Research, Reports & Publications

Shaw Industries’ 2014 Sustainability Report Demonstrates Dedication to Transparency

Aug 5, 2015 10:30 AM ET
Campaign: Stakeholder Communications

Shaw Industries’ 2014 Sustainability Report marks a pivotal year in the company’s comprehensive approach to sustainability.

Shaw’s shift to the Global Reporting Initiative’s newest G4 standard converged with a notable increase in the demand for supply chain transparency surrounding product ingredients across the flooring industry.
                        
The company, well prepared by more than a decade of designing for Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM 
product standards and a long history of meeting and anticipating market changes, is continuing to develop innovative sustainability solutions to create a better future for its customers, associates and communities.
                        
Their 2014 materiality assessment confirmed what they are seeing in the marketplace: Product stewardship, material use, branding and marketing, and talent management are the priorities for them and for their stakeholders.

Report highlights by material area:

  • Product Stewardship:  Shaw is investing more than $20m in a new recycling facility in Ringgold, Ga. that will be the first of its kind to recycle nylon as well as polyester carpet while creating 70 new jobs.
  • Material Use: Their products led them to align their products to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, which focuses on creating products that are safe, and that can be reused and recycled. In 2014, 66% of the sales of Shaw manufactured products were Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver.
  • Branding and Marketing: Shaw products feature labels and certifications including Cradle to Cradle, GREENGUARD, CRI Green Label, FloorScore, NSF 140, and numerous others), as credible evidence of the company’s commitment to transparency and third-party verification and to help facilitate product purchase decisions.
  • Talent Management: Shaw established more formal opportunities for their associates to support each other through affinity groups such as the Women’s Innovation Network (WiN) and ShawVET. These and other efforts resulted in Shaw being named number eight on the Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best Employers.             

View Shaw’s 2014 Sustainability Report here             

About Shaw

The world’s largest carpet manufacturer and a leading floorcovering provider, Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is a vertically integrated manufacturer that supplies carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient, tile & stone flooring products and synthetic turf to residential and commercial markets worldwide.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. with approximately $4.8bn (USD) in annual sales and more than 22,000 associates, Shaw is headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, with salespeople and/or offices located throughout the U.S., as well as Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://sustainability.shawinc.com.