Shaw among first to garner Cradle to Cradle Certification via new institute

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Awards First Cradle to Cradle Product Certifications to Shaw Industries

Dalton, GA (PRWEB) March 05, 2012

The products are among the first in the world to achieve certification through the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which independently operates and audits the certification process. Based in San Francisco, California, the Institute was formed in March 2010 by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The Institutes objective is to make the rigorous Cradle to Cradle product certification program (originally founded in 2005 by McDonough and Braungart) more accessible and available to a larger public.

In 2005, Shaw Industries became the first flooring company in the world to introduce fully certified Cradle to Cradle flooring products. Today, nearly 75 percent of the companys sales come from Cradle to Cradle certified product, including residential and commercial carpet, carpet tile, rugs, and hardwood. In addition, the company recently introduced LokDots, the worlds first Silver level Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM installation system, for use with the companys EcoWorx carpet tile.

According to Shaw Vice President of Sustainability Paul Murray, certifying EcoWorx through the new Cradle to Cradle Institute process is a fitting next step for the company that pioneered flooring designed according to Cradle to Cradle principles.

A dedication to Cradle to Cradle principles is an integral part of our commitment to Sustainability through Innovation the Shaw Green Edge, Murray said. Our introduction of EcoWorx carpet tile with Eco Solution Q fiber more than a decade ago changed the definition of sustainable flooring for our industry. Becoming the first flooring manufacturer in the world to earn Cradle to Cradle certification for these products, and subsequently embracing Cradle to Cradle principles across the spectrum of product design, manufacturing, reclamation and reuse continues to help us push the envelope of innovation for both our organization and our industry.

We are proud that the flagship Cradle to Cradle certified flooring product has come full circle and is now among the first products in the world to receive certification via the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institutes new certification process, Murray added.

As the new manager of the Cradle to Cradle certification program, the Institute works with leaders from academia, the NGO environmental community, government, and industry to further Cradle to Cradle as a comprehensive quality rating system for the assessment and continuous improvement of products based on five categories:

Products that meet the criteria of this rating system receive the Cradle to Cradle certified mark. To date, more than 90 companies worldwide have engaged in the Cradle to Cradle certification process through McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), working with assessors MBDC in the United States, and the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Germany.

From the worlds first Cradle to Cradle designed flooring products to their continued development of new Cradle to Cradle products and collections, Shaws commitment to sustainability through innovation is one that clearly embraces and integrates the tenets of Cradle to Cradle design through every aspect of their business, said designer and architect William McDonough. Mr. McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart co-authored the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, now a seminal text within the sustainable design and business movement.

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Shaw among first to garner Cradle to Cradle Certification via new institute