Full Disclosure - BOWE · of new SKUs from its Laminam line of MSI’s Recycled Glass decorative mosaics. [Atlanta] Floor & Decor announced the launch of its initial public offering

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F L O O R C O V E R I N G W E E K L Y

APRIL 24, 2017 • $4

INTERNATIONAL LIVING FUTUREINSTITUTE RAISES THE BARFOR SUSTAINABILITY

Transparency transforms

BY ELISE LINSCOTT

Full DisclosureClarifying the conversation for ahealthier population

See story on page 15

Entries begin on page 17

2017

Across the country, consumers are becoming moreinterested in knowing what the products they’rebuying are made of. This has also spread into floor-ing, where makers are being asked to provide moreinformation about the ingredients in their prod-ucts. That’s why many rely on third-party certifiersand Declare labels — though there’s still a long wayto go in the global transparency discussion, partic-ularly as imported products like resilient flooringcontinue to gain market share.

“Being upfront is very important,” said Noah Chit-ty, director of technical services for Crossville. “It setsthe bar and establishes the standard. In our 31-plusyear history, we’ve always maintained this approach.”

Crossville also errs on the side of being conser-vative — for example, some of its tile products mayhave color options that contain 20 percent recycledmaterial yet other colors may have no more than 4percent, in which case the company states that suchproducts have “4 percent or more” recycled contentinstead of saying they have “up to 20 percent,” Chit-ty said. This is because lighter colors take more newmaterials to make, whereas darker tiles can use morerecycled materials.

According to David Kitts, Mannington Mills’

Continued on page 14

FCW EXCLUSIVE Mohawk revealsmarketing muscle behind SmartStrand SilkReserve. See story on page 6.

Have it all by contacting your local Mohawk representative today.

MohawkFlooring.com | 1-877-ASK-MOHAWK (275-6642)

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A breakthrough innovation from Mohawk:• Astonishing Softness

• Maximum Durability

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Experience the Extraordinary

N E W S

APRIL 24, 2017 | FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY 3

Trends & standardsset stage at CoveringsBy Lauren Moore

[Orlando, Fla.] Tile and stone pro-fessionals gathered here April 4-7 forthe annual Coverings show.

More than 1,100 exhibitors from 40countries showcased their products,and the 25,000 attendees had a chanceto learn about new industry standardsand trends, check out new productsand see them put into action during livedemonstrations, and attend accredita-tion seminars and conference sessions.

Dozens attended the pre-show ses-sion, Critical Changes to Industry Stan-dards, Guidelines and Best Practices.Panelists discussed major changes tothe ANSI handbook, National TileContractors Association manual andTile Council of North America (TCNA)handbook, as well as the progress of themerging of the MIA (Marble Instituteof America) and BSI (Building StoneInstitute), which is expected to be com-pleted by the end of this year.

Possibly the most groundbreaking ofchanges to standards were those sur-rounding gauged porcelain, or thin tile.

New product and installationspecifications were estab-lished for this format that’sgrowing in popularity, as wellas new testing requirementsfor strength.

In response to the increasedpopularity of large formattiles and porcelain slabs, Bos-tik launched Bosti-Set, a newnon-sag, single-coat adhesivespecifically formulated forgauged porcelain tiles on interior, ver-tical surfaces or countertops.

“There’s no water, no mixing, noelectricity needed, and two people cando the installation,” said Eric Kurtz,Bostik’s market manager of hardwoodand resilient flooring systems, consum-er and construction business unit. “Youcan do an installation in half the time itwould take to do a mortar installation.”

These large format tiles can be —and often are — used in wall applica-tions. Crossville had a sneak previewof new SKUs from its Laminam line of

MSI’s Recycled Glass decorative mosaics.

[Atlanta] Floor & Decor announcedthe launch of its initial public offering of8,823,500 shares of its common stock.The initial public offering price is ex-pected to be $16-$18 per share of com-mon stock. The company has appliedto list its common stock on the NYSEunder the symbol “FND.” The compa-ny expects to receive net proceeds ofapproximately $133.5 million from theoffering and intends to use proceedsto repay a portion of the amounts out-standing under its term loan facility.

Educate forsuccessNWFA offers members newclasses, certification[Phoenix] Education and training wasfront and center at the National WoodFlooring Association (NWFA) Expoheld here earlier this month. New certi-fications and courses, available throughNWFA University, were launched, andthe association addressed how mem-bers can leverage generational differ-ences in the workplace.

“For the first time ever we have fourgenerations in the work force at the sametime, and especially in family-ownedbusinesses there’s a disconnect betweengenerations and their approach to awork/life balance. So we looked at thisas an opportunity to help members un-derstand what younger people are in-terested in. If people understand eachother better they can work better, andwe have to find ways to go after youngergenerations,” Michael Martin, NWFApresident and CEO, told FCW.

With the wood market expectedto grow approximately 5 percent thisyear, it is more important than everfor the NWFA to offer its members thetools needed to succeed. For this rea-son, NWFA used a different format forits educational sessions.

“Members help generate contentand that way they’re much more en-gaged with what outcomes are fromthe session as opposed to having atalking head reading off a Power Point— it’s much more conversational andits good for those from older genera-tions to hear from younger generationswhat their thoughts are on the sametopic,” Martin said.

Look for more in-depth coverageof this year’s NWFA Expo in FCW’sMay 8 issue.

EDITOR’S NOTEThe National Wood Flooring Associa-tion (NWFA) launched its EmergingLeaders Network at Expo this year,bringing together a group of youngprofessionals who work within thewood flooring industry in all capaci-ties. Its mission is to develop and im-plement ideas to better serve the woodflooring industry for years to come.As a member of the Network, I amhonored to work alongside the Emerg-ing Leaders Council to address hard-wood’s most pressing challenges andopportunities, and to lend a voice forthe industry where it’s needed most.

large format porcelain tiles, which canbe used in wall and floor applications.

GOING UP THE WALLNew introductions in wall tiles

weren’t limited to large formats. MSIintroduced nine new products, andmany of those were for wall applica-tions. “There’s a need for more tradi-tional wall tile,” said Emily Holle, di-rector of trend and design marketing.“We’re talking about wall tile, and peo-ple are listening.” New wall tile products

MULLICAN FLOORING TO EXPANDHARDWOOD PRODUCTION IN THE US


[Johnson City, Tenn.] As part of its effort to broaden its domestic manufactur-ing footprint, Mullican Flooring has announced plans to bring full productionof all sawn engineered products to the U.S. beginning early summer 2017.

According to Mullican, the first product that will transition to the U.S. pro-duction facility this summer is EuroSawn White Oak in a 7-inch width. The col-lection will be immediately available in six colors. Plans to transition additionaloverseas production to the U.S. will be announced in Q3.

In addition to its Tennessee-based facility, Mullican also operates other U.S.based manufacturing operations in Norton, Va.; Holland, N.Y.; and, Roncev-erte, W.Va. According to the company, Mullican manufactures and sells morethan 1,500 products via a network of 40 distributors and 5,000 retail storesacross the United States and Canada.

FCW THROWBACKIn honor of Floor Covering Weekly’s65th anniversary (May 22), here’sa throwback to our September 6,1977 issueand thevery firstTarkett adto appear inour pages.

—Mallory Cruise-McGrath

[Phoenix] Maxwell Hard-

wood Flooring celebrated

its 25th year in business

during the National Wood

Flooring Association’s

(NWFA) Expo held here.

Company president

Tommy Maxwell and his

family — Beth Maxwell,

Rachel Prince, Andrew

Maxwell, Dustin Prince,

Kristi Maxwell-Prince,

Sarah Prince and Will

Maxwell, shown here —

welcomed more than 250

guests to the celebratory

event which took place

April 12.

celebrates

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FLOOR & DECORLAUNCHES IPO

N E W S

4 APRIL 24, 2017 | FLOOR COVERING WEEKLY

By Amy Rush-Imber

Meeting of the mindsNFA and its vendor partners dig in at spring meeting

[Truckee, Calif.] The National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA) meet-ing, held twice a year, is unlike any other convention. It can be the make or break event for new products in-troduced from one of its 26 preferred vendor partners; it’s a time when can-did conversations take place regarding service, exclusivity and any number of pain points; and, most importantly, it’s an opportunity for members to openly share with each other challenges, suc-cesses and support.

In a meeting with FCW here at the Ritz-Carlton right in the heart of Lake Tahoe, NFA board members said first and foremost, the group’s transparen-cy with one another is paramount to its success.

For example, during the sit down with FCW, Ian Newton of Flooring 101 shared that one of his biggest challenges today isn’t just installation of product but, in fact, the demo of ex-isting product in homes today. “What’s

big is not putting in, it’s taking out — wood and tile,” adding that demo crews can make some $3,000 per day.

That, in fact, was a new area of con-versation for the group, said Ambas-sador Floor Company’s Kelly Taylor. “This is the beauty of the group.”

At the members’ two-minute drill that took place following a day of ven-dor-member meetings, each retailer shares what is happening in its busi-ness, often revealing initiatives that could help other members. According to NFA president and division mer-chandise manager of Nebraska Fur-niture Mart Dave Snedeker, members have had a good 2017 Q1.

“Most are up in the upper single, lower double digits,” he said. Also during the member-only meeting, there will be three best practices and presentations aimed at helping mem-bers navigate any current challenges such as internet marketing, subcon-tractor law and long-term planning.

“There are always two or three take-ways,” offered Newton.

Hard surface starsWith 26 preferred

vendors, there were new hard and soft pro-grams shown here, but hard surface was a key focus.

USFloors’ Piet Dossche received praise from NFA board members for his effort to bring clarity in a product category — waterproof flooring — that has become confusing. In addi-tion, USFloors, now owned by Shaw Industries, has offered members truly exclusive, private label Coretec collec-tions that help members maintain a competitive edge.

Mannington showed off new ad-ditions to its Adura Max line while unveiling its new SpillShield for lami-nate that carries a warranty for stand-ing water up to 72 hours.

Ceramic tile garnered a lot of at-tention as well. Members reported that partners like Emser and MSI brought new and trend-right product to the meeting.

MSI’s Manny Llerena received high marks for his presentation that identified and delivered on key trends such as wall tile, high contrast looks and outdoor options.

Karndean was all about the visuals as well and its unique design-forward product offering. Here, Ambassador’s Taylor noted that the customized looks give him an advantage in the marketplace but also require training and education at the store level.

“We all need a narrative behind the products. That’s what Mrs. Consum-er is looking for and it gives the sales people a story to sell,” he added.

With Mohawk’s hard surface busi-ness recently moved to company headquarters in Calhoun and new do-mestic manufacturing plants coming online, the company brought a host of new and fashion-forward hard sur-face products to market including rig-id core, hardwood and laminate.

“Mohawk’s commitment to do-mestic manufacturing is stronger than ever. As more consumers seek the beauty of multi-sized planks with unique visuals for their hardwood

floors, Mohawk answered the call with an expansion at its Melbourne, Ark. plant that produces premium hardwood with longer, wider planks and more characteristic styling. This multimillion-dollar expansion makes the facility the largest longer/wider, sawn face plant in America. Mohawk also increased its Danville engineered hardwood plant by 40 percent. We are clearly committed to Made in the U.S.A.,” noted Mohawk’s David Holt, senior vice president builder/multi-family, retail and hard surface.

Armstrong too had a lot to talk about, including 20 SKUs of its new Pryzm product and high-end hard-wood collections such as the FCW Deal-ers’ Choice-winning Woodland Relics.

tHe softer side While hard surface indeed gar-

nered much of the attention, there was innovation in soft surface as well. Stainmaster’s Live Well collection, for example, focuses on “a “healthy lifestyle” and is the “next big thing in soft floor covering,” according to the company. Dixie and Shaw both offer Live Well.

Mohawk’s Airo, a unified soft surface offering, had retailers talking about the ease of installation it provides.

Noted Taylor, “I search for prod-uct that simplifies installation and is simple to sell.”

Performance-driven carpet such as Stainmaster’s Pet Protect and Shaw carpet utilizing its LifeGuard backing system also met customer demands.

At the end of the day, while each NFA member may be looking for something a bit different from the vendors, they all look to meet con-sumer demands, maintain a compet-itive edge and, offered Macco’s Jim Walters, provide the best value.

Added Ryan Bechtold of CFM Floors, “The things that are meaning-ful to us are the things that are meet-ing consumer needs.”

NFA board members Zac Akin, Akin Bros. Flooring; Ian Newton, Flooring 101; Ryan Bechtold, CFM Floors; Kelly Taylor, Ambassador Floor Company; Dave Snedeker, Ne-braska Furniture Mart; and, Jim Walters, Macco’s.

Carpet | Tile & Stone | Hardwood | Laminate | Resilient | shawfloors.com

As the industry’s first non-solid carpet destination, TruAccents is enhancing the consumer shopping experience by providing one collection with a comprehensive

offering of the latest trends and design options housed together in one, easy-to-shop display. Simplified shopping for them, instant upselling opportunities for you.

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by

P R O D U C T


SmartStrand’s triple playBy Janet Herlihy

[Calhoun, Ga.] Three of Mohawk’s greatest strengths — product innova-tion, consumer knowledge and effective marketing — are supporting the Smart-Strand Silk Reserve roll out for 2017.

The super soft, high-performance SmartStrand Silk Reserve is the lat-est in the franchise that has lead the industry for more than a decade.

“SmartStrand is an example of suc-cess with a product that is different and better (than others) against a backdrop of falling prices and declining market share,” stated Tom Lape, president of Mohawk Residential.

Consumer votes CountThe number of consumers who

have voted with their purchases of SmartStrand underscores its success. “We anticipate that SmartStrand will

be installed in its 10 millionth home in 2018,” said Karen Mendelsohn, Mohawk’s senior vice president of marketing. “That’s a lot of happy fam-ilies living ‘softly’ on SmartStrand.”

