Mohawk Honored with Best of Surfaces 2020 Award for Sustainability

Jan 31, 2020 1:40 PM ET

This year at The International Surface Event (TISE) in Las Vegas, Mohawk Flooring North America was recognized with the coveted Best of Surfaces Award in the Sustainability category. Accepting the award on behalf of the company was Paul De Cock, president, George Bandy Jr., chief sustainability officer, and Karen Mendelsohn, senior vice president of marketing. This year’s presence at the trade show was highlighted by Mohawk’s commitment to a sustainable future through innovative manufacturing processes, product design and strategies around positive environmental and social impact.

To create an engaging, show-stopping activation at the entrance to the event, Mohawk commissioned Brooklyn-based artist Basia Goszczynska to envision and create “Overflow.” The artistic interpretation of the company’s Continuum process brings attention to the plight of single-use plastics in the world’s waterways and showcases how innovation will bring a solution to this global problem. The artist was also onsite for the Best of Surfaces Award presentation.

In 2019 alone, Mohawk recycled 6.6 billion PET plastic bottles, enough to wrap around the earth more than 33 times. As the largest recycler of these bottles in North America, Mohawk used TISE as an opportunity to showcase its recently-announced corporate commitment to support the work of The Ocean Cleanup. The Netherlands-based nonprofit organization is developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.

The company’s patented Continuum process has diverted more than 40 billion PET plastic bottles from waterways and landfills to ultimately produce EverStrand and EnviroStrand carpet products. This year at TISE, Mohawk also featured the Declare Red List-free and Health Product Declaration (HPD) certifications of residential products EverStrand and Air.o. Air.o is the only recyclable soft flooring option in the market that is hypoallergenic, easy to clean and VOC-free.

The Best of Surfaces Awards is an annual awards program for exhibiting companies at TISE whose product, program, service, business practice and/or booth design are considered to be “best of” in their class. Winners are determined by a panel of judges appointed by the official publication sponsors, which include Floor Covering News.