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COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT
We support environmental awareness in our business practices and operating procedures by encouraging recycling, waste management, and energy conservation. This support includes a commitment to the purchase of products that contain recycled and easily recyclable materials, and to reuse, recycle, or remove these products in a manner that will best utilize our natural resources and minimize any negative impact on the earth's environment.
-- Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum
President and Chief Executive Officer
STEWARDSHIP
With industry leadership comes environmental responsibility. We have made an ongoing commitment to the environment and our communities, to continue to update, improve, and implement environmental responsible policies.
RECYCLING PRACTICES
Our ongoing environmental initiatives include a corporate wide paper, cardboard, aluminum and plastic recycling program. Additionally, wooden pallets are collected and recycled. We are encouraged to always purchase products for manufacturing and the workplace that have recycled content. The companies we do business with are reviewed for their environmental practices.
For instance, our printers of collateral materials and advertising maintain a commitment to recycle products in the manufacture of film, ad slicks, make-ready sheets and other related materials "Part washers" are utilized in cleaning our machines. These washers use a low level chemical solvent that is constantly recycled during the cleaning process, thus eliminating hazardous waste.
Used oils are collected and returned to suppliers for recycling. And chemical drums are recycled or reused. "BigPak,"exclusive to Mohawk, is utilized throughout our plants. This is the industry's first reusable and recyclable yarn shipment and storage container. Our own water treatment facility in Dublin, Georgia returns the water we use back to our environment in clean standards that exceed EPA requirements.
RECLAMATION
We partner with outside companies to provide a network for the collection, consolidation, and distribution of past consumer carpets. Our interests are your interests too -- reducing landfill waste. Latex water is recycled to conserve usage and minimize waste streams. Excess yarn, shear lint, and soft carpet are bundled and recycled for use by the automobile industry to manufacture mats and molded parts, as well as other industries which manufacture carpet cushion, felt and reinforcing material.
ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION
At our Rocky River and Laurens Park facilities, we make extensive use of skein dyeing and pad dyeing; these methods create less waste as compared to other dye methods. We are a leader in steam generation. In 1999, we installed an economizer on our boiler to reduce energy requirements. Water is preheated using hot exhaust gas from the boiler, which reduces fuel consumption. Steam is then generated using clean natural gas. Condensate-return systems have been modified to recycle water for the steam generation process.
Use of demineralizers provides better water for boiler operations. This reduces the need for water treatment chemicals. Use of modern computer technology in boiler controls improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Use of ethanol-based chemicals reduces volatile organic compound emissions. Latex containing styrene butadiene was replaced with ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) emulsion to eliminate hazardous air pollutants. Twenty-five percent of our lift trucks have been converted from gas to electric. This is a further benefit to indoor air quality. Carpet drying controls have been automated to reduce energy requirements and improve drying efficiency.
WORK WITH US
Despite all the sensationalism about environmental actions, there lacks one true factor within some people. That is the knowledge that one person can make a difference. In our case, it's many people making a difference together.
GO TO SAMPLES
GO TO CARPET PAD
Click on EACH PHOTO below to see ALL of the color samples, pricing, and ordering information for that carpet style.
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