Those happy families didn’t just stumble across SmartStrand. “Mo-hawk does not just think it knows what consumers want,” Lape said. “The only way to really know is to go out to the consumers in their own locales and ask. Mohawk does that,” he emphasized. Mohawk’s consumer research is on-going. “Some is internet-based or live panels or phone interviews,” he added.

And research can be surprising. “Consumer research is not for just what you want to hear, but for what the consumer is really saying,” said Mendelsohn. “We don’t want to make the mistake of thinking that consum-

ers will behave differ-ently with carpet than they do with other prod-ucts. Today’s consumer is looking for new and better, regardless of de-mographic,” she advised.

“Back in 2010, Mohawk looked at 10,000 plus resi-dential installations of car-pet — nylon, SmartStrand and PET,” reported Seth Arnold, vice president of Mohawk’s residential mar-keting. “We only looked at homes where people had owned the carpet for two years or more. It was the largest, most comprehensive study ever conducted in the flooring industry.”

The study lead the way to Smart-Strand Silk. “SmartStrand won on all the criteria and we found a high degree of acceptance for softness,” he said.

In 2016, many in the industry thought carpet was “soft enough,” but Mohawk checked with consumers to be sure. “We took seven styles repre-senting five of the leading brands of soft carpet products to 10 markets in the U.S. and spoke to more than 300 consumers in a blind study,” explained Arnold. “They told us their most pre-ferred carpet was SmartStrand Silk Reserve. That solidified our conviction that retailers would succeed with an en-tirely new level of astonishing softness.”

When asked which was the softest, four out of five selected SmartStrand Silk Reserve over a leading soft ny-lon and when asked which carpet was the most durable, Arnold said, “The number one choice was also SmartStrand Silk Reserve, which was surprising. Even before they knew any of the other features and even though they each had a different definition of ‘durability,’ they identi-fied SmartStrand Silk Reserve as the ‘best’ and that meant high-quality and high-performance,” he explained.

Mohawk research also found that the consumer wants ease of main-tenance along with stain-resistance, Mendelsohn said, adding, “Smart-Strand Silk is easy to clean, with 98 percent of stains removed with just water. We take the attributes and present them at point of sale by pro-viding proof points and demonstra-tions so dealers can answer questions and objections.”

8 years of Dealers’ ChoiCeMohawk’s dealers are happy with

SmartStrand too. “SmartStrand has won FCW’s

Dealers Choice award for the best car-pet product for eight years because we have continuously innovated and kept it fresh,” Lape stressed. “It was the first to offer next generation softness and others tried to match it. It has enhanced stain-resistance that can’t wash or wear off and others have tried to match that too. SmartStrand is more than just a fiber. It’s a platform of innovative consumer features that has become a leading carpet brand,” he said.

marketing that ConneCtsIn 2017, Mohawk is creating con-

sumer buzz with a campaign that raises the bar on the 2009 Ricko the Rhino promotion, which placed SmartStrand on the floor of a Black Rhino’s enclosure. This time it’s Max, a 5,400 pound White Rhino. Mo-hawk carpeted Max’s enclosure and left it for two weeks.

During that time, Max deposited about 1,000 pounds of solid waste. A competitive premium nylon carpet was also installed with Max. After cleaning, “SmartStrand Silk Reserve carpet released stains and remained beautiful, once again proving that SmartStrand is the most durable, easiest to clean carpet on the planet,” according to the company’s website.

MOHAWK’S SMARTSTRAND CONSUMER CAMPAIGNS 2009 Ricko the Rhino Challenge2010 Zoo Challenge2011 Family Circle Cup2012 The Messiest Kid Contest

2013 License to Spill2014 Puppy Bowl X Challenge2015 Tough Mudder

Competition Challenge

Mohawk’s SmartStrand Silk Reserve offers soft luxury and tough durability.

FOUR GENERATIONS OF SMARTSTRAND

2005 SmartStrand2012 SmartStrand Silk 2015 SmartStrand Forever Fresh2017 SmartStrand Silk Reserve

WHEN EVEN THE LITTLE MOMENTS ARE PHOTOGRAPHED, SHARED AND TAGGED IS WHEN A FLOOR BECOMES SO MUCH MORE.

Beauty for Living.© 2016, Beauflor USA, LLC

Beauflor.com

CUSHION VINYL | PURE VINYL PLANKS + TILES | LAMINATE>Prod. Name 321

P R O D U C T


Sheet vinyl ripe for builder, commercial marketsBy Lauren Moore

While most of the growth in the resil-ient category has been dominated by luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and multilayer flooring (MLF) products, sheet vinyl still takes up a significant portion of the overall flooring market, especially in the builder and commercial sectors.

“Sheet has lost some share in the resilient category with the introduc-tion of new LVT and rigid products,” said Amie Foster, IVC’s senior director of product management, sheet vinyl. “However, we have still seen growth in segments such as property manage-ment and commercial, which continue to thrive with sheet vinyl products.”

Although LVT, WPC (wood plastic composite) and rigid core seem to be the buzz words right now, sheet vinyl shares many of the same qualities that make those prod-ucts so popular.

“People tend to forget about sheet vinyl, especially when they have something brand new to talk about,” said Mary Kather-ine Dyczko-Riglin, product manager of residential sheet vinyl for Manning-ton Mills. “Right now, everyone is touting waterproof this, waterproof that, and we’re trying to remind peo-ple that sheet vinyl is the original wa-terproof floor.” Other characteristics of LVT and MLF that sales reps often tout to consumers, such as being made in the U.S.A. or featuring EIR designs, can also be said about Mannington’s

sheet offerings, she added. “It’s just a matter of reminding them.”

Matt Savarino, senior product manager of residential sheet with Armstrong, said that although LVT is definitely continuing to grow in popularity with consumers, it is im-portant to consider the retailer and builder perspective. “LVT is a highly price competitive segment with an ev-er-growing list of new entrants. This has led to great innovation and value for the consumer, but it does come at a cost to the retailer/builder margins,” he said. “Vinyl sheet continues to provide a great return to the retailer/builder, so innovation in this segment is crucial.” He cited Armstrong’s deci-sion to introduce its Diamond10 tech-

nology to some of its residential and commercial sheet products, as well as new design in-troductions, as examples. “These investments are helping to im-prove our mix of sales and in our legacy portfolio; we are not sitting still,” he said.

Eric Erickson, vice president of sales, marketing,

product and business development at Beauflor, said sheet vinyl has a strong market in the manufactured housing and RV markets in addition to builder and multifamily markets. “It also does well at retail, especially with the more fashion-forward designs and colors that have been brought to the mar-

ket,” he said. That, he added, coupled with some of the newer innovations, makes sheet vinyl a great performing, value product.

Design revivalIn any flooring category, impressive

visuals are one of the most important factors for the consumer. “With the competitive landscape in this category you have to separate yourself,” Erick-son said. “Features and benefits is an important part of this, but if you do not have leading designs and colors, it’s difficult to win.”

Between its budget-friendliness and innovative design possibilities, sheet vinyl is an attractive option for Millen-nials looking for a design element that works within their beginning budgets, IVC’s Foster said.

Drawing in a new generation of cus-tomers is great for sheet vinyl, Man-nington’s Dyczko-Riglin said. “There’s this whole new generation of people that understand the value, the style, who are generally into high-fashion and style, but want to do things quick-ly and change things out, and that’s something sheet vinyl gives them the

LOYAL FAN BASEAs a mature category, sheet vinyl appeals to a customer base that’s familiar with the product, recognizes its values and benefits, and has used the product consistently throughout different renovations. “As customers move into different stages in their life vinyl sheet continues to be a consideration,” said Matt Savarino, senior product manager of resilient sheet with Armstrong. “Customers who have lived with sheet vinyl for a long time understand the great performance benefits of it from a cleanability, durability and comfort standpoint. Because of this, they often look to vinyl sheet when they are in the market for new flooring.”Between its budget-friendliness and design possibilities, sheet vinyl products, such

as IVC’s Flexi-Tec, are an attractive option for Millennials buying their first homes.

“IT ALLOWS CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE A DESIGN THAT IS VISIBLY COMPARABLE

TO AUTHENTIC WOODS OR TILES WITH A SUPERIOR

PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTE AT A PRICE THAT WILL FIT

INTO ANY BUDGET.” - AMIE FOSTER, IVC

option to do,” she said.That push to attract new consumers

has also led to something of a design revival within the category. “I believe what we’re seeing is a bit of a reawaken-ing,” said Kurt Denman, vice president of marketing at Congoleum. “The de-sign is so much better than it ever was.”

Mannington’s new Deco design, one of five new introductions in its sheet vinyl collection, won a FCW Dealers’ Choice award this year. “Our styling team does a phenomenal job of look-ing at what the trends are and when they need to hit the market with them,” Dyczko-Riglin said. “Patterned floor-ing and patterns all over the home are a very trendy thing right now, and un-til now it’s been an aspirational thing, from a flooring standpoint, to say to the consumer, ‘You can get that look on a tighter budget, you can still make it part of your remodel or your new home.’ It’s a way for sheet vinyl to stand out.”

Denman said that sheet’s value and design options are key to its continued success. “You don’t want people to feel like they have to compromise on de-sign, and the value and performance are exceptional,” he said.

Patterned flooring, such as Mannington’s Penny Lane, is very trendy right now, said Mary Katherine Dyczko-Riglin.

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P R O D U C T


Bold and beautifulBy Caroline Alkire

Watch outh fort wallsr ins 2017n

The design possibilities for flooring used on walls has grown dramatically in thepast few years — and with this growth, a whole new, fashion-forward sector of theflooring industry has emerged. According to Vance Hunsucker, national sales man-ager of tile and stone for Shaw, wall coverings were previously popular because theywere highly practical; stone and tile protected the walls around sinks and stovetops.

“Today’s consumer, however, refuses to compromise fashion for function —she sees the opportunity to add bold pops of color or intricate patterns throughwall tiles, enhancing the visual impact of a room,” revealed Hunsucker.

This need for a more visual, design-centered space has drawn consumers totrendier, bolder wall accents. With the creation of digital printing technology,the design options in terms of wall tile are almost endless. Hunsucker revealed“chevron, herringbone and hexagons are really hot patterns right now.”

Lindsey Waldrep, vice president of marketing for Crossville, also stressed thepopularity in bold design statements. Porcelain tile panels — which evoke asophisticated, polished ambiance — are huge right now, she revealed. Waldrepalso declared that the “handmade look” is popular for walls. “In a healthy mar-ket, people are open to more adventurous design elements like these, and areready to specify accents that create custom, bold looks,” she said.

Shaw’s Hunsucker also stated that consumers aren’t just looking to drivetile up the wall. Manufacturers are executing chic styles with wood too — andconsumers are loving it.

Dan Natkin, vice president of wood and laminate, Mannington, reveals that

subtle, rustic wood looks will be extremely popular in 2017. Wall coverings, hesaid, are evolving from “garish wallpaper,” to styles that “break away from themonotony of paint, and allow for greater styling freedom.”

“Accent walls instantly raise the interest and design level of any room. Thesewalls offer just enough texture, pattern and color to make a room more inter-esting without being overpowering,” said Quick-Step’s marketing and productexecutive, Roger Farabee.

It seems wall accents are here to stay, and in regards to style, industry membersunanimously agree that these coverings will continue to grow, and emerge in abold, design-oriented playing field. “With the shift to more modern styling andgreater product availability,” said MSI’s director of trend and design Emily Holle.“Wall tile is quickly becoming a mainstream option for homeowners everywhere.”

Mohawk, in fact, features laminate on the walls on its website, mohawkfloor-ing.com, inviting consumers to “make a statement with laminate on the wall.”

David Holt, senior vice president builder/multifamily, retail and hard surface,explained, “As consumers are inspired by interior design destinations like Hou-zz and Pinterest, we are seeing unique application of our hard surface products,including laminate, on the wall. The Mohawk family of brands has respondedto this style evolution by offering a laminate on the wall selling opportunity forour retail partners. We’re communicating this on our websites, social channels,blogs and more. At Mohawk, we’re committed to continuous innovation and thisincludes innovating in how consumers view and use our products.”

Crossville’s Handwritten, shown above, is a reflection of the market’s

appreciation of artisanal design.

Shaw’s Boca Hexagon Textured Mosaic shows off the bold, hexagonal pattern

many fashion-forward consumers are gravitating toward.

Perfect for an office environment, Mannington’s Antigua shows off a chevron pattern, a

huge trend in residential wall accents for 2017.

Mohawk believes that laminate is no longer only for floors. “Laminate offers the authentic

look and feel of real hardwood visuals. This creative use of laminate on walls is at an all-

time high — it’s stylish, affordable and easy to install,” according to Mohawk’s website.

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y


[Shanghai] For Novalis Innovative Flooring, sustainability isn’t solely an integral part of smart business prac-tices but rather is embedded in the company’s DNA. In fact, company CEO John Wu told FCW that a focus on sustainability has been a part of the company’s original vision dating back to the mid-80s when it first starting producing luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Wu’s father, Dr. Z.L. Wu, started Novalis as an alternative to the rapid con-sumption of raw materials used to make flooring in China at the time.

“Our ‘Vision Statement’ en-compasses three key areas: art, quality and na-ture. As for nature, our effort has been all about reducing our carbon foot-print through environmentally-respon-sible manufacturing practices that con-serve energy and resources,” said Wu.

And since its inception, Novalis has led Asian manufacturers in the achieve-ment of ISO certifications for its man-ufacturing standards, including ISO 9001 for Quality Management; ISO 14001 for Environmental Manage-ment; and ISO 18001 for Occupational Health and Safety, noted Wu.

“In recent years, we’ve also led in the adoption of voluntary disclosure when it comes to reporting what goes into our product, through Environ-mental Product Declaration (EPDs), Health Product Declaration (HPD) and Declare labeling,” he said.

