Atlanta—Mohawk Industries’ overarching theme at Greenbuild 2019, being held here at the Georgia World Congress Center, was “Sustainability is Second Nature,” which was designed to drive home the manufacturer’s total commitment to creating a “believe in better” culture across all divisions that will provide consumers and designers with the most advanced and innovative sustainable flooring solutions.
“We have to reach a point where sustainable solutions for the built environment are not something we think about and talk about—but something we just do,” said George Bandy Jr., Mohawk Flooring North America chief sustainability officer. “They have to become so ingrained in our thinking that innovation and transparency are the golden standards that create a baseline from which everything else is measured. Every day at Mohawk, we approach our design and manufacturing processes with the mindset to create better products for a better world. Sustainability is simply second nature for our company.”
When it comes to product, Mohawk showcased Air.o, a hypoallergenic Unified Soft Flooring (USF), which is completely recyclable at the end of its life. Air.o is engineered with just one material, making it 100% recyclable. It does not absorb moisture, which helps prevent the growth of allergens and microbes, and is easy to clean and VOC-free. Air.o also achieved rigorous Declare and Health Product Declaration (HPD) certifications, which the company announced at the show. The Air.o display at Mohawk’s booth helped the manufacturer earn the Green Exhibitor Attendee Choice award at the international trade show.
“Declare labels and HPDs help us expand our commitments more strategically and better communicate, organize and connect Mohawk’s holistic approach to sustainability across our family of brands,” said Bandy. “The next generation is very cognizant of the types of companies and organizations with which they do business. We know that this next step in our journey will allow us to reach new customers and spread our message of sustainability further than ever before.”
Mohawk products also featured at this year’s expo include:
- Owls, designed by Jason F. McLennan in collaboration with Mohawk Group, captures the essence of the North American birds of prey through color and patterning. This distinctive, biophilic commercial carpet plank offers two 12 x 36-inch patterns inspired by the mottled shades of black, brown, tan and gray in the plumage of owls as they lift into the air. Owls meets the stringent requirements of Living Product Petal Certification and is produced in Glasgow, Va., at Mohawk Group’s Living Site.
- Relaxing Floors (seen above) is a 12 x 36-inch carpet plank collection designed by 13&9 in collaboration with Fractals Research and Mohawk Group based on fractal patterning found in nature. This flooring system utilizes nature’s “building blocks” to give our eyes a break from the digital world and deliver the essence of nature to commercial spaces. Relaxing Floors is also a Living Product collection.
- EverStrand is created through Continuum. Through Continuum, Mohawk recycles reclaimed PET plastic bottles into the polyester fiber used to produce soft and durable residential carpet.
