Ulster Carpets Recognized for Lower Carbon Output

Belfast, Ireland, March 23, 2009--Ulster Carpets has become the first textile manufacturer in Northern Ireland to achieve the environmental Carbon Trust Standard.

The Portadown company has worked with the Carbon Trust since 2001 and has reduced its carbon footprint by 44% by implementing heat recovery plants, upgrading its lighting systems and developing energy efficient in-house weaving equipment, saving thousands of tonnes of carbon.

The certificate is given to organisations which have measured, managed and reduced their carbon footprint year-on-year.

George Ussher, technical services and environment manager with Ulster Carpets said that the company had reduced its carbon footprint in the last three years by nine percent, saving 650 tons of carbon.

Ulster Carpets was established in Portadown in 1938, and employs 400 in its Northern Ireland operation.

The Carbon Trust Standard has been developed in response to growing consumer mistrust of organizations’ green claims and also confusion among business about what they can do to improve energy efficiency.