On the product engineering side, Wu said Novalis was one of the first to ad-

dress the issue of ortho-phthalates in LVT by creating its own bio-based plas-ticizer — before major retailers man-dated an alternative.

And in the 30 years it’s been mak-ing LVT, Novalis’ environmental fo-cus hasn’t changed but rather has only intensified, Wu added.

“As our brand profile has increased, so too has our reputation and com-mitment in this area. For example,

two years ago, we introduced a dedicated com-m e r c i a l - s p e c i -fied product line called AVA that has been well re-ceived because we believe, in part, it has such a strong sustainability sto-ry,” offered Wu.

Wu said all man-ufacturers should make sustainabili-

ty a cornerstone of their business. “We believe that consumers are be-

coming more aware every day about what’s good for the planet — especial-ly the emerging generation of Millen-nial consumers. It’s not only our re-sponsibility to strive for sustainability, it’s also just good business,” he said.

The floor covering industry, Wu said, is already feeling the positive im-pact of these sustainability efforts.

“We’re seeing quality and durability increase; we’re seeing portability and less adhesives needed; and, we’re see-ing greater transparency with regard to the ingredients that go into floor-ing products and their environmental impact. All of this will benefit our con-sumers, and ultimately our industry and our world,” Wu added.

www.staufusa.com

866.GLUEUSA

Overcoming objectives and problems of installations iswhat we do at Stauf. LVP-777 is a specially formulated adhesive for the installation of luxury vinyl tiles and planks. With this formulation, installers will find that it is easier to spread and can be used as 2 different adhesives in 1. You may wet lay this adhesive, or allow 30-40 minutes and it may be used as a pressure sensitive adhesive. LVP-777 is formulated to decrease shrinkage, increase green grab, reduce cupping and end peaking due to its extremely high shear strength. With bigger investments and better products hitting the LVT and LVP markets, doesn’t it make sense touse a better adhesive? Stick With What Works.

A D H E S I V E S S I N C E 1 8 2 8

Novalis puts sustainability first

“OUR SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS ARE A GENUINE,

AUTHENTIC REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE BECAUSE IT’S

BEEN PART OF OUR DNA FROM THE START.”

— JOHN WU, NOVALIS INNOVATIVE FLOORING

SUSTAINABILITY BY THE NUMBERSPer its Sustainability Brochure, Novalis puts an extensive amount of time, en-ergy and resources toward its sustainability efforts. According to Novalis:– It produces healthy and environmentally-responsible flooring with its zero-

waste-to-landfill production facility.– During the manufacturing process, 100 percent of production water is recy-

cled, and 100 percent of production waste is granulated to become part of new flooring in a closed-loop recycling process.– With the implementation of an improved low-carbon press process, the

company’s manufacturing reduced 78 percent of its steam consumption.– The company uses 100 percent natural gas for its manufacturing.– More than 85 percent of its raw materials are sourced within 800 km of its

factory, with the goal of 100 percent.– Its luxury vinyl flooring is 100 percent recyclable. After the product life span,

it can be recycled to make new flooring, without pollution or waste production.

During the manufacturing process, Novalis said 100 percent of production water is recycled and 85 percent of raw materials are sourced within 800 km of its factory.

— Mallory Cruise-McGrath

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Millennials spur interest in bamboo, corkBy Teresa O’Dea Hein

Cork and bamboo products remainan important part of the floor cov-ering industry as eco-conscious con-sumers, Millennials in particular, de-mand natural products with inherentsustainable benefits.

“Concern for the environment con-tinues to draw consumers to bambooand cork products,” reported SteveWagner, director of sales and market-ing at Wellmade Performance Flooring.

Both are rapidly renewable re-sources, reaching maturity in sevenyears to nine years. With cork, treesremain alive during harvest.

However, David Keegan, CEO/president of Bamboo Hardwoods,noted, “You can’t expect people tobuy something just because it’s green.You have to have a better product —better performance, better aestheticsand better pricing. The kicker is thatit’s green.”

A sign of the wider acceptance ofbamboo flooring, Keegan added, isthat fewer questions are being asked.

“The fact that these products are

made from sustainable materialsused to be the biggest selling point,”agreed Michael Vorndran, marketingspecialist, CFS Corporation. However,with the introduction of strand wovenbamboo a few years back, bamboo’smain selling point is now hardnessand overall durability.”

HOT SPOTSIndustry observers agree that cer-

tain parts of the U.S. are particularlyreceptive to bamboo and cork flooring.

“Sustainable products like bambooand cork have always been more pop-ular in regions where earth-friendlyproducts are emphasized,” says Vorn-dran. “In California, Oregon andWashington state, people seem tobe more aware of products that haveless impact on the environment.”

Added Alexandra Zywicki, businessdevelopment manager at Teragren(Teragren was recently acquired byHallmark Floors), “East Coast met-ropolitan areas have also seen a hugeboom in bamboo flooring specifica-

tions for commercial projects, sincevarious LEED certifications apply. Asfar as residential goes, eco-consciousMillennials renovating their firsthomes seem to have more interest inbamboo flooring than other demo-graphic groups.”

Jamann Stepp, director of mar-keting and product managementfor USFloors, pointed out that theWestern Plains states have also beena good market for cork and bamboo.

“Those who have lived in a house withcork are our best advertisement,” saidAnn Wicander, president, We Cork.“The Atlantic states have traditionallybeen strong users of cork. Commer-cially, cork flooring is top of the list forlibrary, church and museum projects.”

SELLING STRATEGIESZach Adams, sales and marketing

director North America for AmorimRevestimentos, manufacturer of Wi-canders cork flooring, noted thatcork’s most effective selling points arebased on its natural, cellular prop-erties that offer sound absorption,thermal insulation, walking com-fort, resilience and impact resistance.

Similarly, Zywicki said, “By em-phasizing the natural beauty, inher-ent color variation and warmth ofbamboo flooring, we’re able to bettercompete against laminate look-alikes.Strand bamboo also provides unbeat-able durability and strength.”

Wagner believes that suppliers haveto offer a “better mouse trap,” as they doin order to compete against hardwood,laminate and other flooring options.

KEY SELLINGPOINTSBamboo

•Sustainable•Rapidly renewable•Hardness can exceed that of red oak•Aesthetic appeal

Cork•Sound absorption•Thermal insulator•Resilience•Impact resistance•Anti-microbial•Sustainable: Trees remain alive during harvesting

Bamboo makes up about three percent of the wood market, according to USFloors’Jamann Stepp. Shown here is from USFloors’ Muse collection of bamboo.

STYLE TRENDSGrays and texture remain key trends

in all flooring products, reported Zy-wicki. “We’ve seen an increased requestfor neutral flooring, in grey and taupetones, as well as even lighter, in blondeand sand-colored options. Hand scrap-ing, distressing, sculpting — any andall of these are consistently requested.”

Adams said, “Low-sheen finishesremain popular.”

For cork, gray colors with beige/taupe undertones are the leaders,Stepp has found. “Plus, bamboo canbe color-enhanced to replicate manypopular hardwood species,” he said.

While bamboo may be slightlydown from its peak market share ofa few years ago, observers like Steppstill peg it at about 3 percent of the“wood” category, with cork capturingabout 0.75 percent.

B U S I N E S S B U I L D E R


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B y K e r m i t B a k e r

Provide your customers with DIY support

Kermit Baker is the senior research fellow for the Joint Center of Hous-ing Studies at Harvard University. He may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

Ho m e o w n -ers spent $43 billion

on DIY home im-provements in 2015, according to the recently released American Housing Survey. This works out to just under 20 percent of the total homeowner im-provement market. While an impres-sive share, this figure is misleading. If a homeowner spent $1,000 on home improvement products or materials that they installed themselves, that project would have cost significant-ly more — typically at least twice as much — if they had paid a contractor to handle the project. So the 20 percent share of spending equates to a much larger share of product purchases.

Who is it that is doing all this DIY work? While some might say certain-ly not Millennials, that assumption could be misguided; young owners have historically been more likely to get involved in DIY projects than older owners, and that remains true today. DIY home improvement proj-ects account for almost 30 percent of home improvement spending by own-ers under age 35, half again as large a share as it is in the overall population.

There are several other characteris-tics of the DIY population and DIY proj-ects that may not fit the stereotype:•.Middle-income households: Middle-in-come households generally are active in the home improvement market, and typically want to leverage their expen-ditures through DIY installation.•.Hispanics: Hispanics spend almost twice the share of their home im-provement dollars on DIY projects as do any other racial/ethnic population. •.First-time homebuyers: First-time buyers tend to be younger fami-lies looking to modify their starter home. Their share of improvement spending on DIY projects exceeds trade-up buyers and non-movers. •.Households undertaking projects that they “want to do” rather than “need to do”: A significantly higher share of spending on discretionary projects is done as DIY projects as compared to replacement projects. Re-placement projects often involve great-er levels of skill and more risk, so they are frequently avoided as DIY projects. •.Households undertaking smaller projects: More than 40 percent of projects costing under $2,500 are DIY projects. In contrast, only about

15 percent of spending on projects costing $25,000 are DIY projects.

As active as households are in undertaking DIY home im-provement projects, the share has been trending down. Twenty years ago, the DIY share of overall spending was almost 25 percent.

Flooring installation traditionally has been a popular DIY activity. In 2015, households reported spending $16.4

billion for the project category of car-peting, flooring, paneling and ceiling tiles, with the majority of this spend-ing for flooring and carpets. More than six million households reported undertaking DIY projects in this cat-egory that year, and as a result, well over 20 percent of spending was on DIY projects. So, even with the general decline in popularity of DIY projects, flooring installation remains a popular

option. As Millennials join the ranks of homeowners, just think how big this product segment could be if they had more support and guidance in un-dertaking these projects themselves.



customers looking for?’. ” Bandy said.“It’s a better clarifying question for us,it’s more about the customer’s needsmore intimately and what they’relooking for inside of their space ratherthan just being a commodity in it.”

MOVING THE DISCUSSION FORWARDMany companies such as Tarkett

have also seen a shift from focusingmore heavily from the environmentalimpact of the products to include theimpact on consumer health, said DianeMartel, vice president of sustainability.

“Transparency for me is more aboutmaterial health — what do we supplyin these spaces to make a difference?”Martel said.

Rochelle Routman, chief sustainabil-ity officer of Metroflor, said that whenshe made her moveinto the flooringindustry about fiveyears ago, she no-ticed the conversa-tions people werehaving — primarilysurrounding sus-tainability withinmanufacturing,like reducing wa-ter and electricityusage — were de-cades behind otherindustries like elec-tric and aerospace.

“I thought, weneed to have a dif-ferent conversation, and it should beabout transparency,” Routman said.“I worked within the industry veryhard to push this new idea forwardand really focus on the impact of theproducts on the people that live andwork in the environment in which theyare placed. That work that I did was

vice president-environment, thisconsumer interest in transparen-cy also means that manufacturersare becoming more cognizant of theingredients used to make productsand this will hopefully help optimizechemistry in the long-term. But thislevel of transparency also means apotential competitive disadvantage.

“It does come with some level ofpause,” Kitts said. “Fully disclosing in-gredients also shares our chicken souprecipe. So it is an interesting dynamic.”

LABELS: CLARIFYING OR CONFUSING?While there’s an interest in a “nu-

trition label” approach to detailingproduct ingredients or listing outenvironmental impacts, many in themarket want the information a man-ufacturer provides about a productto be verified and communicated inan easy-to-understand manner, saidPaul Murray, vice president of sus-tainability and environmental affairsfor Shaw Floors.

Shaw uses certifications from or-ganizations including Cradle to Cra-dle, which informs consumers that

the product meets strict materialsafety and health standards. Shawalso utilizes Health Product Decla-rations (HPDs) and EnvironmentalProduct Declarations (EPDs) on thecommercial side. Offering disclo-sures allows consumers to make pur-chase decisions based on sustainabil-ity factors that matter most to them,Murray said.

“For some, that may be energyefficiency and water usage,” Mur-ray said. “For others, it is the in-gredients that go into the products.Third-party assessment and certifi-cation of those disclosures provideconsumers with assurance of a prod-uct’s sustainability attributes.”

Various claims, labels and reportscan sometimes create confusion forthe customer, said George Bandy, vicepresident of sustainability for Mo-hawk Group. However, hearing cus-tomers’ questions can also help sup-pliers present their products in a clear— and forward-thinking — approach.

“Traditionally, when you thinkabout the industry, you go in and havea conversation about the product, de-sign, price. Now it can also be about,‘What are the certain types of certifi-cations you guys look for when you’redesigning a building, what are your

primarily in the carpet industry. I de-cided to come to Metroflor in July oflast year because I wanted to bring thisconcept and all of the momentum thathad been gained in the carpet industryto the resilient flooring industry wherethere was a huge need.”

Routman said Metroflor’s Chinesemanufacturers understand the impor-tance of transparency, but many inter-national companies do not. And sincemany products (particularly resilient)are imported, she said she hopes thetransparency discussion will continueto expand on a global scale.

Looking ahead, manufacturers likeMapei are also looking to add newmethods of reporting to their rep-ertoire. Mapei provides HPDs forseveral of its products and is current-

ly adopting theM a n u f a c t u r e rInventory (MI)method, which isa publicly avail-able inventory ofall ingredientsidentified by nameand Chemical Ab-stract Service Reg-istration Number,and benchmarkedby GreenScreen,according to CrisBierschank, tech-nical services sus-tainability man-ager for Mapei.

“We want to be leaders in the com-mitment to ethics, transparency andresponsibility,” Bierschank said. “Wefeel that using the new MI and EPDscan help the construction industryhave a stronger dialog with projectowners, providing clear informationon the sustainability of our products.”

