LOS ANGELES - The California Integrated Waste Management Board has chosen carpet manufacturer Bentley Prince Street Inc. as the recipient of the 2008 CalRecycle Sustainable Business Award. The award is the highest honor from the Board's annual Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP), and honors a business that has taken extraordinary measures to reduce waste by cutting the amount of trash it produces, conserving resources and reducing waste disposal in landfills.
"As California's largest commercial carpet manufacturer, we believe we have a responsibility to help move our state toward a zero-waste future as we work toward our Mission Zero™ goal of eliminating our potential negative impact on the environment by the year 2020," says Anthony Minite, president of Bentley Prince Street. "We're honored to receive this award, which acknowledges our continual focus on conserving resources and promoting sustainable business practices throughout every area of our operations."
Bentley Prince Street was chosen based on a set of criteria developed in cooperation with the business community. Practices evaluated include waste prevention, materials reuse, recycling, recycled-product procurement and employee education. This is also the sixth consecutive year Bentley Prince Street has been recognized for its progressive efforts to reduce waste and conserve resources as a winner of the WRAP award, which recognizes California companies for their commitment to a range of environmentally preferable business programs, including resource-efficient practices and innovative waste reduction, reuse and recycling achievements.
"It's really gratifying to see the positive environmental impact that Bentley Prince Street has achieved by conscientiously building sustainability into every aspect of their business. They have created a model that other companies can emulate," notes board chair Margo Reid Brown.
According to the Board, Bentley Prince Street distinguished itself with its extraordinary measures to reduce waste at every stage of the manufacturing process and find numerous ways to build sustainability into its business model. The company's voluntary waste reduction efforts have saved almost $70 million in cumulative avoided waste costs since 1994. Some of the accomplishments noted by the Board include:
- Bentley Prince Street customers can purchase carpet products where the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted during the life-cycle of the product are offset through the purchase of certified carbon offset credits. Carbon offset credits are monetary investments in clean and renewable energy projects. Each credit represents a set amount of CO2 (a potent GHG) associated with the product purchase that will be offset by investment in a clean and renewable energy project that will reduce GHGs by that set amount.
- All of the electrical energy used at the Bentley Prince Street facility is considered renewable through a combination of green-e certified renewable energy credits and electricity generated from its on-site solar panels. The environmental impacts of its employees' business travel are also offset.
- All of Bentley Prince Street's products contain some percentage of recycled content and the company continues to develop innovative products that put waste materials to a higher and better use.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use and protecting public health and safety and the environment. The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).
About Bentley Prince Street
Defining style, color, quality and service for more than 25 years, Bentley Prince Street Inc. manufactures and markets award-winning broadloom and carpet tile products for commercial interiors across the globe. Bentley Prince Street is committed to sustainable commerce and innovations to integrate style and function with environmental practices through its Mission ZeroTM goal of eliminating any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020. With the industry's most comprehensive vertical carpet manufacturing facility, the company maintains third-party certification to the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System and the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System. Based in Los Angeles County, CA, Bentley Prince Street is a subsidiary of Interface Inc., a global provider of floor coverings. For more information, visit www.bentleyprincestreet.com.
