Sustainability: Producer Update: Highlights of new programs, products and initiatives from flooring manufacturers and suppliers – August/September 2024

By Darius Helm, Jessica Chevalier and Jennifer Bardoner

Every year, flooring producers find new ways to make their operations and products more sustainable to reduce their environmental impacts and meet the demands of their clients, A&D and end users. Several of these firms have announced goals to be entirely carbon-neutral and beyond within the next decade or so, and they publish data to show their progress. While the demand for sustainable floorcoverings still comes mostly from the commercial market, residential flooring producers are increasingly highlighting the green aspects of product innovations, and many of their products are getting greener, regardless of consumer demand.

INTERFACE
Georgia-headquartered manufacturer of carpet tile and rubber, with sourced LVT
• In April 2024, announced that it would shift from investment in carbon offsets, which, according to the firm, have always been a bridge strategy, to a focus on innovations that yield direct carbon reductions and carbon storage, discontinuing its Carbon Neutral Floors program.
• In 2023, reduced global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 12% compared to 2022 and decreased the carbon footprint of all products. Since 1996, the firm has reduced the carbon footprint of its carpet by 82%.
• In its 2023 ESG report, announced 27% reductions in absolute emissions in Scope 1 from its 2019 baseline; 30% reductions in Scope 2; 35% reductions in Scope 3, Category 1 (purchased goods and services, which includes its LVT program); 75% reductions in Scope 3, Category 6 (business travel); and 17% reductions in Scope 3, Category 7 (employee commuting). For 2023, total GHG emissions, measured in CO2e (equivalent), were 407,867 metric tons, with over 97% of that coming from Scope 3 emissions.
• All of the firm’s CQuest backings are carbon-negative without offsets, cradle to gate, and the greenest of those backings, CQuest BioX, is negative enough that it can zero out the face fiber as well, resulting in a carbon-negative carpet tile. The bulk of the firm’s backings are CQuest GB, a PVC-based backing. Its backings in the European market have switched from bitumen-based systems to CQuest Bio and CQuest BioX.
• Interface’s LVT, the only product line it doesn’t manufacture, features 39% pre-consumer recycled content.
• Last year, what moved the needle most for the firm was the strategy of adding bio-based and recycled content to its products, leading to a reduced impact across all product categories and for the company as a whole. In 2023, 51% of materials across its product lines were recycled or bio-based-with 47% recycled and 4% bio-based.
• Says Liz Minné, Interface’s head of global sustainability strategy, “One key focus for the next few years is the circular economy and how the definition needs to be broadened to not just be about collecting the product at end of life and putting it into a new product, but also about longevity-including having a reuse life if it’s still of quality-and looking at different ways that we can make sure make sense in terms of our business. We can’t forget the economy part of circular economy.”

SHAW INDUSTRIES
Georgia-headquartered manufacturer of soft and hard surface flooring
• Through a partnership with Classen, unveiled EcoWorx Resilient under the Shaw Contract and Patcraft brands earlier this summer-EcoWorx, the firm’s carpet tile backing for the last 25 years, is composed of a high-performance thermoplastic polypropylene. EcoWorx Resilient designs are direct digitally printed onto the polypropylene base, further reducing its carbon footprint and offering unlimited design capabilities with reduced repeats. According to Kellie Ballew, Shaw’s chief sustainability and innovation officer, this version of EcoWorx Resilient, a 2.5mm product, hits four key criteria: it meets performance expectations, it offers cutting-edge design capabilities, it delivers on cradle-to-cradle promises, and it is cost competitive. The product, which is made in Germany, has high recycled content and about half the carbon footprint of comparable LVT.
• At the end of last year, entered into a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables (which, like Shaw, is part of Berkshire Hathaway) to purchase energy from a wind farm in Texas, reducing Shaw’s use of carbon-derived energy (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 15% and adding to its renewable-energy portfolio. The VPPA is a 15-year commitment.
• Added a pilot solar system to its T1 carpet tile plant in Adairsville, Georgia in April of this year. The solar system demonstrates a technology that enables 30% more solar power density per acre, in part through the use of a unique racking system for a high density of panels, as well as the use of geotextiles behind the panels. The array generates about 300 KwH of power, about the same as running 45 homes in Georgia.
• At NeoCon, introduced Texture Study, its first collection of EcoWorx Bio, a carpet tile composed of a bio-based backing and EcoSolutionQ100 face fiber, which is a nylon 6 made from 100% pre-consumer recycled content. The product will launch in the coming months.
• Added resilient products to its ReTurn reclamation program with no cost for a 5,000-square-foot minimum.

