Shaw Industries' carpet tile manufacturing plant in Cartersville, Ga., recently received ISO 14001 certification for the company's environmental management system. The system, called SES (Shaw Environmental System), focuses on minimizing the company's environmental impact, and is closely modeled after ISO 14001 requirements.

"Shaw is a corporate citizen that takes its responsibility to the environment seriously," said Rudy Wofford, quality manager of Shaw's Contract Division. "The additional ISO 14001 certification of our carpet tile manufacturing plant is another step towards Shaw's cradle to cradle vision [of recycling carpet waste into new products] for the future."

The SES aims to apply strategies from Shaw's quality and safety programs, specifically in the environmentally friendly use of water, energy and waste. Shaw says that the SES, which is self-audited, will help certify 52 Shaw carpet and fiber plants, including all of the company's commercial plants, by January.

In keeping with ISO 14001 standards, Shaw's certified plant will be subject to external surveillance audits twice a year. In addition, ISO auditors will require a full external recertification audit every three years.