Full DisclosureContinued from page 1

“ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTTO TRY TO CREATE IN THEMARKETPLACE IS TO LOOKAT HOW WE MOVE FROM

BEING A COMMODITY TO AUNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITIONFOR OUR CUSTOMERS IN A

DIFFERENT WAY.”– GEORGE BANDY, MOHAWK GROUP

LICENSED MARKS:

Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Silver

THE LICENSED MARKS IDENTIFIED ABOVE MAY BE LICENSED TO:

Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

FOR THE BELOW LISTED CERTIFIED PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NAME:

EcoWorx® Tile Carpets

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

ISSUE DATE

CERTIFICATION #22 March 2015

EXPIRATION DATE234620 May 2017

LEAD ASSESSMENT BODY:MBDC

Only the following products are considered Certified Product(s)within the scope of this certification and the associatedTrademark License Agreement:

EcoWorx® Tile, EcoWorx® NT Tile

With or without LokDots.

Certified under Version 3.1 of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product StandardUse of Licensed Marks is subject to terms and conditions of the C2CPII Trademark License Agreement and Trademark Use Guidelines.Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

Shaw’s EcoWorx carpet tile has received Cradle to Cradle certification.



By Amy Rush-Imber

Transparency transformsInternational Living Future Institute raises the bar for sustainability

[Seattle] The International Living Fu-ture Institute (ILFI), an environmentalnonprofit, first came on the scene whenit developed the Living Building Chal-lenge — the most advanced sustainablecertification for buildings, requiringthey are net positive for both energyand water — in 2006. Since then, it haschampioned not just sustainable build-ing, but true transparency in buildingproducts for paint, furniture, drywall,plumbing and floor covering.

The Living Building Challenge isthe ILFI’s flagship program. It wasfounded on the belief that buildingsshould not only be truly sustain-able — they should be beautiful andfunctional as well in order to inspirechange in the industry.

James Connelly, Living ProductChallenge director at ILFI, said thatbefore the Living Building Challenge,“People didn’t think you could buildnet-zero energy, net-zero water. Thechallenge redefined a new standardof what true sustainability looks like.It is interesting that while net-zeroenergy and net-zero water are hard,as it turns out, the most difficult partof the program is meeting the mate-rials requirements because of lack oftransparency in the industry.”

To help address the lack oftransparency in the market, ILFIlaunched the Declare label in 2012.The Declare label challenges compa-nies to “deeply analyze their supply

chain to identify all the ingredientsin the product down to 100 parts permillion,” explained Connelly. “It’s asignificant effort.”

Indeed, while more than 100 com-panies now have active Declare labels,meeting the standard still requiressignificant effort. “It’s a self-disclosureplatform,” noted Connelly, adding,“The floor covering industry has beena leader in embracing transparency.”Floor covering companies with activeDeclare labels include Mohawk, Met-roflor, Forbo, Tarkett, Shaw, Bentley,Milliken and J+J.

Companies must also screen theiringredients with the Red List which iscomprised of 22 chemical groups rep-resenting nearly 1,000 unique chemi-cals that are considered harmful.

Not only is the process challeng-ing, there are other hurdles thatConnelly said the building industryhad to jump. For example, he said,“When we first began working withMohawk, just gathering data waschallenging for them, since they hadto dig back into the supply chain withsuppliers that considered their infor-mation proprietary.” That attitudetoo has transformed.

He explained, “It was a struggle atfirst. But once a company starts to un-derstand how transparency and theDeclare label helps build trust withcustomers, it really took off. The labelis like ingredients on a cereal box —

it’s simple, you don’t have toexplain for people to ‘get it,’. ”Connelly noted, adding thatthe program is now growingexponentially. “We just broke1,000 labels. Declare now alsomeets requirements withinLEED, LBC and WELL build-ing projects. In just five shortyears, it has truly transformedthe market to embrace trans-parency,” he said.

“We’ve overturned a de-cades-long belief that every-thing in a product needs to besecret. We think people havea right to know and have amoral obligation to let people

know what is being used in a product,”Connelly said.

With Declare making its mark onbuilding products, ILFI launchedthe Just label in 2014 which works tobring issues of social justice and eq-uity to the forefront of the buildingindustry. Here, companies must dis-close information on how they treatworkers, interact with the commu-nity and make investment decisions.

CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUOBuilding on the success of Declare,

ILFI launched a comprehensivethird-party verification called theLiving Product Challenge in 2014.With the Living Product Challenge,ILFI intends to raise the bar in the

BEYOND BEAUTYEtsy’s 200,000 square foot headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y. is a prime ex-ample of what the Living Building Challenge is all about, according to theInternational Living Future Institute’s James Connelly.

Connelly noted, for example, that plants, views and operable windowswere used in the interior to create a natural environment and benefit thehealth of those who work at Etsy.

“It’s an exciting example of how sustainable buildings are not just green,but better,” he said.

manufacturing industry just as theyhad done with buildings.

“While an important first step, weknew Declare was not pushing farenough. We needed a program to rede-fine the ‘end game’ for sustainable prod-uct manufacturing,” Connelly said. “In-stead of just making a product a little‘less bad,’ Living Products actually givemore than they take across their lifecy-cle.” Despite the rigor of the program,seven products have already achievedcertification, including insulation, con-sumer products and office furniture.

“Flooring has taken a leading rolein product sustainability before — weexpect the first leading companies thatmeet the Challenge to really shake upthe industry,” Connelly added.

Mohawk was among the first flooring companies

to receive a Declare label. Today, the company

boasts Declare labels on 22 backing platforms

and more than 500 products.



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Health & sustainability in green installationBy Elise Linscott

Manufacturers of adhesives, grouts and installation products have been working to develop products that ad-dress specific problems while making formulations sustainably, using recy-cled materials as well as working to reduce the use of harmful chemicals industry-wide.

Developments in formulationBenny Dickens, CEO of Aquaflex,

said that one new development in the moisture-tolerant arena for flooring adhesive chemistry isn’t necessarily the formulation, but the process re-quired to achieve bond.

“The industry faces OSHA regula-tions concerning RCS (respirable crys-talline silica) in June of this year,” Dick-ens said. “Epoxy mitigation required to protect moisture sensitive adhesive will become increasingly difficult if not impossible related to liability. Silica dust is the most hazardous material in

the flooring trade and has been simply brushed aside. While industry focus has been on the elimination of VOCs and PVC content, silica has remained one of the leading causes of COPD in the country — 2.3 million construction workers will be exposed this year and over 1,000 deaths will be attributed to long term exposure.”

Consumers can and should look for independent, third party certification credentials that specifically test for var-ious chemicals of concern, said John Lio, vice president of marketing for Dri-tac. One example would be the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Green Label Plus Program. The Green Label Plus Program’s testing standards focus on certifying adhesives with the very low-est emitting VOC levels, he said.

Another new development in prod-uct technology has been the use of synthetic gypsum-based self-leveling compounds, which are especially suit-

dealing with moisture issues. Our new R-701 Xtrem-Link will withstand an unlimited amount of moisture.”

One trend that Sean Boyle, vice president, marketing, North America for Laticrete has seen in grout pro-duction is the use of recycled materi-als, such as recycled glass content, to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and produce a unique reflective ap-pearance, he said. And these grouts are often UL Greenguard certified and meet or exceed ANSI A118.7 (Specifi-cation for High Performance Cement Grouts). In addition to improving workability for faster and easier instal-lation, the grouts also offer the benefit of sustainably-sourced materials and low VOC emissions, he added.

Bostik recently launched Bosti-Set, a one-component adhesive for thin porcelain tile panel installations which utilizes the company’s Tenirex adhe-sive, according to Eric Kurtz, LEED green associate market manager.

“Understanding this new category of tiling as well as current limitations in current installation techniques, Bostik R&D created a revolutionary new installation system,” Kurtz said. “We developed a product that immedi-ately grabbed porcelain tile panels in a single coat, did not allow any sag, yet made it possible for these panels to be repositionable for at least 30 minutes. Technologies used were environmen-tally friendly and contributed toward LEED points.”

HPS Schonox’s Emiclassic universal pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive can be used to bond vinyl, carpet, linoleum and synthetic rubber coverings.

Dritac offers underlayments, shown above, as well as wood

and resilient flooring adhesives with zero VOCs or solvents.

able on all gypsum and cement-based substrates as well as on mastic as-phalts, and are designed for refurbish-ment work in interior areas, according to David Stowell, technical director for HPS Schonox. He also noted that another trend in eco-friendly instal-lation has been the development of multi-purpose adhesives, like univer-sal pressure sensitive acrylic adhesives made for all flexible coverings.

eco-frienDly problem solvingAccording to Mark Long, technical

director for Stauf USA, as far as tech-nologies go, “things haven't changed much since the year 2000.”

“The same technology from then is still used today,” Long said. “We do work on field solutions to specif-ic problems for our new adhesives. Moisture issues have been the biggest concern to the industry in the last few years. Many of our new adhesives are


schooling, daycare and after-school care for children; and a workplace that places a priority on worker safety, productivity and energy efficiency.

Said Harlan Stone, owner and CFO of Metroflor, “It was a great day in our com-pany’s history when Routman came on board as our first chief sustainability officer.”

She is a registered Professional Geologist, a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager and a Living Building Challenge Ambassador. She was named one of gb&d’s 2014 Top 10 Women in Sustainability and continues to embody its mission as Alumni Chair. Voted Georgia Tech’s Outstanding Alumni Award for two years running, Routman was a graduate of the inaugural class of “Building for Health: Research and Applications to Drive Decisions for the Built Environ-ment” in 2016, presented by the Harvard School of Public Health. Routman’s reputation as a sustainability leader extends to the city of Atlanta, where she led a group of volunteers to save one of the last remaining old-growth forests, known as the Morningside Nature Preserve. This past International Women’s Day, Routman was named as one of the six most influential women in Finance and Sustainability by the website Grow Investing. ■

BENTLEYFULFILL Program led by David TurkesAs a brand, Bentley is always striving to reduce our environmental footprint. Through our FULFILL reclamation program, 100 percent of any carpet can be diverted from landfills. This program works by coordinating transportation and recycling logistics based on the location of the facility requesting the service. A recycling facility can then recycle the carpet into new carpet, do-nate it to local programs, turn the waste to energy, or repurpose the carpet into other applications such as automotive use and more.

Bentley’s FULFILL projects and sustainability efforts are managed and

G R E E N S T E P E N T R I E S 2 0 1 7

HALSTEAD INTERNATIONAL & METROFLORRochelle Routman, chief sustainability officerRochelle Routman has brought a new dimension to the sustainability discussion in the corporate sector during her 30-year career, creating a coali-tion among the for-profit, nonprofit and govern-mental sectors. She has driven and changed the conversation about sustainability in the building products industry to draw attention to material in-gredients and transparency that has resulted in a market-disruptive movement.

Now chief sustainability officer of Halstead In-ternational and Metroflor Corporation, she continues to draw from her background in the natural sciences and her passion for environmental and human health. She has assumed a leadership position as change agent for resilient flooring, with a new vision for the possibilities in this fastest-growing sector of the flooring industry: to evolve resilient flooring to an even higher glob-al standard in sustainability that she trail-blazed in the carpet industry.

She heads Metroflor’s Product Authority Team, a sustainability-driven hub that oversees all aspects of the product channel: Customer Service, Test-ing and Environmental Compliance, Innovation, Quality, Performance and Safety. Her team is an information clearinghouse that directs how sustainabil-ity unfolds throughout the global company. Routman’s responsibility for guid-ing a comprehensive sustainability strategy includes Metroflor’s global business partners.

Under her leadership, Routman has directed the company focus to support important nonprofits that are doing very significant work to create safer building products leading to a better world for all of us. This includes the HPD Collab-orative, the International Living Future Institute and an enhanced support role for the USGBC. For example, Routman was the first speaker at GreenBuild 2016 in Metroflor’s history.

Routman influenced Metroflor to lead in transparency, setting the example for the resilient industry. The company has already issued a Declare label and an HPD and has a corporate strategy to pursue these labels for the entire product line. Additionally, Metroflor has initi-ated Life Cycle Assessments and EPDs — leading the entire industry.

Routman takes a 360-degree view of sustainability that extends to social conscience. She has spear-headed healthy lifestyle initiatives for employees at the Calhoun, Ga. corporate campus. She is a cham-pion of their Asian partner’s em-ployee support programs: housing,

P I N N A C L E


portfolio of products and services that meet diverse customer preferences, Shaw employs more than 20,000 associates in a wide array of careers — designers and data analysts, marketers and maintenance technicians, production associates and

process engineers, scientists and supply chain experts, to name a few. As an industry leader and the largest employer in many of its communities, Shaw’s

company culture, community involvement and economic well-being stands to have a significant impact. A positive impact.

As a result, Shaw’s sustainability strategy and principles focus on: • Innovative Product Design and Stewardship — Considering sustainability in

each step of a product’s life cycle from design to end of life and creating products using Cradle to Cradle principles, verified by third parties.

• Sustainable Operations — Making effective use of natural resources, mini-mizing its manufacturing and fleet footprints, designing and operating green buildings, increasing its use of clean fuels, and investing in renewable and low carbon energy sources.

• Investment in People — Ensuring safe workplaces, providing career ad-vancement opportunities, training and developing skilled workforces, meaningfully engaging and supporting local community partners and other philanthropic endeavors.

• Collaborative Engagements — Partnering with suppliers, industry peers, cus-tomers and others; sharing best practices and beliefs; and pooling resources to solve challenges together.