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES
Georgia-headquartered producer of hard and soft surface flooring
• In 2023, reduced GHG emissions intensity to 36% from its 2010 baseline, exceeding its goals.
• Expanded its ReCover recycling program to include carpet pad, engineered wood, resilient flooring and laminate flooring. In 2023, the firm recovered 44.9 million pounds of end-of-life products through recycling and repurposing.
• Secured its third Living Product Challenge recertification for its EcoFlex carpet tile program. Living Product Challenge is a certification from the International Future Living Institute.
• Is 105% carbon-positive (carbon neutral plus 5%) across all Mohawk Group products through both internal efforts to reduce embodied carbon and through carbon offsets purchased through GreenEnergy GPO, a well-established purchasing operation that is accepted with Living Product Challenge certification, a green format favored by Mohawk.
• On the residential side, has introduced two products that push the green envelope. Its Pet Premier carpet uses face fiber that is made entirely of recycled PET bottles through its Continuum process. And its PureTech, an alternative to PVC-based resilient products, is a laminate hybrid that is almost entirely made of bio-based materials.
• In 2023, recovered, reused or recycled about 58% of its manufacturing waste and improved its water withdrawal intensity to 42% from its 2010 baseline.
• “Mohawk is committed to a sustainable future through product innovation and product circularity, including carbon, waste and water reduction,” says Malisa Maynard, Mohawk’s chief sustainability officer.

AQUAFIL
Italy-headquartered manufacturer of fiber with recycling operations in U.S. and Slovenia
• Continued investment in flagship Econyl 100% recycled nylon brand, in which both the fiber and resin are fully recycled, though not added pigments, which account for less than 0.5% of total weight.
• Added PET carpet recycling line in Phoenix, Arizona, running since late June of this year with output targeting secondary outlets.
• Continued investment in its three carpet collection facilities in California, which expanded collection by 50% YOY.
• Econyl sales (by weight, around 75 million pounds worldwide) now account for more than 50% of Aquafil’s total fiber sales; aiming for 60% by close of 2026. Econyl now accounts for 70% of auto-fiber sales in Europe; 10% in U.S.
• Dalton-based Viridian Fibers, part of The Recreational Group, now incorporating Econyl into turf products.

TARKETT
France-headquartered manufacturer of hard and soft surface flooring with U.S. production
• Launched partnership with Mycocycle, which uses mycelium to break down flooring at the end of its useful life. Tarkett currently has a mobile Mycocycle processing operation in Dalton breaking down carpet and plans to add mobile Mycocycle processing sites in various regional locations. The company is working to determine how best to use the resulting material and working to develop Mycocycle programs for processing additional products.
• Introduced and expanded non-PVC tile collection called Collective Pursuit; also offers non-PVC base, called Baseworks.
• Continues to take back post-consumer flooring produced by any manufacturer, including LVT, sheet products and modular carpet tile. It diverted 1.5 million pounds of flooring from landfill last year and is on target to double that this year. It is also developing a process to recycle wall base.
• Globally, 44% of total energy consumption in 2023 came from renewable electricity.
• Tarkett’s ReStart takeback and recycling program exists in 29 countries, reaching 119,000 tons of collected flooring in the last 13 years.
• 500 employees participated in Tarkett Cares program of community service in 2023.
• Over the last year, has made improvements around sourcing and utilizing healthy materials.
• Discontinued buying carbon offsets a few years ago, believing those funds could be better used researching strategies to reduce embodied carbon.
• Completed product-specific EPDs for nearly all U.S.-made portfolio.

