From the Floors Up

Green News in Flooring for Armstrong and Shaw

By Leave a Comment

ARMSTRONG

Armstrong’s Center, Texas engineered hardwood manufacturing plant received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody certification.

According to Daniel Call, vice president, Wood Product Management, “FSC certification is a measure of our commitment to environmental stewardship, which includes sustainable forest management.”

Built in the early 1950s, the Center, Texas facility is Armstrong’s oldest hardwood plant. The 200-plus employees make residential and commercial flooring for the Armstrong, Bruce and Capella hardwood lines.

Now the plant can produce FSC-certified products in multiple domestic species, including oak, maple, hickory and walnut.

7f598972-fc05-4cc4-b946-b5583c55244ffullSHAW INDUSTRIES

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency welcomed Shaw Industries, Inc. as its newest WasteWise partner.

WasteWise partners are organizations that voluntarily set goals to reduce municipal solid waste.

Shaw is joining EPA’s WasteWise program as it is launching a project to better track its efforts in reducing the amount of post-industrial waste produced in all of its carpet, rug, hardwood and laminate manufacturing facilities.

The total post-industrial waste produced will be compared to the amount of finished production, and Shaw intents to significantly reduce that percentage over the next three years and beyond.

EPA provides WasteWise partners with technical assistance and helps promote the achievement of its partners.

Shaw is a leading recycler of post-consumer carpet, and the comprehensive Shaw Green Edge Recycling program reclaims and recycles carpet nationwide.

Shaw also manufactures a line of wood flooring from post-industrial recycled wood that uses 50 percent less harvested wood than comparable engineered wood flooring.

Carpet scraps, along with all waste generated from laminate manufacturing at Shaw’s facility in Ringgold, Ga., is diverted from landfills and used to generate fuel. An innovative waste-to-energy technology converts carpet and wood waste to steam energy through gasification.

WasteWise is a voluntary partnership program launched by EPA in 1994 with more than 2000 partners. WasteWise partners not only reduce waste, but also are addressing global climate change. By decreasing the demand on raw materials through waste reduction and recycling, these organizations are improving operations, reducing costs, and minimizing their environmental footprints.

Mannington Wood Operation Gets FSC Certification

By Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Mannington Mills! Mannington Mills’ wood manufacturing operations have been awarded FSC Chain-of-Custody certification. Mannington said it will offer an FSC Pure option on some product lines.

“Customers are becoming more savvy about the products they use,” said Dan Natkin, director of hardwood business at Mannington.

FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide.

FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry.

The FSC label provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value.

FSC is nationally represented in more than 50 countries around the world.

Look for Mannington hardwood products with the FSC seal!

LEED Now Recognizes FSC Certified Bamboo

By 3 Comments

The U.S. Green Building Council has ruled that Forest Stewardship Council-certified bamboo plywood and flooring can now be included in calculations for LEED certification.

The ruling followed a credit interpretation request submitted by a project team who specified Smith & Fong’s Plyboo FSC-certified bamboo flooring for a multi-use project in North Carolina.

After reviewing the request, the USGBC determined the bamboo products specified for the project met LEED criteria.

The review concluded that bamboo is often used in many of the same applications as wood products, and is considered by the FSC to be a forest product despite its technical classification as a grass. FSC-certified bamboo building products will now be recognized within LEED’s MRc7 Credit.

Smith & Fong received certification for its in April 2008.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

Recent Comments

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive new post notifications via email.