Through this holistic approach to sustainability, the company has achieved*: • 28 percent improvement in water intensity, with a goal of 50 percent by 2030 • 15 percent improvement in energy intensity, with a goal of 40 percent • 17 percent improvement in greenhouse gas emissions intensity, with a goal

of 40 percent.Further, it has*:

• Reduced waste intensity (percent of pounds of landfill waste per pound of finished product) to 1.59 percent, toward Shaw’s goal of zero

• Received Cradle to Cradle certification for more than 65 percent of the products it manufactures as the company aims to design 100 percent of its products to Cradle to Cradle protocols

• Contributed 67,000+ volunteer hours and $4.5 million+ in corporate and associ-ate giving (including in-kind) in a single year.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017, the company’s prod-ucts, services, tech-nology and manufac-turing practices have advanced dramatically over the years while maintaining a keen fo-cus on meeting and ex-ceeding customer expectations and innovating for the future — striving to positively impact lives each step of the way.

*2015 data; 2016 statistics still being audited. ■

TARKETT NORTH AMERICAFor Tarkett North America, sustain-ability is much more than simply a nice policy to have — it’s integral to the com-pany’s core values, culture and story.

Tarkett began recycling vinyl tiles in Sweden in 1957. It launched North American take-back recycling programs in the early 1990s. It launched fully transparent Material Health Statements in 2016.

Today, Tarkett is building on its sustainable past with its 2020 roadmap objec-tives that reflect a strong commitment to sustainability through four key pillars that work together in a closed-loop strategy: • Good materials: Materials that are safe for people and the environment and

that can enter into a technical or biological cycle — in 2016, Tarkett had more than 2,738 product ingredients evaluated and phased out ortho-phthalates, biocides and heavy metal stabilizers

• Resource stewardship: The responsible use of natural and non-renewable resources in our operations — Tarkett invested in 100 percent renewable energy for its Ohio plants and offices


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facilitated by our sustainability engagement specialist, David Turkes. For our mill tours, Turkes engages with clients to educate them on Bentley’s programs and how it encompasses the industry.

Sustainability is his everyday passion and he is able to incorporate his very own experiences into the Bentley’s sustainable narrative. Through his expeditions around California, he shares his hobby of drone photography and video with cli-ents and encourages people to think outside the box when it comes to making sustainable and responsible choices. ■

MOHAWK INDUSTRIESAt Mohawk, we believe in better. Bet-ter design. Better innovation. Better project solutions. Better operational excellence. Better sustainability. We find ways to produce superior prod-ucts, while also contributing toward a cleaner planet. From the extraction of raw materials through production, use and disposal, Mohawk strives to be a leader in sustainable innovation.

Product Transparency: Mohawk is leading the flooring manufacturing indus-try in product transparency and red list-free product offerings through Declare la-bels, EPDs and HPDs. Declare is an ingredient label, similar to a nutrition label, listing all the materials in a given building product. Since 2015, Mohawk has ex-panded its program with three new Declare label platforms for builder multifamily products. Through the Declare program, Mohawk has introduced more than 500 red list-free flooring options, offering an array of healthy flooring selections to its customers across the commercial, hospitality and builder multifamily divisions.

Redefining Innovation: Carpet with our Duracolor fiber is easy to maintain with inherent stain resistance and water-only stain removal. We’ve combined stain-free Duracolor nylon with our red list-free EcoFlex NXT backing and ad-hesive-free FlexLok tabs to bring consumers a better flooring solution: a wor-ry-free installation as well as the only stain-free, adhesive-free and red list-free installation in the market today.

Thoughtful Design and Facility Leadership: Mohawk Light Lab Design Center in Dalton, Ga. was the first Living Building Challenge-certified project in the state of Georgia and the first restoration project in the entire southeast-ern United States by a building product manufacturer. Light Lab received Petal Certification for site, health and happiness, materials, equity and beauty. The conceptual design of the interior renovation for Light Lab was provided by stu-dents from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and it is now home to all of Mohawk’s commercial and hospitality product designers.

Doing Better Together: With more than 36,000 employees, Doing Better Together is a commitment to the communities in which we work with health and wellness being an integral part. A centerpiece of our wellness initiative in North America are the Healthy Life Centers (HLCs) at our largest facilities. Currently, 16 HLCs log more than 4,300 visits per month providing preventa-tive and acute care. An increased participation in our wellness programs and re-duced healthcare costs are among the trends that demonstrate our investments in preventative care, which are successful for our employees and business.

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle: Mohawk’s carpet recycling program, ReCover, celebrates 10 years in 2017. Over the last decade, ReCover has kept 57.4 million pounds of carpet out of the landfill. We work with recycling partners across the country to divert materials in ways that benefit the company, the customer and the environment. The program also supports local communities by donating carpet, when it can be repurposed, to nonprofit organizations.

Mohawk Industries is committed to leading the building industry in transpar-ency and healthy interiors. We are looking ahead to discover the best solutions for environmentally-friendly products and processes. ■

SHAW INDUSTRIESEach year, millions of families, workers, patients, students, athletes and others step foot on new Shaw products. To design, manufacture, sell and distribute a broad

Continued from page 17

METROFLORMetroflor Corp’s positive impact in sustainability has impacted an entire continent. We are the largest supplier of vinyl flooring to the retail and commercial sectors in the U.S. In the words of Harlan Stone, Metroflor’s CFO/owner, “Everybody in China follows what we do.” We have created a ripple effect because of our sustain-ability and transparency focus. This extends throughout the entire organization, far beyond its Calhoun, Georgia campus, all the way to its Elegant Plastics factory in Zhangjiagang, China.

Under the combined direction of Harlan Stone and Metroflor’s first Chief Sus-tainability Officer Rochelle Routman, Metroflor created a Product Authority Team as the hub of the entire company. The team examines all functions through a sus-tainability lens. Metroflor’s Shanghai GM, who also has the role of Sustainability Coordinator of the company’s Asia operations, ensures that com-munication about sustainability initiatives reaches across the ocean.

No other flooring company does more rigorous product testing to ensure safety of materials. This is conducted at the ISO 9001 and 14001-certified factories and at Asian satellite offices and independent labs. Product certification is extensive: Metroflor holds a coveted platinum NSF/ANSI 332 certification – a first in the resilient flooring industry. It issued a Declare label and an HPD for the company’s Aspecta commercial line and has created a corporate strategy to pursue these labels for the entire product line. Additionally, to further demonstrate its com-mitment to transparency, it has initiated Life Cycle Assessments and EPDs – leading the entire resilient industry.

Innovation in sustainability also fueled the development of Metroflor’s ISOCORE Technology in China: the plasticizer- and phthalate-free cellular vinyl core is used in Metroflor’s Aspecta Ten and Engage Genesis products, produced from 100 percent recyclable first generation vinyl. The decision was made to avoid recycled content

ARMSTRONG FLOORINGArmstrong Flooring Wujiang FacilityTo provide the China market with the high-quality products that customers have come to expect from Armstrong Flooring, we constructed a plant in Wujiang in 2012. This plant, which produces heterogeneous and ho-mogenous vinyl flooring, is both ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified and like all Armstrong Flooring manufacturing facil-ities, our Wujiang plant tracks and reports energy, water, and waste intensity against monthly reduction targets. These targets roll up to our bold goal of a 25 percent reduction in energy, water and waste intensity by 2025. In 2016, our Wujiang plant exceeded its reduction targets for energy, water and waste. This was accomplished through plant efficiencies, which included: energy efficient motor and equipment installation; water recirculation capabilities; and the in-stallation of special grinding equipment, giving the plant the ability to recycle internally scrap material generated during the production process. The most exemplary sustainability practice at Wujiang is the commitment to employee health and safety. Wujiang has sustained zero recordable injuries for the past two years and continues to emphasize and focus on safety initiatives.

In China, as well as around the world, Armstrong Flooring is committed to delivering safe, high-quality products to our customers every day. As part of this commitment, all products produced at our Wujiang facility are tested and third party certified to be low emitting through the FloorScore Certification Program. Life cycle assessments have been conducted on products produced at our Wujiang plant and associated environmental impacts are publicly avail-able through third-party certified Environmental Product Declarations. Ad-ditionally, like all Armstrong Flooring facilities, Wujiang does not formulate with virgin ortho-phthalates plasticizers, heavy metal or lead stabilizers. The daily exemplary sustainability practices demonstrated and documented at our Wujiang plant make it one of our most sustainable manufacturing facilities. ■

ables residents in artisanal fishing communities in the Philippines and Cameroon to collect, process and sell discarded fishing nets back into a global supply chain. The mutually beneficial initiative ensures Interface receives fully recycled nylon for its carpet tiles, while the local community receives long-term incentives supporting di-versified livelihoods and protection of local natural ecosystems.

Since 2012, Net-Works has established a presence in 35 communities in the Phil-ippines and Cameroon. More than 125 metric tons of waste nets have been collected for recycling — enough to go around the world twice — and 900 families have been given access to finance through community banks. Overall, 60,000 people have ben-efited from a healthier environment.

The next step for Interface is to pioneer new goals as ambitious as Mission Zero and Net-Works. With this focus, Interface announced Climate Take Back in June 2016, with the goal of addressing humanity’s biggest challenge: global warming. The four key objectives of this mission are to:

1. Live Zero: Continue efforts toward having no negative impact on the earth. 2. Love Carbon: Stop viewing carbon as the enemy; start using it as a resource.

This includes products that capture carbon and processes that sequester carbon. 3. Let Nature Cool: Support our biosphere’s ability to regulate the climate. Plan to

convert facilities to act like positive members of their local bio-economies. 4. Lead Industrial Re-revolution: Transform industry into a force for climate

progress. Climate Take Back continues the company’s progress with Mission Zero, shifting from “doing no harm,” to “doing more good.” Climate Take Back ensures that Interface will be at the forefront of sustainable business practices for years to come, honoring the legacy of the work already completed. Interface has spent the past year consulting with other climate pioneers and sustainability leaders to create a frame-work and metrics for each of its Climate Take Back commitments, along with tar-gets and timetables for achieving them. Additionally, Interface is looking for cor-porate partners to join Climate Take Back, knowing the task at hand can only be achieved through a large global effort. ■

• People friendly spaces: Well-being people during product use and mainte-nance — many resilient products and 10 adhesives have Cradle to Cradle certification, digitally printed luxury vinyl tile (LVT) uses water-based inks and are 100 percent recyclable, and heterogeneous laminate, residential sheet products are certified asthma and allergy friendly

• Reuse: All waste and products at end-of-use enter into a biological or tech-nical cycle — Tarkett diverted 39,771 tons of pre- and post-consumer waste from the landfill through its ReStart program. Product transparency and third-party certifications provide Tarkett’s customers with comprehensive data regarding what is in their floors and their environments. The com-pany’s commitment to this transparency can be seen in Tarkett’s Material Health Statements and with its products in the Sustainable Minds Catalog. As an industry leader for sustainability, Tarkett is a World Economic Forum Partner, and is a sponsor and member of the Ellen McArthur Foundation; Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute; International Living Future Institute; and, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. ■

INTERFACEIn 1994, Interface made a public commitment to eliminate any negative impact it has on the environment by 2020, known as its Mission Zero promise. Since then, the global modular flooring manufacturer has pioneered a number of ground-breaking sustainability initiatives with significant results, including operating with 96 percent renewable energy in North America and reducing greenhouse gas emissions per unit of product by 92 percent, as of 2016.

Mission Zero has served as a goalpost for Interface on its sustainability journey, driving the organization to have zero impact on the environment. Interface’s ambi-tious commitments have inspired innovation across all areas of the organization — from sourcing raw materials and manufacturing through to management of prod-ucts at end of life.

One of Interface’s most well-known initiatives is Net-Works. Established in 2012 with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Net-Works tackles the environmental problem of discarded fishing nets in developing coastal communities. Net-Works en-

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and closed-loop steam recycling• Use of natural gas, the cleanest fuel available to us• Reclamation offered for large projects in China to make new flooring of

equivalent qualityNovalis transparency and accountability recognized around the world:• Health Product Declarations and Declare labels for our full product line• The first LVT manufacturer in China to complete a full lifecycle assessment and

receive UL-Certified Environmental Product Declarations for all of our products• Member of USGBC and involvement in LEED• Member of International Living Building Institute• Active member of GIGA in China• Importance of low VOCs through FloorScore, German AgBB and French A+Novalis green education and initiatives in the flooring, design and building industries:• The Annual Human and Environment Photography Contest• 2020 Vision Green Building Challenge• Sponsorship of Guangzhou Design Week speaker about RESET Certification• The [WE] Project e-waste recycling initiative• “Sustainability is closer than you think” downloadable brochure, blog posts,

web and social promotionNovalis continues green product innovation:• Non-phthalate plasticizer derived from the biomass of soybean, vegetable oils

and others to reduce fossil fuel use• Cork granules dispersed, evenly distributed and integrated in a matrix of poly-

vinyl chloride compounds, reducing weight and improving resiliency ■

SHAW INDUSTRIESShaw’s commitment to product quality assures that regardless of where a product is manufac-tured, it meets customer expectations. When the company began the construction and develop-ment of its state-of-the-art carpet tile manufactur-ing facility in Nantong, China, there was no ques-tion that it would be held to the same standards as the company’s U.S. facilities. Shaw brought to the Nantong facility its commitment to continued improvement in efficiency, safety and customer responsiveness in next generation manufacturing by investing in innovative equipment and technology.

The Nantong facility exemplifies Shaw’s commitment to sustainability both in the construction and operation of the building itself and in the sustainable prop-erties of the products manufactured. Created to serve the Asia-Pacific market, the 200,000-square-foot plant became Asia’s first manufacturing facility to produce Cra-dle to Cradle Certified Silver carpet when it opened in 2013.

Producing EcoWorx and EcoLogix backed products, the styles and collections pro-duced in China are globally consistent — meaning the same quality, same warranty — and the same standards, all backed by the same environmental certification and reclamation guarantee.

Since opening, the Nantong plant has achieved LEED Silver status in the New Construction category. The certification is applicable to the entire facility, including administrative and manufacturing space. LEED certification is recognized globally as the premier mark of achievement in green building. To receive certification, build-ing projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certifi-cation (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum). Points are accrued in five green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.

