Virtually every market today has geared – whether it is significantly or minutely – towards being more environmentally friendly. From your local grocer’s encouraging re-usable bags and even producing them for the public to purchase, to bigger industries like the automobile field pushing out new and innovative products to conserve natural resources such as fuel materials (oil, coal, wood) and recycle reusable products, like plastics and aluminums. Any industries that haven’t done so already are predicted to be going “green” soon enough.

Here at FlooringNow, we showcase products and species that are geared towards the current trends in flooring worldwide. And the current trend in flooring is going green. Environmental consciousness has broken through to the masses and spurred forward a surge of products endorsed by organizations promoting the conservation of old-growth forests around the world, developing and utilizing new and effective ways to produce and distribute green flooring products.

The wave of green flooring throughout the industry has inspired the popular Floormall.com to create its own line of flooring: Terra Verde. The purpose is to give buyers the flooring they want while minimizing the effects on the global ecosystem. Full product series are available, from domestic hardwoods like hand scraped maple, to exotic woods like Jatobá. Terra Verde flooring holds promise as an environmental contender in today’s market as the continual growth of green products expands in every field.

Terra Verde flooring sports its own site with the aesthetics of something you might see in a site displaying artistic wood specialties. The aesthetic and pleasing format makes it easier than ever to decide which products you want to view, sort by construction and origin. Solid domestic, exotic engineered, and everything in between are neat and refreshingly easy to sort by.

With an impressive history in regards to customer service, order accuracy and satisfaction, Terra Verde’s skilled and informative customer service representatives can guide the uninformed to make an educated decision, or assist professionals to get unparalleled savings for their projects.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Earnings season is upon us and investors are calling upon companies to reveal their first quarter results and to make predictions about the year to come. In April, Mohawk Industries, Inc. announced 2008 first quarter net earnings of $65 million. This was 28% below last year’s numbers. Net sales for the quarter were $1,738 million, a decrease of 6.7% from 2007. While the U.S. economy is slow, and credit has tightened, residential home sales have fallen, and thus have impacted the company.

On the bright side, spending on commercial construction has remained positive. The U.S. credit problems are even impacting Europe with its growth expected to be flat to modest overall. According to CEO and Chairman of Mohawk Industries, “performance for the first quarter exceeded our guidance for the period in a very difficult environment.” The CEO is optimistic due to the fact that the company has survived cyclical downturns in the past. In the meantime, the company is focused on improving productivity and quality, which is always a plus for consumers.

Mohawk is also investing in products and assets to enhance its future. While the company is executing carpet price increases, they should be in place by the end of the second quarter, and will hopefully stabilize. Even during these challenging times, new products are being shipped earlier than in prior years and the focus is on fashion and value engineered products. The company’s new Encycle tile with leading edge technology has benefits that make it more durable, environmentally friendly and economically advantageous. Many initiatives to reduce energy and water consumption are being implemented in Mohawk’s operations, which in the long-run should keep the company in a competitive position relative to its peers.

A new Mohawk consumer campaign is being launched that includes TV, print, and digital marketing that appeals to the design enthusiast. Mohawk is spreading the word that its offers are stylish and innovative while also being “green.” Strong growth in the commercial market is off-setting some of the weakness in the residential market thus allowing the company to advance with its research and development departments. Sales in Mexico and Canada have continued to expand as market exposure expands. Some of this success comes from the sales force being motivated and from new introductions that focus on the better performing commercial and high end remodeling segments. Cost reductions remain an issue of concern, thus initiating an overhaul of manufacturing productivity and inventory management. Although seasonal improvements will benefit the second quarter, it is expected that many of the same challenges will be present in the near-term. In spite of a difficult flooring market, Mohawk continues to modernize manufacturing facilities and create innovative products which will keep consumers coming back for more – long after the industry’s economic environment improves.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Shaw Floors has been in the news recently for a number of initiatives that the company is launching or has previously launched. For example, in April Shaw and Versatile Systems Inc. announced they will be working alongside CitiFinancial in a consumer credit financing arrangement. The plan entails a joint partnership to simplify and streamline the credit application process for flooring retailers and consumers. This will be accomplished by way of an attractive and easy-to-use in-store kiosk. This will be the first time a flooring company will offer two different models of Versatile’s kiosks. The models will include the Rockland and the Madison. The combination was demoed at the Shaw Design Center Convention which was held in April of 2008 in Palm Coast, Florida. It appears that Shaw was motivated to embark on this project in light of the current credit crunch. According to marketing manager, Scott Humphrey, “during this challenging market, it’s more important than ever to make the credit application process simple and accessible.” The company is hoping that they can swing people into making a flooring purchase with the newfound credit application ease. This move has been referred to as a “forward-thinking strategy” which Versatile is happy to assist with. Versatile is particularly experienced with providing technology solutions that drive operational efficiency while enhancing the customer experience.

