CARE Receives Environmental Award

Dalton, GA, March 20, 2007--The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) was presented the Society of Plastic Engineers' (SPE) Dan Eberhardt Environmental Stewardship Award on March 7th during the 2007 GPEC Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The SPE Plastics Environmental Division recognized CARE for its achievement in the recovery, reuse, and recycling of post-consumer carpet. An award from the Society of Plastic Engineers highlights the fact that CARE significantly contributes to the overall recovery and recycling of thermoplastics in the United States through carpet landfill diversion. Since its inception in 2002, CARE has helped to keep over 1/2 billion pounds of post-consumer carpet out of landfills.

Dr. Robert Peoples, CARE's Executive Director and the Carpet and Rug Institute's Director of Sustainability, accepted the award on CARE's behalf. During the award acceptance speech, Dr. Peoples expressed his gratitude for SPE's recognition of CARE's environmental achievements and the hard work and dedication provided by the CARE community to make this new recycling industry a success. Dr. Peoples stated, "We are both honored and humbled to be recognized by GPEC for the first Dan Eberhardt award." Dan Eberhardt was an environmental leader in plastics recycling.

Also honored at the Society of Plastic Engineers' award ceremony was Los Angeles Fiber Company, the largest recycler of post-consumer carpets in the world, for their recycling and recovery of Post- Consumer Carpets. Their production process, logistics system, and sales programs all work together to divert 100 million pounds per year of post- consumer carpet from our nation's landfills. The SPE Plastics Environmental Division recognized Los Angeles Fiber Company for the significant impact they on the recovery of thermoplastic by awarding them the 2007 SPE's Plastics Recycling Award.