UNIVERSAL FIBERS
Virginia-headquartered manufacturer of fiber
• Reduced the embodied carbon in its materials by at least 10% last year, as it has done yearly since 2016, from implementing various efficiency projects.
• Credits its carbon reduction success to a focus on process emission reductions, technological approaches and energy efficiency projects in partnership with its energy provider, the Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Uses carbon offsets to not only achieve carbon-negative status but also to magnify its impact. Its partner, Appalachian Carbon Exchange (ACE), focuses on regional projects that support small- and medium-size landowners; the nonprofit LLC is wholly owned by Tennessee River Gorge Trust.
• According to the firm, the embodied carbon of its Thrive Matter nylon 6 and 6,6, at 1.19kg/CO2e and 2.28kg/CO2e, respectively, is the lowest in the industry, citing, in part, its use of pre-consumer recycled content, which can be recycled back into nylon with a much lower environmental footprint than post-consumer content-with the content both generated internally and sourced from neighboring companies. It also uses post-consumer content to ensure sufficient recycled volume. Thrive Matter is third-party certified by GreenCircle Certification.
• At the beginning of this year, achieved Silver and Gold Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Certificates under the new Version 4 standard. It’s the first fiber producer to hit this mark in v4, according to Ranae Anderson, global sustainability leader for Universal Fibers.

HMTX INDUSTRIES
Connecticut-headquartered producer of resilient flooring
• Ramping up production of its SRP thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) flooring, first produced in Germany and now shifted to one of HMTX’s longstanding Chinese partner manufacturers. TPU is a resilient flooring developed with Huntsman, a Texas-based global chemical products firm. The PVC-free, patent-pending technology, now licensed through I4F, includes content from PET drink bottles, chemically recycled into polyurethane. TPU will be sold to the European market this fall and the U.S. next year. At NeoCon, HMTX unveiled a handful of TPU products. Next up, HMTX intends to apply Hymmen direct digital printing to its TPU products, which will further reduce the product’s environmental footprint. TPU, which is fully recyclable, is designed for circularity.
• Rochelle Routman, HMTX’s chief sustainability and impact officer, notes that HMTX is the only flooring company that has a Just 2.0 social justice and equity label (from ILFI) for its Norwalk, Connecticut-headquartered corporation. HMTX is also working with ILFI to get Just labels third-party verified, like ILFI’s Declare labels.
• Further lowered its total environmental footprint through a range of programs, including closing a building and eliminating an oil burner in Norwalk, Connecticut, adding more solar to its array there and continuing to shift to electric forklifts.
• Established a pilot program to take back post-industrial TPU to turn into flooring production feedstock; it also has a takeback program for its bio-based Nature’s Tile and Plank.

MANNINGTON
New Jersey-headquartered manufacturer of hard and soft surface flooring
• Signed on to the U.N. Global Compact, reaffirming its commitment to be net zero by 2050. The firm is also launching supplier code of conduct on September 1, aligned with U.N. Global Compact principles.
• Launched a non-vinyl plank tile called Proxy.
• Restarted its previously halted carpet recycling operation, which includes a reuse option. Carpet tile that can be reused is funneled into the Bulder Reuse network, of which Mannington is a corporate sponsor.
• Continues to buy carbon offsets from ACE but doesn’t claim them in carbon figures. Its multi-year partnership with ACE will protect 7,500 acres of Appalachian land for at least 40 years. The company offsets equivalent of 105% of cradle-to-gate GHG emissions.
• Working on product-specific EPDs for every product, with completion expected by the year’s end.
• Reducing weights of high-face-weight carpet, with bouclé product weight reduced by more than 50%.

AHF PRODUCTS
Pennsylvania-based producer of hardwood, resilient flooring and ceramic tile
• Named Noah Chitty vice president of sustainability and technical services in February 2024. Chitty came to AHF through its acquisition last year of Crossville, where Chitty was director of technical services for the prior 11 years.
• Relaunched MedinPure, a fully recyclable, PVC-free homogenous sheet made of thermoplastic polyurethane, first introduced by Armstrong in 2020. The high-performance premium product is manufactured in China.
• Under the Bruce and Armstrong Flooring commercial brands, AHF is introducing its densified wood products, offering the commercial market a high-performance, real-wood alternative to the faux-wood products that dominate the market. Densified wood, produced at the firm’s Somerset, Kentucky facility, features face veneers compressed down to between 1mm and 3mm through a patented heat and pressure process. The compression technology also enables the use of softer species, including pine, walnut, cherry, yellow maple and birch. LCA and EPD info should be completed before the end of the year.

