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As an industry leader in environmental conservation and as far back as the early 1990s, discarded commercial flooring accounted for a significant portion of waste in landfills. Recycling this material was costly and uncommon. Nonetheless, we took on the recycling challenge and pushed to make it an industry standard. We relish that success.
Today, we remain a leader in the flooring recycling effort. As standard practice, we now reclaim existing carpet tile or broadloom and either recycle, downcycle or repurpose it. This reclaimed material is then recycled into raw material for a variety of consumer and industrial products, including new carpet - or converted into energy. If the reclaimed carpet is in good condition , we may also clean and donate it to charity. To date, we have donated more than 158,000 square yards of repurposed flooring to non-profit organizations such as Goodwill, Boys Club of America, and Habitat for Humanity. Of equal importance, we have diverted 500,000 square yards of flooring from landfills.
 TURNING CARPET INTO NEW PRODUCTS
The carpet industry is concerned about the amount of old carpet that ends up in landfills each year. Carpet manufacturers are voluntarily addressing this problem by recycling old carpet materials back into carpet production, recycling old carpet into alternative products such as building materials and auto parts, refurbishing old carpet into new carpet tiles, and even reclaiming old carpet so it can be reused or recycled. READ MORE
GREEN BUILDING & THE ENVIRONMENT
Green Carpet is more than a color!
Green building is no longer a trend; it is a mainstay. Schools, healthcare facilities, businesses and public facilities recognize the benefits of building green, and governmental entities are even passing laws to mandate future green construction of public and private buildings. READ MORE
 LEED & FLOOR COVERING QUESTIONS
Q: Can flooring contribute to LEED certification?
A: Only buildings (not floors) can be LEED certified. But, flooring can contribute towards earning LEED credits. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to provide a national standard for green building design. The rating system is based on achieving a certain number of points, which are allocated for design choices defined within the standard. The points are accrued within specific credits. Flooring products and installation materials can contribute to earning points in three of the six LEED categories, and in a number of credit areas. Your StarNet Member can recommend product choices that contribute to LEED. MORE QUESTIONS
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