January 6, 2020
Steady Change: Shaw Contract Designs Products for Multiple Lifecycles
The manufacturer has been committed to the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy, which embraces using recycled materials, for more than two decades.
Partner Content
Shaw Contract was a sponsor of the Metropolis Perspective: Sustainability 2019 event series. 
1999
Eco Solution Q®
Since Shaw developed Eco Solution Q®, a recycled fiber construction for Shaw carpets that are made of Nylon 6, the firm has diverted 483 million pounds of carpet waste from its manufacturing processes away from the landfill and into new carpets. Because of its high recycled content, carpets made using Eco Solution Q® contain less embodied energy than those made with virgin fiber.
1999
EcoWorx® Tile
Shaw developed the world’s first non-PVC carpet tile that achieved the rigorous, multi-attribute Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products Program. Recognized as a market disruptor in commercial carpeting, EcoWorx® Tile won the EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2003. All EcoWorx® products are backed by Shaw’s Environmental Guarantee, which states we will collect, transport and recycle the product at the end of its service life at no cost to customers.
2009
Clear Path Recycling
In 2009 Shaw began a joint venture with DAK Americas, one of the largest integrated producers of PET resins in the world. Called Clear Path Recycling and based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the venture recycles over three billion post-consumer PET bottles into Recycled PET Flake every year. Shaw uses that recycled material to create new polyesterbased fibers and backings for its carpets.
2018
Carbon Neutral Operations
Shaw achieved carbon neutrality across its entire global commercial carpet operations by first reducing its energy consumption, then switching to cleaner fuels; producing renewable energy at its own facilities; and incentivizing additional renewable energy development and usage through the purchase of renewable energy credits. These efforts include installing a one-megawatt solar array atop its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Georgia, in 2013.
2018
Bio-Based Flooring
In 2018 Shaw introduced two collections of bio-based, non-PVC resilient flooring products. Called Innate and In Tandem, they are resilient sheet and tile products that can be used in areas where high traffic and cleanliness are of utmost importance, such as healthcare environments or schools. Innate and In Tandem are manufactured with canola, castor, and rapeseed oils—all rapidly renewable, commonly occurring biobased materials that are free of orthophthalates, chlorine, and solvents.