FORBO
Switzerland-headquartered manufacturer of resilient flooring with U.S. production
• Working toward circular economy across entire portfolio with increased focus on product end-of-life, resulting in solutions like looselay.
• Expanding its Pennsylvania plant to produce Flotex in the U.S., due to be complete in 2025, which will create 46 factory jobs at max capacity plus support staff. The resulting Flotex product, featuring a new backing, will have 40% reduction in embodied energy footprint.
• Exploring onsite Marmoleum composting and seeking certification on that process.
• Marmoleum remains a carbon-negative flooring, cradle to gate, with no carbon offsets.
• Expanded Circular Marmoleum Cocoa collection, with recycled content accounting for 33% of total composition.

NOVALIS
China-headquartered manufacturer of flex and rigid LVT, with rigid LVT production in U.S.
• In its 2022 sustainability report, established aggressive targets for recycled content, recyclability and reuse.
• Is piloting a takeback program for recovering its vinyl flooring in the U.S. for recycling or downcycling. The firm currently recycles pre-consumer content.
• Has set a target of 2030 for 30% of its product content to be bio-based or recycled, and 50% by 2040. Another 2040 goal is for 50% of its products, having reached the end of their useful life, to be diverted from landfills for recycling or repurposing.

MILLIKEN
South Carolina-headquartered manufacturer of resilient and soft surface flooring
• Expanding offering of PVC-free resilient, which the firm reports is more durable than traditional LVT, with the addition of Mesa at Chicago DesignWeek.
• Since 2018, achieved 32% reduction in Scope 3 emissions; 46% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions; reached 109% of renewable-energy goal.
• Aiming to be net zero by 2050; currently using third-party-verified offsets, which don’t count toward its net-zero target.

IRIS CERAMICA GROUP
Italy-headquartered manufacturer of ceramic tile with U.S. production
• Developing a production facility in Italy that runs on green hydrogen produced onsite with renewable energy. Dubbed H2 Factory, it recently produced the world’s first ceramic slab created with a blend of green hydrogen. The company does not purchase carbon credits to achieve carbon neutrality.
• Recently patented a magnetic laying system, Attract, allowing tiles to be installed without adhesive, so they can easily be reclaimed and reused.

GERFLOR
France-headquartered manufacturer of resilient, hardwood and sports flooring with U.S. production
• Will wrap up five-year sustainability initiatives in 2025-three of five goals already met-will subsequently launch another set of goals. Most initiatives are now aligned with U.N. Global Compact goals.
• Continually working to educate its sales force on key sustainability issues to improve transparency.
• Reduced water usage at French plant by 85% in 25 years.
• Transitioning power to solar, wind and nuclear. And has transitioned its full fleet of factory transport vehicles to electric.
• Aiming to expand 22% bio-based content (averaged across all lines) to 30%.
• European factory is aiming to increase recycling by 50% in 2024; 60,000 tons recycled in 2023.

FLORIM
Italy-headquartered manufacturer of ceramic tile with U.S. production
• Began renovation of Fiorano, Italy plant to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption, including construction of a high-power charging system for electric trucks.
• Planted an urban forest and constructed a rainwater collection and recycling tank adjacent to the Mordano, Italy plant.
• Launched the “CarbonZero” project, focused on materials that offset CO2 emissions generated during production process and over products’ entire lifecycle, including through the use of carbon credits from developing countries’ renewable energy projects.
• Continued altering industrial processes to reduce the thickness of all its traditional tiles from 10 mm to 9 mm, reducing environmental footprint.
• Covered 78% of total electric consumption with self-produced electricity, earning Florim UNI EN ISO 50001 Certification. To date, the B Corp-certified manufacturer has installed 127,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels with a power output of 12.3 MWp at peak performance.

CFL FLOORING
Hong Kong-headquartered producer of resilient flooring with additional manufacturing in Adairsville, Georgia
• Uses solar for 30% of energy at its SPC and WPC facility in Vietnam and is working to substantially increase solar use at its Asian operations from 2025 through 2027.
• In 2023, transitioned a forklift fleet at a facility in Asia to 100% electric.
• Its environmental product focus includes Be-Lite, a patented technology licensed through I4F that reduces the amount of material in the core of resilient products; its Hymmen digital printing technology, which will come online later this year, also reduces material use; and its Eco-Composite flooring, offered as an alternative to PVC products, is heavily bio-based, including upcycled wood fiber.

