J+J Flooring Group has announced that it has received two GreenStep Awards from Floor Covering Weekly. The annual awards program honors “organizations and individuals in the flooring industry for their stewardship, initiatives, and accomplishments in the area of environmental sustainability,” according to the publication.
J+J Flooring Group was named a winner in the product category for Kinetex and received an honorable mention for Aquafinity in the process category.
Kinetex is an innovative textile composite flooring that combines the key attributes of soft-surface flooring with the long-wearing performance characteristics of hard-surface flooring. The product was selected for its numerous sustainable attributes, including its:
- Low environmental footprint, which is less than half that of other commercial floorings
- 55 percent post-consumer recycled content
- 100 percent closed-loop recyclability
- Long-lasting lifecycle
- EPD and NSF 140 Platinum certifications
- aAbility to contribute to improved indoor air quality through low VOCs and reduced allergens with vacuuming.
Aquafinty, developed in partnership with AquaChem, is the first dyehouse wastewater reuse system in the industry. Aquafinity was cited for its:
- Water saving ability (1.3 million gallons per month)
- Energy savings (5 billion BTUs annually)
- Ability to foster a more sustainable world through facility tours for customers, community leaders and other flooring manufacturers
“We are grateful to receive these industry recognitions and are proud of the impacts we have made through our product development and conservation efforts,” said Russ Delozier, director of sustainability. “Both of these sustainable initiatives are a prime focus for our company and will continue to be as we pursue innovative sustainable practices.”
A panel of six judges from the flooring industry selected this year’s award winners. The GreenStep Awards provide two award levels across four categories: product for best green product; practice/process for best green manufacturing process or plant improvement; promotion for communication and education initiatives; and the pinnacle award for the environmental leader of the year.
