Environmental Flooring Pioneer Gives High Profile Backing to LOMAX™ Technology

One of the most pioneering flooring suppliers in the US – Mohawk Industries – is launching a major, in-store advertising campaign to promote its use of Dow Flooring’s latex carpet backing manufactured with innovative LOMAX™ Technology.

LOMAX Technology - named because it delivers materials with lower environmental impact yet maximum performance - uses methane gas collected from landfill to manufacture advanced latex backing. The system relies on renewable energy sources, and reduces emissions.

Mohawk was one of the first to use the latex backings manufactured with the environmentally-advanced process, and is the largest user of such material in residential carpet manufacturing. Now, the company is launching a point of sale campaign across thousands of retailers to promote the environmental attributes of its range of SmartStrand® carpets, which are made using latex from LOMAX Technology. Swing tags and brochures carrying information about LOMAX Technology will be attached to the products, enabling consumers to make a more educated choice.

The company prides itself on its environmental credentials – more than 500 of its products contain recycled materials, and it is the largest recycler in the US flooring industry, currently diverting more than three billion pounds of pre- and post- consumer waste from landfill.

“LOMAX Technology takes advantage of an unused resource, replacing natural gas and creating a positive environmental impact,” said David Duncan, Mohawk Vice President of Marketing. “Through our GreenWorks platform, we are continually looking for ways to make our total manufacturing process—from raw materials to delivered products—more environmentally sound. Part of what makes Mohawk GreenWorks successful is having suppliers that share our commitment to sustainability. Dow’s LOMAX™ technology is a perfect example of a supplier stepping up to bring us an excellent environmental product"

Although less than a year old, LOMAX Technology has already been recognized by the flooring industry as a major technological breakthrough, as demand increases for more sustainable products across the entire supply chain. It enables the Dow Emulsion Polymers plant in Dalton, Ga., to recover methane gas emitted by a nearby landfill - gas which would otherwise escape to the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. The methane is used to drive steam generators to power the plant, replacing natural gas and taking advantage of an unused resource.

Latex carpet backing made with LOMAX Technology has the same performance characteristics of conventional latex, yet comes with a lower environmental footprint - it is estimated that the process will use 160 billion Btu each year of methane and reduce CO2 emissions by over 17 million pounds annually. The environmental benefits are equal to saving the amount of energy needed to heat more than 2,000 US homes annually and keeping 13,500 cars off the road each year.

“We’re delighted that Mohawk Industries have proved to be such strong supporters of our innovative technology,” said Todd Crook, Global Marketing Manager for Dow Flooring. “We hope this new campaign will help raise awareness of the more sustainable options increasingly opening up to the market through the combined efforts of companies such as Dow and forward-thinking customers such as Mohawk.”