NOX
South Korea-based manufacturer of resilient flooring products with additional manufacturing in Ohio
• Expanding production of its Bio-Circular Balanced PVC, which replaces a portion of the PVC content with bio-based ingredients, including waste materials like used cooking oil. The product is currently produced in South Korea and was first sold into that market, then expanded to Japan and Europe, and most recently to the U.S., where Nox is all OEM.
• Introduced a plasticizer made out of recycled PET drink bottles. It was first rolled out to the Korean market last year, and the firm intends to use the plasticizer in its facilities in Vietnam and the U.S. The goal is to ultimately replace all of its DOTP plasticizer with this new formulation.
• Starting to replace its virgin calcium carbonate filler with waste calcium carbonate, for instance from mining debris.
• Goal is to ultimately replace all of the major raw materials in its vinyl flooring with these new carbon-reducing formulations.

ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS
Houston, Texas-based carpet fiber producer
• At end of 2022, purchased California-based Circular Polymers, which recycled over 20 million pounds of carpet in 2023.
• Late last year, commissioned new nitrous oxide abatement technology in its adipic acid process, lowering emissions from that process by over 99%. The project is funded in part through the voluntary carbon market via ClimeCo and using a protocol developed by Climate Action Reserve.
• According to CEO David Bender, “We produce carbon credits from our own initiatives, and some of those credits are retired in favor of producing lower-carbon options for our customers. We believe the voluntary carbon market is an important tool to help spur investment and innovation across industries to tackle emissions,” adding that he also believes in rules ensuring that credits have “real-world, lasting reductions.”

ECORE
Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of rubber and resilient flooring and turf products
• Within the past 12 months, Ecore Athletic launched its TruCircularity program, working with customers to responsibly dispose of rubber surfacing material at the end of its life and return it to the Ecore manufacturing funnel for incorporation into future Ecore products. Ecore already reclaims over 430 million pounds of end-of-life rubber each year, avoiding over 9.5 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year. Its flooring products contain an average of 87% post-consumer recycled content.
• Conserves more than 17.5 million gallons of water annually through recirculation. Two manufacturing plants are UL Zero Waste validated, with one having achieved Zero Waste to Landfill Platinum Operations.
• Recently introduced PVC-free resilient, EcoSurfaces Nada Rx. Featuring a 2mm PVC-free resilient surface layer that is factory fusion bonded to a 5mm vulcanized composition rubber base layer, it won the Nightingale 2023 Award for Sustainability (as well as an Architectural Record Product of the Year award in 2023 and the ADEX Platinum Award in 2024).

KARNDEAN
U.K.-headquartered producer of LVT through manufacturing partnerships
• Recently determined 2022 carbon footprint to be 271,374 metric tons of CO2e, using third-party verified data, establishing a baseline for setting targets and monitoring performance moving forward. Committed to reducing emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and aligning with the SBTi Business Ambition For 1.5C campaign to achieve net zero. Karndean does not utilize carbon credits.
• Developed Karndean Evolve, which unifies all sustainability efforts (both internal and external) under a single umbrella. Launched in Q4 of 2023, Karndean Evolve is built on six pillars: confronting climate change; ensuring individual health and wellbeing; sustainable use of resources; supply chain transparency; inclusion and diversity; and employee education.
• All partner manufacturing facilities in Asia have installed or are investing in onsite renewable-energy generation and energy-efficient technology, including solar panels that generate 30% of site energy requirements, locally sourced biomass for heating, and a closed-loop water system on production lines.
• Products use as much as 50% recycled PVC in the backing layers, with material derived from post-production waste.

ANATOLIA
Canada-headquartered manufacturer of ceramic tile and sintered stone with production facility in Turkey
• Kilns equipped with an excess-heat recovery system, significantly reducing natural gas consumption and minimizing carbon emissions.
• 90% of the water used in manufacturing processes comes from recycled sources within the facility. A 30,000-square-meter roof rainwater collection system supports the plant’s fire systems, reservoir water needs and landscape irrigation; water treatment plant within the factory reuses wastewater.
• 21.5MW roof solar energy system covers 15% of total electricity requirements, supplying 100% of the electricity for the first kiln and 20% for the second kiln, preventing the release of 19,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually.
• Collects dust emissions using advanced filtration systems and reintegrates into production processes. Ceramic body recipe includes 3.5% raw waste.
• Eliminated non-recyclable plastic packaging by implementing an automatic ink filling system.
• Transfer units (forklifts and AGVs) use electricity, not fossil fuel.
• Working to complete installation of a scrap recovery system to reuse both unfired and fired scrap products in the coming months.

