How Shaw backhauls turn old carpet tile into new opportunity
An office's carpet tile can sit on the floor for up to a decade. Getting it back to a Georgia mill takes a truck, a contractor willing to sort materials and reverse logistics
When it’s time for commercial flooring to be replaced, renovation teams may be inclined to toss it in the dumpster along with other construction and demolition debris, but Shaw Industries wants its EcoWorx carpet tile back.
Getting that product back to the company so it can be recycled into new flooring is an exercise in sophisticated reverse logistics and effective use of freight. It comes off the floor seven to 10 years after delivery, often in small lots. By then the owner or tenant may have changed and not be aware that the flooring is recyclable or know who manufactured the product.
To combat this challenge, the Dalton, Ga., flooring maker has implemented a number of steps to make it easier for that product to be returned to Shaw rather than ending up in a landfill. For years, the company has printed a toll-free number and URL on the back of its EcoWorx carpet tile, which launched in 1999, so that demolition teams knows who to contact for product takeback.
“We also have tools within our own operations where we can identify places that we know we have had our products installed,” said Candi Hampton, vice president of global sustainability at Shaw, in an interview with FreightWaves. “That allows Shaw team members to contact them when they’re likely getting ready for renovation to ensure they are aware of our reclamation and recycling services, which are available at no cost to the customer.”
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