The facility also has achieved ISO 9001 (focused on quality management systems that ensure customers get consistent, good quality products and ser-vices) and ISO 14000 certification (which addresses various aspects of envi-ronmental management). ■

to avoid contamination from predecessor phthalates – again, a new conversation that Metroflor started.

Beyond materials health, Metroflor has extended transparency into the Chi-nese manufacturing facilities by inviting customers to see for themselves the environmental and social aspects of how we run this business. The factory sub-sidizes a stable, healthy lifestyle for employees: housing, schooling, daycare and after-school care for children and a Staff Club for family recreation. It’s not just a factory: It’s a village of hope and opportunity. ■

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES – IVC GROUPMohawk Industries acquired the IVC Group, with operations in Belgium, Luxembourg and the U.S., in 2015. Since then, Mohawk has ex-panded IVC’s strong commitment to environ-mentally responsible manufacturing.

Background: The IVC Group was founded in Belgium in 1997 and is a major sheet vinyl pro-vider in Europe and the U.S. It is also a leading player in the fast-growing LVT category. Over the past two decades, IVC has grown rapidly based on a business model that focuses on low-cost, state-of-the-art manufacturing combined with a broad product offering which is customized to meet individual channel and customer needs.

IVC’s sheet vinyl is constructed with a fiberglass core that provides a cushioned product which does not crack, curl or expand, making it durable and easy to install.

Impact on Community : IVC’s wind farm supplies power to its industrial es-tate in Avelgem, Belgium. It accounts for 80 percent of plant energy consump-tion to our factories. The remaining 20 percent output from the farm supplies the public power grid, the equivalent of 2,000 households powered for a year.

IVC Group also supports the local food bank in Avelgem, in partnership with Food4All, a nonprofit organization that distributes food to those in need. Food packages, composed of purchased goods and donations from supermarkets, are distributed once a week to 100 families in the community.

Impact in U.S.: In Dalton, Georgia, IVC US has green-lit the future at its cor-porate headquarters and manufacturing facility, where 454 solar panels provide enough clean renewable energy to power the company’s fleet of electrical lift trucks, which run on rechargeable batteries. This garden of photovoltaic panels are creating a healthier environment while reducing the plant’s overall emission levels, which are already impressively low. Thanks to IVC’s clean air flow and careful choice of raw materials, our facility’s emissions are 250 percent lower than the industry standard. ■

NOVALISNovalis Innovative Flooring has been a green manufacturer of luxury vinyl floor-ing for more than 30 years and is one of the top five producers in the world. Our guiding philosophy:• Greener Manufacturing: Our flooring must be produced using as little energy as possible and generate as little waste as possible.• Greener Product: Our product must have low life-cycle costs as well as being

safe and healthy. Novalis as the leading Asian maker of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) with green practices:• Zero-waste production by diverting all scrap for reuse• 100 percent production water recycling, through reclamation, filtering,

recycling and reuse• Improved reductions in energy consumption, through a split hot press system

ARMSTRONG FLOORINGArmstrong Flooring Values CommunityIn April 2016, Armstrong Flooring became an independent company with a set of core values including Integrity, Safety, Quality and Community. Our Commu-nity value focuses on the three prongs of sustainability: people, profit and planet.

Two key drivers of our Community value are the Armstrong Flooring Foundation and Armstrong Flooring Sustainability Steering Committee.

The Armstrong Flooring Foundation addresses the community through envi-ronmental and social giving and outreach. Armstrong has a heritage of investing millions of dollars in programs that enhance the communities where we have a


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presence by providing grants to select nonprofit organizations that serve communi-ties in which we have a business presence and by providing grants to our plants who allow their employees to determine which local community organizations to support.

While the Foundation addresses community environmental and social issues through monetary and product giving, the Armstrong Flooring Sustainability Steer-ing Committee addresses community by providing governance and setting the busi-ness direction regarding sustainability issues that are material to our future. The Sus-tainability Steering Committee is composed of Armstrong Flooring senior leadership and championed by CEO Don Maier. The team sets sustainability goals, including our bold goal of a 25 percent reduction in energy, water and waste intensity by 2025. We believe these efforts will greatly benefit the communities where we have a business presence and beyond.

Though the Steering Committee’s leadership in 2016, Armstrong Flooring continued to inte-grate chemical transparency throughout our business and expanded third-party certifications, which promote transpar-ency and indoor environmental quality. We expanded our FloorScore certifica-tions to cover more than 85 percent of our products by volume, including most of the adhesives and flooring products that we sell. We certified five adhesives to the Cradle to Cradle standard and we expanded our Forest Stewardship Coun-cil (FSC) certification to include all of our engineered wood facilities and our largest solid wood facility.

Our community value is incorpo-rated into everyday operations from a portion of sales from our American Scrape product supporting Home For Our Troops which has built over 100 homes for disabled American veter-ans, to a culture where employee safe-ty is embedded into everything we do. At Armstrong Flooring, Community is more than just a value; it’s a way life. ■

MOHAWK INDUSTRIESGeorge BandyGeorge Bandy Jr. is Mohawk’s go-to per-son for sustainability. Since coming on board in 2016 as the new vice president of sustainability, he has demonstrated the type of sustainability leadership that generates environmental, economic and socially responsible solutions for both the organization and its customers.

Better Sustainability: The energy around his sustainability leadership is contagious, and all the business units at Mohawk are responding. Under his leadership, projects including the Light Lab; Healthy Life Centers; Airo; Mo Honey, an artisanal honey made at Mo-hawk Group’s onsite carpet production center; ReCover; Zero Landfill pro-gram and others are being synergized into a storyline of an organization en-couraging all, associates and customers, to “believe in better.”

Bandy has brought to Mohawk wis-dom and knowledge of the business and the sustainability communities and an

uncanny ability to merge business, health and wellness, the environment, social responsibility and fun all into a seamless pattern of positive yet humble leadership.

An Eloquent Sustainability Leader: A highly sought after presenter, Bandy speaks on key topics such as the business of sustainability, biophilic design, social sustainability, circular economy, health and wellness in the built environment, greening the supply chain and innovative smart design. Since coming to Mohawk, he has delivered keynote messages at Greenbuild, GreenBiz and Southface Energy Institute.

Prior to joining Mohawk, Bandy worked for Interface, where he most recently served as the flooring company’s vice president of sustainability and was also a member of the company’s Americas Sustainability Council. He is also a former board chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

A native of Opelika, Ala., Bandy received his bachelor’s degree in English from



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As of the second year of data reporting, Bentleyis currently at 12.24 percent of that goal.

A more extensive audit of our other pumps,motors and boilers to identify any further savingsto extrapolate upon this existing platform will beperformed within the early half of 2017.

QUICK-STEPLuxury vinyl flooring made with 100 percent virgin vinylQuick-Step’s luxury vinyl floors are Ortho-phthalate free and made with 100percent virgin vinyl — ensuring no harmful chemicals, heavy metals and otherpotentially hazardous materials have been recycled into the floor. Quick-Step’sluxury vinyl has also earned the coveted FloorScore certification by passing someof the most stringent indoor air quality tests in the world. These floors meet the

indoor air quality emissions criteria of LEEDand other respected healthy building pro-grams. With Quick-Step’s luxury vinyl floors,consumers can have peace of mind that theyare living, sleeping and breathing in a homewith a floor that is healthy for their families!

QUICK-STEPLaminate Is Safe For The Environment — Inside & OutExclusively Produced: Quick-Step laminate is exclusively produced in our ownfacilities in the U.S.A. and Europe, ensuring that every floor is compliant with thehighest manufacturing standards and giving our brand control over the compo-nents, production, quality and certification of each product. Quick-Step exclusivelyuses materials from North America and Europe.

Responsibly Produced: Quick-Step laminate planks are made of 70 per-cent pre-consumer recycled wood fibers and chips from sustainable resources.During production, rejected product is either integrated into our chipboardfactory or sent to third-party manufacturers for reuse. Quick-Step facilitiesuse clean burning natural gas and employ heat recovery to minimize fossilfuel use.

Zero Process Waste To Landfill Certified: Quick-Step’s domestic laminateproduction facilities are internally certified as zero-process-waste-to-landfillsites. This specific corporate initiative focuses on designing and managing prod-ucts and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicityof process waste and materials, conserve and recover these resources, and notburn or bury them.

CARB Phase 2 Compliant: All Quick-Step floors are manufactured in ac-cordance with CARB (California Air Resource Board) ATCM 93120 Phase 2 to

BENTLEYIn 2015, Bentley installed a new, energy efficient control system to replacea 20-year-old malfunctioning system. Bentley was able to save more than$55,000 in gas usage within the first year of operation. This decreased theoverall ROI to less than the initial expectation of 2.8 years.

This program coincides with Bentley’s partnership with the United StatesDepartment of Energy Better Plants Program. Bentley’s goal is to reducetheir overall energy intensity by 25 percent from 2014 levels by the year 2025.

Morehouse College, where he minored in environmental business manage-ment. He has taken continuing education training in sustainability and holdsLEED Accredited Professional certification from USGBC.

SHAW INDUSTRIESShaw’s operations are increasingly complex — with more than $1 billion invest-ed in new equipment, technology and processes the past few years. Combine thatwith a growing skills gap in the U.S. manufacturing market and a rapid changein worker demographics, and it’s clear why Shaw has a keen focus on developingthe workforce of the future. It’s an effort that benefits Shaw, its customers, and thecommunities in which it operates. Shaw’s investment in educational partnershipprograms — from reading to robotics, kindergarten to college — focuses on science,technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Among Shaw’s expansiverange of programs are:

STEM-focused Summer Camps: Shaw helped develop and implement a free,week-long summer camp for middle school students. Now operating in three lo-cations, students get hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, electronics,

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laser integrated design, robotics, energy, andproduct design. The program accommodateshundreds of students annually and encouragesfemale participation.

Women’s Innovation Network Mentor-ing Programs: Shaw has developed a num-ber of other programs encouraging girls’ in-terest in STEM, including an after school program with fourth- and fifth-gradegirls at City Park elementary school (Dalton, Ga.) and mentoring at ChattanoogaGirls Leadership Academy.

FIRST Robotics and FIRST Tech: Shaw mentors and sponsors multipleFIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge teams and/or events.

Work-based Learning: Shaw offers numerous opportunities for high schoolstudents to participate in work-based learning, including apprenticeships andthe Great Promise Partnership, which help students earn their diplomas throughpaid, on-the-job training. Supporting professional development after high school,Shaw’s Project SEARCH internship program is designed to facilitate a successfultransition to the workforce for young adults with disabilities. As the largest em-ployer in many of the communities in which it operates, Shaw is striving to createa better — more sustainable — future through education. For more information,visit https://shawinc.com/Corporate-Responsibility/Education.

LATICRETE INTERNATIONALThe Laticrete Commitment to SustainabilityLaticrete is fully committed to sustainability andproviding transparent information for the rapidlygrowing green building community. Working withthe Tile Council of North America, Laticrete pro-vides industry-wide Environmental Product Dec-larations (EPD) for mineral-based adhesive mor-tars and mineral-based grouts to achieve LEEDv4 Credit “Building Disclosure and Optimization-Environmental Product Declarations.”

An EPD is a comprehensive, globally harmonized and independently verifiedreport created by a product manufacturer which documents the impacts on theenvironment throughout its lifecycle. Information on the environmental impactinclude raw material acquisition, energy use, energy efficiency, content of materi-als, chemical substances, emissions to air, soil and water, as well as waste genera-tion from “cradle-to-grave.”

Establishing a first for the tile and flooring industry, Laticrete has developed andpublished three product specific EPDs covering:

1. Cement self-leveling underlayments2. Cement grouts3. Cement mortarsThe Laticrete EPDs are created and verified in accordance with ISO 14025,

based on a life-cycle assessment according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 usinga system boundary of cradle-to-gate (with options). The intent of an EPD is notto show superiority to alternative products, and is intended to simply providetransparent information on the life-cycle impact of the product.

Laticrete also offers Health Product Declarations (HPD) v1 for the majori-ty of our product offerings across all of our product categories to help achieveLEED v4 Credit “Building Product Disclosure and Optimization-Material In-gredients.” An HPD is an open standard, which provides complete, transparentdisclosure of the potential chemicals of concern by analyzing and comparing


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reduce formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. We also haveour manufacturing facilities and suppliers audited and tested by an indepen-dent third party certifier approved by CARB. In addition, we regularly check toensure that all CARB requirements are continuously being met by Quick-Step.

FloorScore Certified: Quick-Step flooring has also earned the covetedFloorScore certification. Achieving FloorScore means that Quick-Step floorshave passed the most stringent testing in the world regarding indoor air quali-ty. FloorScore tests for 78 volatile organic compounds including formaldehyde.FloorScore is recognized as one of the most credible certification programs inthe United States, with rigorous tests administered by objective, professionalthird party labs.

QUICK-STEP Engineered HardwoodResponsibly Produced: All Quick-Step hardwood floors are finished in the U.S.A.and made from wood that is sustainable and has been responsibly harvested. Allraw materials are Lacey Act compliant.

FloorScore Certified: Quick-Step’s engineered hardwood floors are alsoFloorScore certified. FloorScore screens products for 78 volatile organic com-pounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde through rigorous testing conducted byobjective third party labs. With FloorScore, families living on Quick-Step hard-wood can rest assured they are bringing a product into their home that meetsstrict indoor air quality standards.

Meets Additional Criteria: Quick-Step’s FloorScore certified hardwoodfloors contribute to the earning of LEED points administered by the U.S. GreenBuilding Council and meet the criteria of many other well-respected organiza-tions such as the Collaborative for High Performance Schools and the GreenGuide for Healthcare.

