightened appreciation of the multidisciplinary value of BIM.

The firm uses the entire Revit platform for all key disciplines – MEP engineering, structural engineering and architecture – and was awarded Autodesk's Revit BIM Experience Award Winner for effective integration of the entire Revit BIM platform. The company first began using Revit Structure at end of 2005, then Revit Architecture in spring of 2006, quickly followed by Revit MEP in mid-2006.

Stantec was one of the first users of the integration between Revit and the IES analysis applications. Initially, the company’s analysis workflow began by importing CAD files or measuring directly from hard copy drawings and then building 3D models and separate analysis models for each design option or analysis. Each analysis model may have taken several days to create, which significantly prolonged the building analysis time.
Employees use BIM directly for a broad range of analyses to assess various what-if design scenarios, to optimize and integrate different systems (such as lighting and HVAC) and explore synergies between them. In addition to using the capabilities included in the Sustainability Toolkit and Revit MEP, Stantec also uses many of the other types of building analyses available from IES, such as natural ventilation simulation and advanced airflow analysis.

Stantec has already used the integration between IES and Revit to analyze several projects, including an 82,300 sq.ft. renovation/expansion of the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton and a 250,000 sq.ft. new hotel, the Westin Kelowna Hotel in Kelowna, British Columbia. Analysis specialists like Radoicic were Stantec's early adopters, but the capabilities are spreading to the project teams – engineers and architects alike – to support Stantec's integrated design team approach. For more information, see aec.cadalyst.com/aec/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=423859

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Hands-free door opener

CHICAGO – Technical Concepts, a designer and manufacturer of innovative hygiene solutions for the washroom, has launched the AutoDoor™ Opener, a cost-effective system that automates virtually any new or existing non-latching washroom door allowing a touch-free exit from public washrooms. 

The washroom door opens when an exiting patron places a hand in front of the touch-free sensor to activate it. Because the AutoDoor Opener is not attached to the door, the door can still be easily opened by hand.  An optional second sensor makes the entry into the washroom touch-free as well, further improving hygiene.  For more information, see www.technicalconcepts.com

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