Shaw Industries Releases 2015 Sustainability Report

July 11, 2016 | By Business Wire News

DALTON, Ga.

Shaw Industries’ 2015 Sustainability Report, released today, continues the company’s legacy of transparency through the disclosure of key metrics and progress against its goals.

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Every material. Every process. Every action. Creating a better future. (Photo: Business Wire)

The company’s 2030 sustainability goals include:

Reduce water intensity (per pound of finished product) by 50 percent.
Decrease energy intensity by 40 percent.
Reduce waste to landfills and hazardous waste by 100 percent.
Design 100 percent of Shaw products to Cradle to Cradle protocols.
Achieve an OSHA incident rate of zero.
Reduce non-biogenic GHG emissions intensity by 40 percent.

Shaw has reported its GHG performance since its inaugural annual sustainability report (covering calendar year 2008), and has formalized its commitment with a newly introduced 2030 target.

“Shaw is committed to continuous improvement and constantly driving innovation into our business based upon our perpetual quest for a deeper understanding of the needs of our customers, associates and communities,” said Vance Bell, Shaw Chairman and CEO. “Our annual sustainability report reflects our progress and our continued investment in what our internal and external stakeholders deem most important.”

In addition to the new GHG goal, key items in the 2015 report include:

The company’s investment of nearly $300 million in capital expenditures, including strategic investments in multiple product categories and in automation, efficiency and technology advances in its operations.
New calculation methods and baseline year for energy, emissions and water intensity metrics that raise the bar for Shaw’s performance to align with industry standard reporting the company has been using as part of the Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program.
Additional detail about Shaw’s investment in a new talent model as an innovation driver and key to long-term sustainability.
Providing an average of almost 50 hours of training per associate – for a total of more than one million training hours. These and other associate programs and benefits contributed to Shaw being recognized among Forbes’ America’s Best Employers 2015, Elearning magazine’s Learning100!, Training magazine’s Top 125 as well as being Great Places to Work certified.
Contributing more than 67,000 hours of volunteer time and more than $4.7 million to organizations that impact people’s lives in the communities where the company operates.
The company’s ongoing commitment to a culture of inclusion, demonstrated through their investment in the Women’s Innovation Network (WiN), ShawVet, and unconscious bias education.

“While we remain steadfastly focused on our 2030 goals, we are perpetually assessing whether they are reflective of our priorities and operations, that they are material for us and what matters most to our customers, associates and other stakeholders,” said Paul Murray, Shaw Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs. “We will continue to look for opportunities to listen and learn as we develop innovative products, processes and programs.”

Shaw’s sustainability report follows the Global Reporting Initiative framework and is third party assured by Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

View Shaw’s 2015 Sustainability Report at https://shawinc.com/reports.

About Shaw Industries

Shaw Industries Group, Inc. offers a diverse portfolio of carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient, tile & stone flooring products, synthetic turf and other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide via its brands Anderson, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract, Shaw Floors, Shaw Hospitality, Shaw Sports Turf, Southwest Greens, Tuftex and more.

Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Shaw is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. with $4.8 billion in annual sales. The company employs approximately 22,000 associates with offices; R&D, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution locations; product showrooms; and/or salespeople throughout the U.S., as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://shawinc.com.