CARB Phase 2 Compliant: All Quick-Step hardwood floors are CARB Phase2 compliant, meeting strict formaldehyde emissions standards.

The Quick-Step Hardwood Advantage: Quick-Step’s line of engineeredhardwood flooring provides consumers with some of the hottest designs on themarket today, giving our retailers a distinct advantage over their competitors! Continued on page 24


(ANSI A138.1), making them eligible for a special LEED v4 pilot credit. The TCNA reported in a recent news release, “Specifically, Green Squared Certified products now qualify to contribute toward a new LEED Pi-lot Credit offered for using ‘Certified Multi-attribute Products and Mate-rials.’ The credit requires that certi-fication details, including which Green Squared electives were satisfied, are disclosed, and that a product lifecycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted.” The US Environmental Protection Agency has also added Green Squared Cer-tified products to its current recommendations made to all U.S. government purchasing officials to aid in identifying and procuring environmentally sus-tainable products and services.

The MAPEI products that have been TCNA Green Squared certified include MAPEI Ultralite Mortar™, MAPEI Ultralite Mortar Pro, MAPEI Ultralite S2 mortar, MAPEI Ultralite S1 Quick mortar, Ultracolor Plus FA premium grout and new MAPEI Flexcolor 3D ready-to-use grout with translucent/iridescent effects. These products can be specified by architects as a sustainable tile instal-lation system. MAPEI also has TCNA Industry-average Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and VOC emission certifications (CA-DPH 01350) for these products, which can contribute not only to LEED v4, but also sustainability programs such as the Living Building Challenge (LBC) and the Well Building standard. “TCNA has been a leader in providing sustainable tile system initiatives with both GreenSquared Certifi-cation and EPDs that have benefited both the industry and MAPEI in offering our customers a complete system, from tile to mortar to grout,” said Cris Bier-schank, Technical Services Sustainability Manager for MAPEI Americas. ■

FOSSFoss Combines Sustainable Materials and State-of-the-ArtManufacturing for a Superior Carpeting CollectionThe Foss Cashmere Collection™ is the culmi-nation of the company’s latest R&D break-throughs and state-of-the-art manufactur-ing facilities and techniques. The carpets are made from the company’s own Natural Touch Fiber™, a fiber made from 100 per-cent recycled plastic drinking bottles, that produces a collection of broadloom carpets that offer customers the look and feel of wool for a lot less. The Duraknit™ construction gives these environmentally-friendly car-pets unparalleled dimensional stability and enables “goof proof ” installation, whether installing wall-to-wall over padding or di-rect glue down. In addition to being offered in several beautiful styles and colors, these incredibly soft carpets will never fray or unravel and are stain, soil, and fade resistant. Like all Foss products, the Cashmere Collection is proudly made in the U.S.A. ■

MAPEIMAPEI has certified sustainable mortars and grouts for tile andstone installationsMAPEI is a champion of the Tile Council of North America’s (TCNA) Green Squared program for third-party-certified green products in the in-stallation of tile and stone. MAPEI has a select set of mortars and grouts that are SCS third-party certified to the TCNA Green Squared standard

P R O D U C T

P R O C E S S

all product raw materials to authoritative chemical hazard lists from around the world. HPDs are governed by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative and are primarily used in North America. ■

MOHAWK INDUSTRIESContinuum Mohawk’s Continuum Process is the ultimate innovation in PET carpet. This process takes premium PET from the highest-grade polymer, strengthens the fiber and removes dirt-attracting residue with a multistep purification system.

To date, Mohawk has invested almost $200 million in its patented Con-tinuum Process for PET to create a cleaner process, cleaner product and cleaner planet.

Cleaner Process: Mohawk’s PET BCF production starts with premium raw materials. Continuum uses only superior, FDA-approved PET bottle resin from recycled plastic bottles, the highest-grade polyester polymer available. The polymer’s higher molecular weight results in significantly better carpet.

Cleaner Product: Continuum’s unique multistep purification process reduces 95 percent of manufacturing lubricants left on the fiber so carpets will resist soil buildup and withstand traffic, contributing to a longer carpet life. Other PET car-pets have up to 10 times more oily residue, which attracts soil buildup that makes carpets look dingy and accelerating wear and crushing.

Cleaner Planet: PET carpets manufactured with Continuum contain up to 100 percent recycled content in the yarn. By using 70 percent less energy to produce than virgin polyester, the Continuum Process is also helping reduce the worldwide dependency on oil. Plus, Mohawk’s recycling operation annually diverts more than three billion bottles — about 20 percent of bottles recycled in the U.S. — from landfills each year.

Mohawk’s Summerville, Ga. facility, where the Continuum Process is used, is the first in the flooring industry to receive UL Environment validation. UL, a global independent safety science company, offers expertise in product safe-


ty, environment and verification services. The newly expanded facility will also create 500 jobs by 2018!

Mohawk is committed to delivering the best PET carpet possible to our cus-tomers. Carpets made with Continuum give you everything you want in a carpet: performance, durability, style and sustainability for a cleaner planet. ■

SHAW INDUSTRIESSince 2011, Shaw has invested almost $30 million in new equipment and sys-tems to reduce its energy and greenhouse gas impacts — including $4.9 million in 2016. As a result, the amount of energy required to produce each pound of finished product has decreased more than 15 percent — compared to what would be required if Shaw was producing the same product mix it is today with 2010 processes and equipment.

The company’s efforts have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Ener-gy through its Better Plants program. In 2017, Energy Manager Today magazine honored Charles Chapman, Shaw’s director of energy and reliability engineering, among 50 professionals who have driven their companies and the energy manage-ment industry forward. Shaw is committed to making continued progress toward reducing the amount of energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with pro-ducing its flooring products — with a goal of achieving 40 percent improvement over its 2010 operations by 2030.

Operational efficiency and alternative/renewable power sources are a key part of achieving energy management goals, but for product manufacturers they are not the entire solution. The company added solar to its renewable and alternative energy portfolio in recent years. It approaches facility design and remodeling in accordance with widely recognized standards such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED and the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star certifications in mind. In 2017, Shaw earned a new LEED Silver certification for its Shaw Contract showroom in New York, with three additional properties on target for certification. The company looks for innovative solutions to advance its efforts. Recognizing that a product’s design can account for the majority of its environmental impact — in-cluding energy consumption, Shaw is also taking a cross-functional approach to energy management centered around product design. It’s what’s next for creating a better future and positively impacting lives. ■


including formaldehyde through rigorous testing conducted by objective third party labs.

Responsibly Produced: All Quick-Step hardwood floors are finished in the U.S.A. and made from wood that is sustainable and has been responsibly harvest-ed. All raw materials are Lacey Act compliant.

Other Indoor Air Quality Benefits: Quick-Step’s FloorScore certified hard-wood floors contribute to the earning of LEED points administered by the U.S. Green Building Council and meet the criteria of many other well-respected orga-nizations such as the Collaborative for High Performance Schools and the Green Guide for Healthcare. ■

QUICK-STEP Laminate Is Dedicated To Protecting Our Planet & Your CustomersResponsibly Made: Responsibly made in our own facilities in either the U.S.A. or Europe, Quick-Step laminate flooring meets and exceeds the re-quirements necessary to ensure that our floors make a positive contribution to the lives of our customers! With Quick-Step, families can have peace of mind that they are living, sleeping and breathing on a floor that meets strict indoor air quality standards.

FloorScore Certified: Quick-Step laminate flooring has earned the coveted FloorScore certification. Achieving FloorScore means that Quick-Step floors have passed the most stringent testing in the world regarding indoor air quality. Floor-Score tests for 78 volatile organic compounds including formaldehyde. FloorScore is recognized as one of the most credible certification programs in the United States, with rigorous tests administered by objective, professional third party labs. With FloorScore, families living on Quick-Step flooring can breathe easy!

CARB Phase 2 Compliant: All Quick-Step flooring meets CARB Phase 2 requirements for formaldehyde emissions. We also have our manufacturing fa-cilities and suppliers audited and tested by an independent third party certifier approved by CARB. In addition, we regularly check to ensure that all CARB requirements are continuously being met by Quick-Step.

Additional Indoor Air Quality Accolades: Quick-Step floors are certified by the North American Laminate Flooring Association on a variety of key performance measures, including adherence to CARB requirements. Our floors also meet the air quality criteria of many other well-respected organizations such as the Collaborative for High Performance Schools and the Green Guide for Healthcare. Our patented Uniclic locking system eliminates the introduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) typically associated with installation adhesives. Additionally, Quick-Step laminate floors contribute to LEED points as a Low Emitting Material. ■

SHAW INDUSTRIESShaw’s Commitment to Cradle to Cradle Brings Continuous Improvement to EcoWorx-backed Carpet TileShaw’s commitment to Cradle to Cra-dle principles includes a focus on con-tinuous improvement and product optimization – as exemplified by re-cent changes to its EcoWorx-backed carpet tile, a flagship product for Shaw’s Philadelphia Commercial, Pat-craft and Shaw Contract brands. Eco-Worx-backed carpet tile changed the industry when it was introduced in 1999, providing a sustainable flooring option from Main Street to large-scale, commercial properties specified by architects and designers. The world’s first Cradle to Cradle Certified carpet tile, EcoWorx was designed for reuse. To cre-ate a carpet tile that could be infinitely recycled with no loss of quality meant removing PVC, phthalates and other chemicals. As a result of its meticulous design process, Shaw knows what’s in EcoWorx products and therefore what’s going into the next generation of its products. Today, with 16 years and more than 3 billion square feet of EcoWorx installed, there is an increasing stream of high quality material coming back into the manufacturing process as build-ings are renovated, reducing the reliance on raw material feedstock overall. Shaw continues to optimize the product’s performance in alignment with Cra-dle to Cradle criteria — material health, material reutilization, energy, water and social responsibility. That includes installing a one megawatt solar array

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES AiroMohawk’s Airo soft floor covering represents a new, completely recyclable floor-ing category called USF — Unified Soft Flooring. Airo is not just an improvement to an existing line; it is a complete breakthrough in carpet. It gives consumers a revolutionary recyclable alternative to traditional carpet and provides retailers with an easy-to-install, easy-to-service product.

Innovative and Sustainable: The innovation that makes Airo a revolution-ary product in regard to performance, service and installation also makes it one of the most sustainable flooring products on the market today. While the flooring industry has embraced sustainability for more than two decades, recy-cling carpet has been problematic and costly because of the way carpet is made. Traditional carpet is a highly engineered product made of several materials and chemicals that must be completely separated and deconstructed in the recy-cling process. Airo changes all of that.

Simple, Two-Part Design: Airo’s two-part design is simpler than traditional carpet and is unified by a single polymer. The 100 percent PET fiber is con-structed on a premium cushioned backing using an innovative, tension-free process. This creates a dimensionally stable floor, which will not wrinkle or de-laminate and is easy and fast to install. It requires no additional cushion, no tack-strip at the edges to snag socks and no power stretching or seaming iron.

Green Label Plus Certified: Green Label Plus certified, Airo also is a fami-ly-friendly choice. Airo eliminates the “new carpet smell.” Also, moisture cannot be absorbed into the fiber, backing or cushion — a significant factor in reducing odor in the home.

Reception: Mohawk presented Airo to flooring retailers in January 2017 at The International Surface Event (TISE) in Las Vegas, and the product captured awards in product design and innovation. Just as Mohawk changed the indus-try 11 years ago with the debut of SmartStrand, the introduction of Airo should produce the same favorable results. ■

QUICK-STEP Luxury Vinyl Flooring Offers Exceptional Sustainability AttributesExceptional Sustainability Attributes: Quick-Step’s luxury vinyl floors are safe for families and feature exceptional indoor air quality attributes! These floors are Ortho-phthalate free and made with 100 percent virgin vinyl — ensuring no harmful chemicals, heavy metals and other potentially hazardous materials have been recycled into the floor. Quick-Step’s luxury vinyl has also earned the coveted FloorScore certification by passing some of the most stringent indoor air quality tests in the world. These floors meet the indoor air quality emissions criteria of LEED and other respected healthy building programs. With Quick-Step’s luxury vinyl floors, consumers can have peace of mind that they are living, sleeping and breathing in a home with a floor that is healthy for their families! ■

QUICK-STEP Breathe Easy With Quick-Step Hardwood FloorsThe Quick-Step Hardwood Advantage: Quick-Step’s line of engineered hardwood flooring provides consumers with some of the hottest designs on the market today that also meet stringent requirements for indoor air quality, giving Quick-Step a distinct ad-vantage over our competitors! Our quality engineered hardwood flooring meets all gov-ernmental and industry standards for both sustainability and air quality — as certified by credible third-party organizations.

CARB Phase 2 Compliant: All Quick-Step hardwood floors are CARB Phase 2 compli-ant. Families can have full confidence they are putting a hardwood floor into their home that meets strict formaldehyde emissions standards.

