GPB features Mohawk’s recycling process

Georgia Public Broadcasting’s (GPB’s) “Live Exploration: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” which begins today, Dec. 8, with a live televised broadcast that will be simultaneously streamed online, features Mohawk Industries Inc. The carpet manufacturer is based in Calhoun, Georgia.

According to a news release from Mohawk, the Atlanta-based multimedia platform has been working with the company and two recycling centers in Georgia to create content for a “virtual field trip” that will teach students about the significance of reducing, reusing and recycling. The episode will include a special tour through Mohawk’s Summerville, Georgia, plant, and a look at the raw materials used to make carpeting. 

“The work Mohawk is doing was first shared with us when talking to recycling experts at the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials in Atlanta (CHaRM) and the Smyrna Recycling Center,” says Mary Anne Lane, education project manager at GPB. “Our goal with this program was to show students a beginning-to-end story of recycled materials, with a specific focus on PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. We believe that seeing the possibilities of what can be created from a recycled material will serve as a strong motivator for people to think about where their waste is going and to choose to recycle it.”

The episode initially airs Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. eastern standard time on GPB stations and the GPB website. The initial broadcast includes live interactive elements, such as polls, and experts who will be available to answer questions submitted in advance and during the program using the hashtag #RecycleLive on Twitter. Following the broadcast, “Live Exploration: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” will be available to watch and review on-demand for free. 

“Education and awareness are extremely important components in creating transformational strides in sustainability and the adoption of sustainable practices from an early age,” says Ramie Vagal, senior sustainability manager at Mohawk. “Continuum provides a very tangible, easy-to-understand example of sustainability using familiar everyday items.” 

Mohawk’s patented Continuum process, which was implemented in 2013, creates EverStrand residential and EnviroStrand commercial carpeting using postconsumer plastic bottles. In 2019, the company says it recycled 7 billion units alone. To date, Mohawk says it has recycled more than 50 billion plastic bottles, creating more than 936 million square feet of sustainable carpet for homes, schools, offices and other spaces. 

Fast Company recognized Continuum on its list of the “most innovative sustainability projects of 2020,” having been named as an honoree in the magazine’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards program. Mohawk and Continuum also were honored this year with the Best of Surfaces Award in the sustainability category for its “Overflow” art installation by Basia Goszczynska and by Floor Covering Weekly magazine with a GreenStep Award for the creative promotion of its recycling efforts. 

“The younger generations continue to inspire us with their innate commitment to sustainable living as they seek to make more thoughtful, responsible choices,” Vagal says. “We are very honored that GPB has chosen to spotlight our Mohawk initiatives to help educate our future leaders on the merits of sustainability.”