opportunities in other countries, however. For example, in June, Dalton-based Shaw Industries broke ground on a carpet-tile plant set to open just outside of Shanghai, China, in 2013. The fa- cility is a major investment for the company and will employ the latest manufacturing technology, making Shaw a local brand in China. The carpet industry has been an advocate for
recycling and using recycled content in its products. In 2002, CRI and its members formed the Carpet America Recovery Effort, or CARE. “What we were attempting to do was facilitate creation of a new industry where none really existed,” Braun says. “That industry is now alive and well and made up of people who collect, sort post-consumer carpet, process and/or recycle it, and then compound it to go into various kinds of product.” Braun says CARE’s members have recycled
more than 3 billion pounds of carpet since the organization was established. He adds: “We’re
Resilient floor coverings have long histo- ries, yet continue to advance in manu- facturing technologies and design capabilities.
extremely proud of what that industry has done. There are more than 100 collectors and proces- sors across the U.S., and during this economic downturn we lost very few of those people, which speaks volumes to the economic viability of this new industry.”
Braun says modular tiles are outpacing
broadloom carpet in the marketplace because of their benefits in commercial applications. For example, in floors that feature underfloor air distribution systems, modular tiles easily can be removed if the UFAD needs to be accessed. In addition, as the population ages, modular carpet tiles’ patterns and colors are increasingly being used in assisted living centers and retire- ment homes as a way-finding method. “The tiles help seniors identify their hallway and other pathways they take,” says Bethany Richmond, CRI’s director of communications. She adds scientists from the University of Manchester, Eng-
Linear installations are more popular than parquet or patterned wood floors
land, recently pre- sented research about
plastic optical fibers placed under carpet that can detect changes in walking patterns. “The sensors were developed to predict when someone’s gait is declining to the point where they are getting close to having a fall,” Richmond says. “Once this technology becomes available, we can pre- vent accidents with an electronic sensor under carpet.” (Learn more at www.manchester.ac.uk/ aboutus/news/display/?id=8648.)
Wood Wood has long been a popular product in residential flooring applications and is growing in marketshare within the commercial build- ing industry because of certain characteristics. For one, it is considered a unique flooring type when used in stores, restaurants or office spaces. “Hardwood flooring has this aura about it that
Resilient flooring offers a selection of colorful styles and patterns that can meet the aesthetic needs of almost any space.