As a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Shaw Floors is the world’s largest carpet manufacturer. The company is a leading floor covering provider with more than $5 billion in annual sales. With approximately 31,000 associates, the company is well positioned to meet demands as the home improvement and construction markets improve. Headquartered in Dalton, Ga., the company manufactures and distributes carpeting, rugs, hardwood, laminate and ceramic tiles making its product offerings expansive enough to meet the needs of all consumers. They tailor to both residential and commercial customers.

Shaw is also positioned to capitalize on the environmental stewardship movement. Shaw has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and more information about such initiatives can be found by visiting www.shawfloors.com. In January of 2008, Shaw received the first ever Vendor Green Steps Award, which was presented by Sherwin-Williams. According to the president of marketing at Sherwin-Williams, “Shaw’s admirable and aggressive green efforts have set an industry standard for sustainability.” The award was presented to Shaw’s national accounts team and environmental team in recognition of its recycling post-consumer carpet, development of sustainable products and continuous improvements in energy conservation.

Popularity: 57% [?]

The boom in eco-friendly products has reached nearly every branch of the economy, from children’s toys to home improvement and interior décor. Homes are being produced on general “green” guidelines. Cars are being built on more environmentally sound guidelines. Virtually any product has a green counterpart somewhere. In flooring, there are several obvious choices for the green consumer, including cork, bamboo, and any product endorsed by the FSC. It is not any of these that we focus on here today, though its environmental benefits are significantly of note. Of course, Lyptus Flooring is what I refer to.

As the name implies, Lyptus is made from a Eucalyptus tree – two, actually. Lyptus woods are produced from a hybrid species of tree resulting from the natural conjoining of Eucalyptus Grandis and Eucalyptus Arophylla. As far as sustainable forests go, the plantations that Lyptus is harvested from are relatively unique. Located in Brazil, these plantations demote the clearing of old-growth forests. The plantations are entirely sustainable, and play off of Lyptus’ natural ability to reproduce independently. Saplings will normally sprout straight from the stump of the tree fallen.

A great advantage to Lyptus’ environmental standpoint is the time it takes to produce a growth of forest. Lyptus trees mature in about fifteen years – a full 45 years shorter than most other hardwood trees. A customer might think then, that this is a softer, less durable option for flooring. In fact, Lyptus’ Janka rating is 1550 – almost three hundred points higher than Red Oak, the benchmark hardwood used in referencing hardness.

Lyptus refers to the hybrid species used for hardwood flooring, but it also refers to Weyerhauser’s brand name for the line of Lyptus products. At the moment, Weyerhauser’s Lyptus line offers both engineered and solid hardwood flooring, in addition to lumber, plywood, and veneer. Since Aracruz Produtos de Madeira – a subsidiary of Aracruz Celulose – bred the hybrid species, they own the rights to it, as well as several plantations for its sustainable growth in Brazil. Aracruz abides by its own environmental standpoints, and is not FSC certified.

It is undeniable, however, that Lyptus is indeed a solid choice for green flooring, with much respect given to our global ecosystem.

Popularity: 77% [?]

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