C&A’s Carpet Recycling Program Surpasses 100 Milli
Dalton, GA, February 10 2006--C&A Floorcoverings, a Tandus company, announced today that it has recycled more than 100,000,000 pounds of reclaimed vinyl and vinyl-backed carpet, since it introduced the Infinity Initiative 10 years ago.
“For more than 35 years, C&A has been at the forefront of every significant technological advance in the development of environmentally designed carpet,” said Mac Bridger, CEO of Tandus. “We know that recycling carpet is but one part of the sustainability ideal, but it underscores our commitment to developing holistic environmental solutions that make our other environmental achievements possible.”
Housed at Tandus’ Center for Environmental Innovation, C&A’s recycling program recycles any post-consumer vinylbacked carpet, regardless of original manufacturer, into 100% recycled content backing for new ER3 floorcoverings.
Containing a minimum of 25% post-consumer carpet, the remaining 75% of the ER3 backing system consists of post consumer and post industrial waste. Because old vinyl-backed carpet and vinyl waste is the only feedstock for its ER3 backings, C&A instituted FLOORE, a “buy-back” program offering customers financial incentives to return and recycle their old vinyl-backed carpet.
The company’s sustainable warranty guarantees to customers that all carpet returned will be recycled in its entirety and that no portion will be landfilled, incinerated (including waste-to-energy) or disposed of in any other way.
C&A’s award winning ethos backing is also made at the Center for Environmental Innovation using the same process and equipment as the ER3 backing. Ethos, a non-chlorinated thermoplastic terpolymer, is an alternative to other structured backings, such as EVA, polyurethane, polyolefin and PVC.
Ethos is created from the PVB film reclaimed from laminated safety glass after its useful life. Manufacturers have recycled the glass for years, but few had delved into additional uses for recovered PVB. C&A is the first manufacturer to mine this abundant waste stream to recycle the thermoplastic resin into a high-performance carpet backing. The ethos cushion backing system contains 76% post-consumer recycled content.
Overall, C&A products made with ethos contain 40-62% recycled content, with a minimum of 40% post-consumer content.
Commercial customers who want to recycle the carpet they are removing should ensure that recycling is included in project specifications. They then need to verify with Tandus that their carpet can be recycled. Tandus will accept any vinyl-backed carpet, regardless of manufacturer. In coordination with their Tandus Account Executive, customers collect the carpet and ship it back to C&A’s Dalton, Ga., recycling facility. Working with recycling industry partners, Tandus can also help customers recycle old broadloom carpet.
The process for recycling old carpet can also contribute to achieving LEED Construction Waste credits.
For more than 35 years, C&A has been proud of its leadership in innovative technologies that provide functional performance and measurable environmental benefits.
