Dalton, Ga.-based floor covering provider Shaw Industries Group Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., reports 1 billion square feet of EcoWorx-backed carpet tile have been installed in more than 222,000 projects across 80 countries since the award-winning, Cradle to Cradle ^CM-certified backing was introduced in 1999.

"EcoWorx is one of our flagship examples of Shaw's commitment to sustainability through innovation -- the Shaw Green Edge," said Jeff West, commercial director of sustainability and environmental efforts, Shaw Industries. "It exceeds the performance of traditional carpet tile, but is 40 percent lighter, making it more efficient to produce and to transport. In addition, EcoWorx is made with materials that have been evaluated for their environmental and human health and safety down to 100 parts per million as part of the rigorous MBDC Cradle to Cradle certification process."

Production of EcoWorx, compared to production of Shaw's traditional polyvinyl chloride-backed carpet tile, has saved 594,785 barrels of oil, 224.6 million pounds of CO ² emissions and 3.5 trillion BTUs of energy, according to the company. EcoWorx also can be reclaimed and remanufactured back into itself, reducing the amount of virgin raw materials used. Shaw has backed EcoWorx with a global Environmental Guarantee that it will reclaim and recycle EcoWorx at the end of its useful life free of cost to the customer. The carpet tile backing comprises 40 percent pre- and post-consumer recycled content, and, according to West, that amount will increase as more EcoWorx is returned to Shaw at the end of its lifecycle.

August 24, 2010