"Providing our customers with high quality sustainable products has always been a driving force in The Mohawk Group's design and manufacturing processes," says Jim McCallum, president of The Mohawk Group. "With third-party certification programs like SCS Sustainable Choice as an industry standard for excellence in sustainability, we will continue to improve upon and develop new innovative products and technologies that enable our customers to specify the very best in environmentally responsible carpeting."
The carpet and rug industry is the first category of building products to earn SCS Sustainable Choice certification. The NSF-140-2005 standard was developed on a consensus basis, building upon previous EPP standards by which carpet manufacturers certified their products.
"The Mohawk Group continues to make great strides in propelling industry momentum for protecting and improving the environment in which we work and live," says Diann Barbacci, vice president of sustainable design for The Mohawk Group. "With the coveted distinction of such a diverse portfolio of sustainable certified Environmentally Preferable Products, we are helping our customers purchase the products they need with confidence to meet their individual sustainability requirements."
With four certification levels, including Platinum/EPP, Gold/EPP, Silver and Bronze, the multi-faceted rating system is designed to address the key stages of carpeting products' life-cycle, and evaluates products against six categories of criteria: public health and the environment; renewable energy and efficiency; bio-based or recycled materials; environmental and social responsible manufacturing; and reclamation, sustainable reuse and end-of-life management.
Among the Mohawk Group's certified product platforms, several were also certified by SCS to meet the California Platinum and Gold Sustainability standards. Product platforms that received SCS Sustainable Choice and· Lees ICT™ - SCS Sustainable Choice™ Silver
· Lees ICT-RC™ - SCS Sustainable Choice™ Platinum/EPP
· Lees Unibond® - SCS Sustainable Choice™ Gold/EPP
· Lees Unibond RE™ - SCS Sustainable Choice™ Platinum/EPP,· Mohawk Commercial Colorstrand Ultraset - SCS Sustainable Choice™ Silver
· Mohawk Commercial Colorstrand Ultraset RC- SCS Sustainable Choice ™ Platinum/EPP
"With the SCS Sustainable Choice certification program, manufacturers now have science-based methodology with which to document their leadership in environmental improvement, social responsibility and product performance," says Kirsten T. Ritchie, PE, director, Environmental Claims Certification for SCS. "And, product users now have a brand that facilitates identification and selection of products that were manufactured in a sustainable manner."
To ensure a sustainable specification process, designers and specifiers should ask for the SCS Sustainable Choice certification logo.
SCS is an independent certifier of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims. For more than two decades, SCS has developed internationally recognized standards and certification programs aimed at spurring the highest level of environmental improvements, social accountability and product performance. Its programs span a wide cross-section of the economy, recognizing accomplishments in the fields of agricultural production, food processing and handling, forestry, fisheries, energy, green building, consumer and business product manufacturing, and retail. SCS was among the first companies to offer manufacturers a program for verifying the accuracy of environmental claims on products. Certification programs building products include Recycled content, Biodegradability, Indoor Advantage™, Indoor Advantage™ Gold, Environmentally Preferable Product, and SCS Sustainable Choice™. For more information about SCS, visit www.scscertified.com or call (510) 452-8000.
A long-standing industry leader in sustainability, The Mohawk Group pioneers a strong focus on driving environmentally sound practices inside and outside of its facilities. The carpet manufacturer continues to make significant investments in state-of-the-art technologies to enable the creation of life-enhancing, eco-friendly products and processes. For more information about The Mohawk Group's sustainable initiatives, visit the company's Web site at www.themohawkgroup.com or call (800) 554-6637.