C&A's Carpet Recycling Program Surpasses 100,000,000 Pound Milestone; Company is Mining Buildings for Resources Instead of the Earth.

DALTON, Ga. -- C&A Floorcoverings (C&A), a Tandus company, announced today that it has recycled more than 100,000,000 pounds of reclaimed vinyl and vinyl-backed carpet, since it introduced the Infinity Initiative 10 years ago.

"For more than 35 years, C&A has been at the forefront of every significant technological advance in the development of environmentally designed carpet," said Mac Bridger, CEO of Tandus. "We know that recycling carpet is but one part of the sustainability ideal, but it underscores our commitment to developing holistic environmental solutions that make our other environmental achievements possible."

Housed at Tandus' Center for Environmental Innovation, C&A's recycling program recycles any post-consumer vinyl-backed carpet, regardless of original manufacturer, into 100% recycled content backing for new ER3(R) floorcoverings. Containing a minimum of 25% post-consumer carpet, the remaining 75% of the ER3 backing system consists of post-industrial waste generated during carpet manufacturing and industrial waste from the automotive industry.

Because old vinyl-backed carpet and vinyl waste is the only feedstock for its ER3 backings, C&A instituted FLOORE, a "buy-back" program offering customers financial incentives to return and recycle their old vinyl-backed carpet. The company's sustainable warranty guarantees to customers that all carpet returned will be recycled in its entirety and that no portion will be landfilled, incinerated (including waste-to-energy) or disposed of in any other way.

C&A's award-winning ethos(TM) backing is also made at the Center for Environmental Innovation using the same process and equipment as the ER3 backing. ethos, a non-chlorinated thermoplastic terpolymer, is an alternative to other structured backings, such as EVA, polyurethane, polyolefin and PVC. ethos is created from the PVB film reclaimed from laminated safety glass after its useful life. Manufacturers have recycled the glass for years, but few had delved into additional uses for recovered PVB. C&A is the first manufacturer to mine this abundant waste stream to recycle the thermoplastic resin into a high-performance carpet backing. Overall, C&A products made with ethos contain 30-62% recycled content, with a minimum of 30% post-consumer content.

How to Recycle Carpet with Tandus

Commercial customers who want to recycle the carpet they are removing should ensure that recycling is included in project specifications. They then need to verify with Tandus that their carpet can be recycled. Tandus will accept any vinyl-backed carpet, regardless of manufacturer. In coordination with their Tandus Account Executive, customers collect the carpet and ship it back to C&A's Dalton, Ga., recycling facility. Working with recycling industry partners, Tandus can also help customers recycle old broadloom carpet.

The process for recycling old carpet can also contribute to achieving LEED Construction Waste credits.

A Heritage of Environmental Leadership

For more than 35 years, C&A has been proud of its leadership in innovative technologies that provide functional performance and measurable environmental benefits.

C&A was the first carpet manufacturer to:

--Obtain third-party certification of the recycled content for its entire line of ER3(R) modular carpet and ER3(R) six-foot structured back broadloom.

--Obtain third-party certification for the recycling of its own products.

--Publicly embrace and conform to the FTC Guides, national guidelines issued by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with the cooperation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to ensure companies' green claims comply with established standards regarding recyclability, recycled content, biodegradability, etc.

--Proactively provide the industry's only "No Excuses" warranty that guarantees that the products it supplies to its customers will meet the recycled content percentage certified by SCS every single time.

--Proactively provide a guarantee in writing that all vinyl-backed carpet reclaimed for recycling will be recycled into new floorcoverings. No landfills, no incinerators.

--Certify its product attributes (such as recycled content and VOCs) that can contribute toward earning credits in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.

--Establish a formal program to reclaim vinyl-backed carpet after its useful life, regardless of manufacturer, and pay the customer for it.

Beyond Carpet

As a result of its recycling processes, C&A has made significant strides with programs such as reduction of virgin material use, energy, water consumption, emissions, greenhouse gases and VOCs.

"Battling unnecessary waste is part of the culture at C&A. Not only do we look at our manufacturing processes but we have programs in place to analyze the remaining waste we generate," said Bridger. "C&A's management is dedicated to annually reducing landfill totals as measured by pounds of trash generated versus total square yards of carpet produced. We've been very successful - C&A has had virtually no manufacturing waste since 1994."

ABOUT C&A

A recognized leader in environmental stewardship, C&A manufactures high-performance modular tile and six-foot structured back carpeting for the commercial market. C&A was the first carpet manufacturer in the world with a reclamation and recycling program and the first to produce 100% recycled-content vinyl backing. The company's sustainable warranty guarantees that all carpet returned will be recycled in its entirety and that no portion will be landfilled, incinerated (including waste-to-energy) or disposed of in any other way. More information can be found online at www.cafloorcoverings.com.

As part of Tandus, C&A works in tandem with sister brands Monterey and Crossley to provide customized interiors solutions for its customers. Based in Dalton, Ga., Tandus is a leading commercial floorcoverings company.