FloorScore Certified: Our engineered hardwood floors are also FloorScore certified. FloorScore screens products for 78 volatile organic compounds (VOCs)


P R OMO T I O N

P R O D U C T approved DriTac flooring adhesives, a total sound reduction system with dual force, silent fuse technology helps dra-matically cut down on sound transmis-sion. Double Impact and Impact under-layments provide zero harmful emissions and exceed all standards for indoor air quality, including the California proto-col. This innovative VOC free technology protects your family from harmful subfloor emissions by blocking their direct transmission into the room. Both products are hypoallergenic and mold/mildew/bacteria resistant with no toxic additives CFC/HCFC/PVC/BHT/pinta bromide/latex or antimicrobials. Light-weight for easy handling, both underlayments offer a safeguard seaming system with a built-in vapor barrier. DriTac 8302 and 8301 offer anti-crush technology for residential and commercial applications. DriTac’s adhesive and underlay-ment Total Sound Reduction System provides installers with an enhanced war-ranty package from one trusted company. ■

HALLMARK FLOORSVoyager PVC Free FlooringDiscover Voyager PVC Free Flooring, en-vironmentally safe, beautiful and durable. Perfect for healthcare education and oth-er commercial environments, Hallmarks Floors’ Voyager is completely free of chlo-ride and other synthetic solvents. Our planks feature a variety of species and col-ors with convincing realism, our thermally sealed, protective finishes create the ideal flooring solution. Voyager PVC Free is setting new standards for the healthcare industry. Hallmark Floors’ Voyager PVC Free plank has profound environmen-tal qualities containing zero poly vinyl chloride, chlorine, halogens, heavy mate-rial plasticizers and phthalates. Highly dimensionally heat stable construction that provides durability, while also being a safe alternate to vinyl. FloorScore Certified, Voyager PVC Free vinyl has been tested and certified as a hard sur-face flooring and is made with materials that are in compliance with stringent indoor air quality emissions. ■


BENTLEYOne Earth. One Week.As a California-based manufacturer, sustainability is one of our biggest accomplishments and covet-ed goals. Through our internal and external efforts we have established a firm environmental program that includes monthly dumpster dives, carpooling and our IDEAS program.

Through the practice of consistent dumpster dives, Bentley is able to identify how efficient their waste stream is. Different types of waste are sort-ed and then weighed based off their recyclability. A report is then generated and distributed to all mill employees stating what is and isn’t recyclable, what materials were collected and weighed, and alternatives for waste disposal. In 2016, we diverted 96 percent of our mill waste. All employees are encouraged to participate every month to fully understand our waste stream processes.

Another program that Bentley advocates is for our Carpooling Program. A mill-wide email is distributed quarterly to promote our carpooling initiatives and its benefits. At the top of 2017, applications were filled out, permits were created, and almost all of our carpool spots across all three shifts were re-served within the first week of the program. This encourages reducing single occupancy vehicle use and promotes sustainable thinking.

A final program that led to the dumpster dives and carpool programs is Bentley’s IDEAS program. Employees are encouraged to fill out a form that offers suggestions and improvements for any and all efforts. One particular effort that has gotten the most attention is our sustainability sector. Ways

to decrease the waste stream, green cleaning policies and lighting are some of the issues that have been addressed by our mill employees. These suggestions lead to overall increases in efficiencies and cost reductions while providing an incentive for applicable suggestions. ■

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES Cushion The FightWith more than 240,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. ev-ery year, Mohawk Industries realizes there is no time to lose. To take a stand, Mohawk Industries began partnering with the Susan G. Komen Foundation in 2001, donating between 2 cents and 15 cents per square yard of SmartCushion and KaraStep carpet cushion sold through Mohawk’s Decorate for the Cure pro-gram. More than $10 million has been donated to date, serving millions in more than 30 countries.

Walk for the Cure: In 2016, Mohawk took its work with Susan G. Komen to a new level, expanding its support of the 3-Day Walk for the Cure to all seven U.S. cities. The first 3-Day was held in Michigan in August and moved across the country from there ending in November in San Diego. Mohawk distributed more than 6,000 total pieces of soft, durable, eco-friendly SmartCushion rolls at campout areas. Tied with pink ribbons, the rolls were available for participants and crew members to use under their sleeping bags. A Mohawk camera crew captured stories from participants about their reasons for taking part in this successful fundraiser and how breast cancer has affected their lives.

#CushionTheFight: To support the distribution and 3-Day Walk, Mohawk implemented one of the largest social media campaigns in company history. Helping to #CushionTheFight against breast cancer, 97 percent of eligible Mo-

— one of the largest commercial installations in the southeastern United States — to the roof of its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Ga. Most recently, Shaw worked with one of its suppliers to remove an ingredient from its latex that was added to the list of banned chemicals within Cradle to Cradle version 3. Because that supplier’s latex is used by multiple manufacturers, the healthier chemistry is now present in many flooring products, even from those companies not currently participating in Cradle to Cradle. It’s part of Shaw’s commitment to creating a better future and positively impacting lives. ■

USFLOORSNatural Bamboo Muse StrandMuse Strand from USFloors is the ideal strand bamboo floor for homes locat-ed in a wide range of climates. Muse Strand’s cutting edge design cues feature distressed and chiseled surfaces, hand sculpted scraping and wire brushed en-hanced grains. Fashion forward stains and washes evoke a sense of artistry and inspiration. These bamboo floors are easy to install, up to two times hard-er than oak, sustainable and rapidly re-newable, and GREENGUARD GOLD Certified for Indoor Air Quality. The collection satisfies LEED credits for EQ: Low Emitting Floors, and meet the European E0 Standard, a strict test that measures the amount of formaldehyde in a product. ■

DRITACDriTac8302- DriTac8301DriTac is unveiling two new underlayment systems; DriTac 8302 Double Im-pact for wood plank and floating floor installations and DriTac 8301 Impact for resilient floor installations. Both zero VOC products provide enhanced sound control properties with improved footfall sound performance. When used with


SHAW INDUSTRIESSt. Jude Children’s Research HospitalSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands,treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Every-thing St. Jude does is centered on its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.Shaw Industries is driven each day by core values based upon honesty, integrityand passion, making its partnership with St. Jude meaningful and seamless.

What started as one national sponsorship between Shaw Industries and the St.Jude Dream Home Giveaway in 2012 has grown into a multi-channel partnershiptouching virtually every piece of Shaw’s business.

Product Integration: Shaw’s product integration with St. Jude is comprehensiveand covers both the residential and commercial divisions through a co-branded res-idential carpet collection, a seven-styleco-branded residential carpet cushionprogram and through our commercialbrand Patcraft, with the Butterfly Effectcollection. Each of these programs do-nates a portion of each product sale toSt. Jude.

St. Jude Dream Home GiveawayNational Sponsor: Shaw Industriesdonates flooring for all 30-35 homesin the program, nationwide. Since itsinception, this program has raisedover $340 million for St. Jude andhas exposed countless consumers topremium Shaw Industries products.

St. Jude Memphis Marathon:Shaw Industries’ mission is to createa better future for its customers, itspeople and the communities in whichit operates. And one way the compa-ny is living that mission is through itsparticipation in the St. Jude Mem-phis Marathon Weekend. Since 2013,

P R OMO T I O NShaw associates from across the compa-ny come together to run and fundraise.In 2016 alone, Shaw associates raisedmore than $40,000 for St. Jude.

St. Jude Walk/Run to End Child-hood Cancer: In 2016, Shaw Industriesand over 200 of its retail partners cametogether for the first time to participatein and fundraise for the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer — a race held on the same day in 62 cities acrossthe country — and collectively raised over $51,000 for the children of St. Jude.

Shaw believes in investing in people and they support and promote causesthat align with their culture and priorities. Since 2012, through this compre-hensive cause-marketing program that grows significantly each year, ShawIndustries has donated more than $6.4 million in fundraising and furnish-ings to benefit the kids and families of St. Jude.

hawk retailers participated in the so-cial media campaign, and more than10,000 tweets were created using thehashtag. Mohawk will #CushionThe-Fight again in 2017.

Stepping Toward a HealthierWorld: During the event, Smart-Cushion’s deep, plush thickness pro-vided a softer place to rest and pro-tection against the cold. In homes,SmartCushion improves insulationfor a quieter, more energy-efficientroom. Additionally, the built-in pro-tection of Spill Safe Moisture Guardprevents spills or stains from seepinginto the cushion and contains anti-microbial additives to prevent thegrowth of odor-causing mold, mil-dew and fungus — helping to createhealthier environments for families.


COMING MAY 22

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AGENTS WANTED Custom Wholesale Floors, one of the Southeast’s premier distributors is seeking independent agents or agencies to represent our proprietary brands in several regions throughout the US and Canada. As a direct importer, marketer and distributor for over 40 years, CWF has competitive products and comprehensive marketing packages for Wood, Laminate, and WPC. Ideal candidates have at least 5 years of experience in servicing commercial or residential flooring dealers or A&D relationships. Email resumes to: [email protected] or call Joe at 305-728-1118

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Trendsinclude Dymo, available in three decos that can be paired with solid white tile; Kenzzi, an encaustic-inspired product also available in geometric prints; and, Brickstone, porcelain ledger panels in-spired by MSI’s stacked natural stone. MSI also showcased a new retail display to sell wall tile using a small footprint.

Deco looks were popular in wall tiles. Ege Seramik, a Turkishceramics brand, showcased Piccolo, an 8 ≈ 8 tile in solid white and deco print, and Metropolitan, a stone look that features deco prints.

Trends Turn To mainsTaysWood and stone visuals continue to

maintain popularity. Marazzi debuted three new products featuring wood and stone looks: Chateau Reserve, a rustic, European wood look; Classen-

tino Marble, available in matte and polished finishes; and, Modern Form, a natural limestone look available in six colorways. “People are really excited about the wood look,” said Micah Hand, brand marketing manager at Marazzi.

Paolo Mularoni, president of Del Conca USA, agreed that there are a lot of wood looks on the market. “We need


TCNA ASKS ‘WHY TILE?’In an effort to educate and inspire consumers, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) launched its "Why Tile" campaign at Coverings.

Why Tile is an industry effort coordinated by the TCNA, with input from various industry organizations, including the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, the National Tile Contractors Association, the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation, the Tile Contractors Association of America and the Tile Heritage Foundation, in addition to manufac-turers around the world.

“In developing Why Tile, we’ve had the pleasure of reaffirming everything that’s so wonderful about tile,” said Eric Astrachan, executive director, TCNA. “With Why Tile, we’ll be delivering this messaging to consumers and to the A&D community as never before, and in new and impactful ways — most notably, through the website, WhyTile.Com.”

WhyTile.com provides messaging on tile’s benefits, focusing on its design capabilities, ease of care, healthy attri-butes, and the product’s historical value. It also features an inspiration gallery and a downloadable Project Guide, schematics and maintenance tips.

to reinterpret those looks in order to stay strong, otherwise we’re just saying ‘me too,’ ” he said. Among Del Conca’s do-mestic product launches was Calico, an oak look with strong character.

TexTiles on The riseTile featuring fabric visuals also

continue to grow in popularity.

Among Florida Tile’s new product launches included Wexford, a com-mercial product featuring a textile look available in neutral beige, blue and gray tones. “We wanted it to look as natural and believable as possible,” said Sean Cilona, director of marketing. The product is available in a variety of sizes, including a geometric, cubic mosaic.

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F L O O R C O V E R I N G W E E K L Y

FCW

Steven R. Swartz President & Chief Executive OfficerWilliam R. Hearst III Chairman

Frank A. Bennack Jr. Executive Vice ChairmanRichard P. Malloch Group Head & President

Steven A. Hobbs Executive VP & Deputy Group HeadRobert D. Wilbanks Group Controller

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Floor Covering Weekly (ISSN-0015-3761) is published bi-monthly by Hearst Business Communications, Inc./FCWDivision, 300 W 57th St, 37th floor, New York, NY 10019.Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additionalmailing offices. Subscription rates: Domestic: $25 per year,$48 two years; Canada: $60 per year, $110 two years. SalesAgreement No. 4001287. Foreign: $174 airmail. Singlecopy Domestic: $4.00, Canada: $6.00. Printed in theU.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FLOORCOVERING WEEKLY, PO Box 3012, Northbrook, IL 60065.

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One of thebenefits ofmoving into

the Hearst Tower,now getting close totwo years ago, weresome of the “perks”that came with be-ing in the corporateoffices. Things like afitness center with

any and all equipment you would ever need, per-sonal trainers — even clothing is provided for yourworkout, minus sneakers. We also have a WellnessCenter where you can go for a quick consultation.And our famous café offers everything from sand-wiches to sushi with lots of healthy options.

The company takes a holistic approach toward itsemployees, offering them everything they need tolive a healthy day. The health and wellness of em-ployees is, in fact, garnering more attention fromemployers than ever before, just as it should be.

When FCW first launched the GreenStepAwards Program, it was to honor the many ini-tiatives around sustainability — from leadershipto product to process and even promotion. Thefocus then was on “green” initiatives impactingour physical environment.

There is still much conversation about such goalsas water and waste reductions, recycling and clean-er processes. And the demand for transparency isstrong. Just a few years ago, companies began re-leasing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)and Sustainability Reports to fully disclose howthey make products and what they are made of.

Much of what was once kept secret is now being

celebrated as makers are proud to share just howfar they have come in reducing their environmentalfootprints and protecting the planet.

But today, companies are for sure putting agood amount of effort around the sustainabilityof their employees and the communities in whichthey have a footprint. We hear more and moreabout efforts beyond the manufacturing and prod-ucts with attention given to the people that help todesign, make and sell those products.

Even when it comes to transparency, many com-panies are addressing this too when it comes tothe people employed at the company. For exam-ple, back in September when I spoke with HalsteadGroup’s chief sustainability officer Rochelle Rout-man, she talked about a trip she took with Met-roflor distributors to visit the company’s Asianoperations, and how impressed she was with thecompany’s focus on its employees.

She told me then, “It’s very unique to invite cus-tomers to go across the Pacific Ocean to see whatthe factories are like, how the employees are treat-ed, the safety conditions, how well run and cleanthey are. That to me is a strong aspect of transpar-ency my new company has embraced really well.This relates to the social responsibility piece todoing business. Another aspect is how the familiesof the workers are treated,” she said, adding thatthere is an onsite daycare center at the facility tohelp ease family strain.

Caring for company associates and taking so-cial responsibility in general is as important tothe industry as the products being made. It’s im-portant for sustaining a workforce and engaginga community. It also happens to be an importantand defining concept for most Millennials.

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Full Disclosure - BOWE · of new SKUs from its Laminam line of MSI’s Recycled Glass decorative mosaics. [Atlanta] Floor & Decor announced the launch of its initial public offering