How Mohawk Industries is addressing the sustainabilty needs of customers
April 24, 2015
You've probably looked for sustainable products when you're out shopping for groceries or considering suppliers in your supply chain. How many times have you though about what's under your feet all day at home or work? Jenny Cross, Mohawk Industries' vice president of corporate sustainability, says that her company is trying to make it easier to know what's in that carpet that you're digging your toes into.
Speaking to GreenBiz's Heather Clancy at during a Studio C interview at GreenBiz Forum 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona, Cross said that Mohawk is the largest global manufacturer of flooring.
"Our customers are residential and commercial," Cross said, noting that the two types of customers are concerned about very different things. "The commercial customers are much more sophisticated in the sustainability realm than the residential. Residential cares about health and well-being," she said.
Cross said that the initial push for sustainability from commercial customers stemmed from things like LEED. Customers were often more concerned with checking a box and making sure they meet the standards for a certification.
"Now, it's moving towards 'tell me exactly what's in it, along with the footprint in the health product declaration," Cross said.
To more easily meet customers' demands, Cross said that Mohawk has taken to simply labelling what is in each product instead of hiding it in 20 or more pages of a health product declaration document.
