FLOORING/CARPET “INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS”

FLOORING/CARPET “INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS”

• The carpet industry is concerned about the amount of old carpet that ends up in landfills each year. Carpet manufacturers are voluntarily addressing this problem by recycling old carpet materials back into carpet production, recycling old carpet into alternative uses such as building materials and auto parts, refurbishing old carpet into new carpet tiles and even hauling away old carpet so it can be reused or recycled.

• Through the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), carpet companies, government entities and product suppliers are working to develop market-based solutions for the recycling and use of post-consumer carpet. Visit carpetrecovery.org.

• It is estimated that carpet recycling efforts currently save about 200 million pounds of waste from being deposited in U.S. landfills. In a three-year pilot take-back program, the state of Washington was able to prevent the landfilling of more than two million pounds of carpet.

• You can earn LEED points by incorporating salvaged materials– such as refurbished, reused or recycled carpet – into plans for new construction or renovation. Recycled content carpet meets the same industry performance standards and carries the same manufacturer warranties as carpet without recycled content.

• Boulder Community Foothills Hospital (BCFH), an USGBC award-winning building, used recycled content carpet tile in its new maternity and pediatric service facility. By switching to recycle carpet tile, BCFH was able to increase the average percent of rspaces from 42 percent to 63 percent.

• Many times, carpet is replaced not because it has actually worn out, but because it no longer has the appearance of a new carpet. CRI understands the investment put into a carpet - but also the environmental ramifications of replacing carpet before its time.

• Learn more about how the carpet industry is reducing its environmental footprint in the CRI Sustainability Reports, which can be accessed from the CRI home page by clicking on Carpet Industy. (check).

• To help reduce premature replacement of carpet, CRI established the Green Label Vacuum Testing program. The program identifies vacuum cleaners that keep carpets looking their best.

• Additionally, CRI created the Seal of Approval to help customers identify carpet cleaning products that clean effectively without harming the carpet. From spot cleaning to periodic deep extraction cleaning, proper carpet maintenance is the first step in preserving the life of carpet. For a list of certified carpet cleaning products, click on Seal of Approval at carpet-rug.org.

Source: Adbuilder.com

Important Dates in the Flooring/Carpet Industry

New York Home Textiles Show
January 23- 29, 2009

International Builders Show
February 20 - 23, 2009
Orlando, FL

2009 Wood Flooring Expo
April 28 - May 1, 2009
Long Beach, California

Coverings: Tile, Stone, and Flooring Expo
April 21 - 24, 2009
Chicago, IL

May is National Home Improvement Month