We know that Monterey Peninsula residents care about the environment, and we want to do our part by offering sustainable and green flooring materials to homeowners. Floor Store USA carries product lines that are environmentally friendly from several manufacturers such as Mohawk, Shaw, BR-111, Solida, and more. Just about every type of flooring comes in an environmentally responsible option--even hardwood! When looking for a green flooring option, consider:

• Carpet made of recycled plastic, recycled bottles, or natural materials such as wool, jute, sisal or seagrass

• Hardwood made from reclaimed wood, certified forest timber, or engineered flooring

• Cork or bamboo

• Ceramic tile

Keep reading below for information on three flooring manufacturers (Mohawk, Shaw, and BR-111) that have taken steps to become environmentally responsible in their manufacturing and business practices.

     

Mohawk has adopted many practices and programs to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability.

• Mohawk Industries uses nearly 25% of all recycled plastic bottles in North America. That’s almost 3 billion bottles annually -- which makes Mohawk one of the few companies that purchase more waste than they produce! And since 1999 Mohawk has been operating the world’s largest plastic bottle recycling plant, located in Summerville, Georgia. The recycled bottles are made into Mohawk’s Everstrand line of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) carpet fiber.

• Hardwood floors can also be environmentally responsible. Mohawk’s Antique Artisans line of hardwood flooring is made from reclaimed lumber. When buildings are torn down, the material (including the old lumber) is sent to the landfill. To minimize the amount of lumber going into landfills, Mohawk converts the old lumber into hardwood flooring. The resulting floor is beautiful, as the wood has true character and a rich history.

• The Mohawk manufacturing facilities that produce ceramic tile recover and reuse all water involved in the manufacturing process. That is a big accomplishment for a ceramic tile producer.

• Mohawk has cut the amount of water used to manufacture carpet in half from 1995 to 2003.

• Mohawk’s laminate products use 75% pre-consumer recycled materials, keeping 680 million pounds of material out of landfills.

• Six times more trees are planted than harvested by Mohawk suppliers.

Shaw Carpets also operates a recycling facility in Georgia. But at Shaw’s Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augustine, they recycle old nylon carpets and makes them into brand new carpet. Through their efforts, Shaw keeps nearly 300 million pounds of carpet out of landfills each year. The carpet produced at this recycling plant is labels AnsoCarpet.

In addition, all Shaw Industries broadloom and carpet tile products meet the standards required for the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label and Green Label Plus. The certification means that the products have been tested to ensure that they are low in chemical emissions or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Green Label Plus certification means that the products have met additional requirements set forth by California’s Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) for low emitting materials. With these certifications, you can be sure that the carpet is safe and healthy for use by everyone.