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Shaw Industries Plans to Slash Energy Consumption

Last week, the flooring manufacturer attended the invitation-only Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 6/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

Flooring manufacturer Shaw Industries has vowed to cut energy use by 25 percent over the next 10 years. The company wide-pledge, made in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, was kicked off June 5 at the invitation-only Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit, on June 5 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Other participants at the summit included Alcoa, Lockheed Martin, and Southern Company.

Shaw's pledge will effect the Dalton, Georgia-based firm's entire operations -- as it is the world's largest carpet manufacturer with more than $5 billion in annual sales and approximately 31,000 associates, the energy savings will be hefty.

The initiative is part of Shaw's expanded environmental communication, the Shaw Green Edge program, which was launched in 2006. The program encompasses Shaw's environmental and social initiatives, products, operations, and people.

"Energy reduction is top of mind for the nation and, more specifically, for large manufacturers like Shaw," says Rick Ramirez, Shaw's vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs. "Saving energy not only makes better business sense, but it's the right thing to do for our environment and future."