Shaw, Agion Products Receive Cradle To Cradle(SM) Certification

Dalton, Ga.-based carpet manufacturer and floor covering supplier Shaw Industries Group Inc.’s Zeftron® nylon has received silver Cradle to Cradle ^SM certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), a Charlottesville, Va.-based sustainable design and product development consultancy.

Under MBDC’s Cradle to Cradle certification program, products are evaluated according to established standards for environmental and human health along with recyclability. Certification levels include basic, silver, gold and platinum, with each sequential level representing improved compliance over the previous level in terms of achieving closed-loop circulation of materials, no use of harmful materials, use of renewable energy sources and responsible use of water in manufacturing, among other criteria.

Zeftron is a branded nylon 6 yarn system for external commercial carpet manufacturing. All Zeftron nylon yarns are 100-percent recyclable in a closed-loop process and contain a minimum of 25-percent recycled content in every color.

Wakefield, Mass.-based Agion Technologies Inc., a provider of silver-based antimicrobial solutions, has also received Cradle to Cradle ^SM silver certification from MBDC. Agion® antimicrobial technology is applied in manufacturing and on a range of products in the consumer, industrial and healthcare markets. The technology works on the surface through the controlled release of silver ions, which attack microbes and inhibit their growth, therefore maintaining efficacy for the life of the product. According to Agion, its technology is the first antimicrobial technology to be third-party certified for environmental intelligence.

September 23, 2008