
Taking responsibility for our carpet at the end of its useful life is an essential commitment. As part of Shaw Industries, we were the first flooring manufacturer in the world to create Cradle to Cradle Silver Certified carpet – carpet that can be recycled back into new carpet again and again at the end of its useful life.
And it’s the reason we’ve established a nationwide carpet collection network with recycling centers in most major markets. Through this network, we channel used carpet through various avenues of recycling and reuse, from energy recovery to our Evergreen Nylon Recycling Facility in Augusta, Georgia. Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for innovation in carpet recycling, Shaw leads the industry in carpet reclamation, collecting more than 90 million pounds annually and recycling these products through our various recycling programs. Our Evergreen nylon recycling facility alone represents one-third of the industry’s entire carpet recycling capabilities. And EcoWorx products all over the world are collected and recycled at no cost through our Environmental Guarantee.
EcoWorx products are backed with an Environmental Guarantee. It’s our way of saying, “We want it back.” All EcoWorx products have an 800 number printed on the back – 800.509.SHAW. Call and Shaw will transport and recycle any EcoWorx tile or broadloom carpet at no cost to you. Recycling EcoWorx is easy and hassle-free, making it easy for you to recycle your used carpet, saving valuable time and money on landfill fees.
Through our environmental guarantee, EcoWorx products are reclaimed from across the globe and recycled at our facilities in Cartersville, Georgia. In the 10 years since introduction, EcoWorx has been diverted from landfills and made into new EcoWorx products.
Continental U.S. and Canada Guarantee: Shaw will take back 500 yards or greater of EcoWorx material at no cost to you. Alaska, Hawaii, other U.S. Territories and Mexico Guarantee: Shaw will take back 5,000 yards or greater of EcoWorx material at no cost to you and will assume the cost to transport the product to our recycling facilities.
International Guarantee: Shaw will take back 5,000 yards or greater of EcoWorx material from any international port at no cost to you. Shaw will pay for the transportation cost of EcoWorx material from any international port and will assume the cost to transport the product to our recycling facilities.
Material must meet the following requirements: Free of all types of debris and uncontaminated by any toxic substances, such as solvents. Adhesive residue on the backing is acceptable.
No other carpet tile backing, such as PVC, or other roll carpet backings may be mixed on EcoWorx pallets
EcoWorx Broadloom and Performance Broadloom products must be cut and rolled no longer than 3 feet wide
For more information and to arrange for recycling of EcoWorx carpet products, call 800.509.SHAW.
Recycling of Non-EcoWorx Products: In order to recycle non-EcoWorx carpet, a minimum of 500 square yards must be returned and a replacement order through Philly Queen Commercial must be placed. If you are not purchasing Philly Queen Commercial, we can provide assistance with recycling contacts in your area.
Scheduling Recycling: Call 800.434.9887 to begin the carpet recycling process. Your Philly Queen Commercial sales representative will complete a post consumer recycling form at least two weeks prior to pick-up. A Shaw Environmental Specialist will work with you to schedule carpet recycling. Please allow 5 days to schedule transportation.
Recycling Guidelines:
The Evergreen Nylon Recycling Facility in Augusta, Georgia is the only nylon 6 depolymerization recycling facility of its kind in the world. This process eliminates landfill waste and keeps high-value materials within the production stream to make new carpet. Evergreen takes post consumer Eco Solution Q and other nylon 6 carpets from other manufacturers, and converts the carpet into caprolactam monomer, the building block of new nylon. Once complete, this recovered nylon is virtually indistinguishable from new nylon, having the same aesthetic and performance properties. The recycled content can then be inserted back into the production stream for new Shaw nylon.
Shaw is leading the carpet industry in its efforts to identify alternative fuel sources to power its manufacturing and transportation systems. As Shaw pursues strategies to reduce its reliance on oil-based energy, it is establishing innovative alternatives such as Reclaim-to-Energy technology.
Reclaim-to-Energy turns reclaimed carpet and carpet waste into energy to power two of its carpet manufacturing facilities. The Reclaim-to-Energy facility was completed in 2010 and is expected to convert more than 76 million pounds annually of reclaimed carpet into steam and energy for the manufacturing site. Using post-consumer carpet as an energy source is one of Shaw’s strategies to reduce its use of petroleum-based energy while increasing the company’s use of alternative energy sources. In fact, Shaw is committed to using 10 percent alternative energy by 2017. Reclaim-to-Energy will deliver 90 percent of the facility’s energy – or 50 thousand pounds of steam per hour.
Shaw’s first gasification, alternative fuel-to-energy facility, created in partnership with Siemens Building Technologies in 2005, was the first in the carpet industry. By replacing traditional oil boilers, Shaw is converting approximately 36 million pounds of pre-consumer carpet and wood manufacturing byproducts into steam energy. The waste streams are stored in two separate silos, mixed, and then sent to the gasifier. The waste is then turned into a synthetic gas, which powers a boiler that generates 50,000 pounds of steam per hour.
Reclaim-to-Energy: