Dalton—Shaw Industries’ ReWorx hybrid flooring won silver in the post-consumer recycled material category at the 2023 Edison Award event held April 20. Now in its 36th year, the Edison Awards is an annual competition honoring excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation. ReWorx was selected from almost 400 nominations.
“At Shaw, we use the term sustain[HUMAN]ability as our guide for ensuring we put people at the heart of our sustainability efforts,” said Kellie Ballew, vice president of sustainability and innovation, Shaw. “This product introduction was an incredible cross-collaboration of teams throughout our company and through feedback and insights gained directly from customers. The end result is a brand-new product platform that is verified as safe for people and the environment. We are helping to divert landfill waste both by use of post-consumer plastic and through our reclamation of ReWorx at the end of its life on the floor. It’s an innovation that enables our customers to create spaces and places designed for people and the planet.”
ReWorx hybrid flooring is made with 100% PET fiber, including a minimum of 20 post-consumer plastic bottles per 12 x 48 plank. With the durability of a hard surface and the comfort of a soft surface, it is designed to meet the performance expectations of a variety of end-use applications.
Available via all of Shaw’s commercial brands, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial and Shaw Contract, ReWorx is Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze (v3.1) having been assessed for material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship and social fairness. And as part of Shaw’s Environmental Guarantee, the product can be picked up at no charge to the customer at the end of its life on the floor through the re[TURN] Reclamation Program to be recycled into the next generation of ReWorx flooring.
Designing safe and circular products is embedded throughout the company. Shaw launched its first PVC-free, recyclable carpet tile, EcoWorx, in 1999, using the Cradle to Cradle design principles. ReWorx is the latest example of Shaw’s ability to innovate new product solutions that meet the performance requirements of customers, while also addressing the global plastic waste challenge using both clear and the often-undesirable color plastic waste.