KÄHRS
Sweden-based manufacturer of wood, LVT and PVC-free resilient flooring
• Committed to and started validation process together with Science Based Targets Initiative.
• Mapped GHG emissions for all scopes from 2020 base year in accordance with the Green House Gas Protocol, with goal of reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 95% and Scope 3 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 and reaching net-zero across the value chain by 2040. Lowered Scope 1 and 2 footprint 77% from base year of 2020 and implemented a low-carbon transition plan for 2030 with aligned initiatives throughout the organization.
• Increased share of certified oak in products in accordance with Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, with rest mainly purchased from forest owners in Sweden.
• Conducted a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) gap analysis and double materiality assessment to set the base for CSRD reporting for 2024.
• Set up a new system to monitor company’s suppliers more closely according to human rights and environmental regulations, with aim to monitor and risk assess 100% of suppliers during 2024.

CALI
California-based supplier of LVT, laminate, hardwood and bamboo flooring, turf and composite decking
• Laminate’s attached XPS pad is made from recycled materials and is fully recyclable.
• Turf, made from polypropylene and polyethylene, is fully recyclable and adheres to the same rigorous chemical safety standards as children’s toys.
• Composite decking comprises 60% reclaimed wood fiber and 40% recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. HDPE is also easy to recycle and free from harmful emissions.
• Longtime collaboration with the Surfrider Foundation, which seeks to protect the world’s oceans and beaches.

AMERICAN BILTRITE
Quebec-based manufacturer of rubber, resilient and engineered stone flooring
• Launched carbon-neutral ABPure Infinity, comprised of post-manufacturing rubber waste and produced with 100% renewable natural gas made from organic waste, without the need for carbon credits. In the Eastern Township areas where American Biltrite Flooring is located, organic waste from agricultural, farming and residential activities is collected similarly to plastic and paper and fermented to create gas.
• Its Texas Granite solid vinyl tile (SVT) is Declare certified and formulated without any chemicals of concern, allowing it to be fully recycled. An average of 350 tons per year of post-industrial SVT waste is recycled into window block and matting products sold through American Biltrite’s industrial division.
• Finalized patent-pending manufacturing technology that allows rubber to be recycled after it has been cured, and incorporated back into the original rubber product without affecting physical properties or visual attributes. Though currently focused on recycling the company’s own waste and old inventory, the firm may eventually use this equipment as a service center to recycle rubber waste from other manufacturers or end-of-life post-consumer products.

ALTRO
U.K.-headquartered producer of resilient flooring
• During 2023, reduced emissions intensity by over 5%. All factories are now operating on 100% renewable energy, and Altro is working to roll this out to all subsidiary offices around the globe.
• Prioritized further development of flooring ranges that are free of adhesives, a contaminant that prevents post-installation recycling. The majority of its product ranges include both recycled and bio-based content.
• Launched its North American takeback program, Altro Smart Collect, this year to recycle installation off-cuts of Altro’s smooth sheet flooring and Lavencia LVT and is working with partners and suppliers to provide a better infrastructure for recycling through companies like Norwich Plastics.
• Allocates a percentage of company’s worldwide revenue to charitable initiatives around the world through Altro Foundation and provides employees one day off each year for personal volunteer work.

UTT
Georgia-based carpet backing manufacturer
• Increased total recycled content in base polymers by 15% over the last year. Almost all of that recycled content is from waste PET carpet fiber, which UTT converts into a polymer that can be utilized in all of its polyurethane formulations. Total recycled/renewable content in all of its backing offerings is above 60%.
• Reduced energy usage and waste production by 2% per square yard of its backings produced last year, an annual initiative.

MP GLOBAL
Nebraska-headquartered producer of flooring underlayments
• Recycles 2.5 million pounds of textile and carpet scraps monthly, turning them into flooring underlayments. Its QuietWalk family of rolled underlayments features over 90% recycled content, mostly from reclaimed post-industrial fiber.
• The only material not recycled in its two-year-old QuietBoard hard surface underlayment is its thermal reflective film vapor barrier.

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