Dalton, GA, Nov. 12--C&A Floorcoverings, a Tandus company, announced that it has earned Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification for its entire line of ER3(R) modular carpet and ER3(R) six-foot structured back broadloom--the industry's only carpet made with a cushioned recycled-content secondary backing. C&A is the first and only carpet manufacturer to earn this landmark third-party designation for two entire product lines.
"To better protect our customers' best interests, it became essential that we provide a means by which specifiers could fairly evaluate products and building materials," said Mac Bridger, CEO of Tandus. "Third-party certification of our products and processes not only assists our customers in making informed decisions about the true environmental attributes of building materials, but it can be included in specifications as a part of the product evaluation and submittal process."
C&A worked closely with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an internationally respected, neutral third party testing and certification organization dedicated to evaluating a wide variety of environmental and food safety claims. C&A pioneered the use of third-party certification for the floorcoverings industry in 2000.
"Three years ago, C&A was the first manufacturer to approach us about introducing third-party certification to the floorcovering industry," said Kirsten T. Ritchie, PE, Director, Environmental Claims Certification for SCS. "When SCS began developing the EPP protocol for carpet, we utilized the valuable knowledge regarding carpet manufacturing and recycling processes gained by working with C&A over the years."
"Initially, we engaged SCS to analyze and certify the recycled-content values of C&A's entire ER3 modular carpet product offering as well as our Infinity Initiative, the carpet industry's first fully operational reclamation and recycling commercial-scale program," said Bridger. "Since then, SCS has conducted ongoing testing and data analysis of C&A products and on-site audits of C&A's recycling and manufacturing operations."
For more than 35 years, C&A has been proud of its leadership in innovative technologies that provide functional performance and measurable environmental benefits.
"As interest in sustainable design and construction practices continues to grow, our commitment to our customers and ourselves is to continue building on our long history of technological innovations that lead to a more sustainable future," said Bridger.
