Shaw buys Evergreen recycling plant; will process up to "300 million pounds of carpet waste a year"
In a move aimed at increasing the company's overall recycling capacity, Shaw Industries announced it has signed an agreement with DSM Chemicals North America to purchase complete ownership of Evergreen Nylon Recycling LLC, a nylon recycling plant in Augusta, Ga. Shuttered in 2001, Evergreen was previously owned jointly by Honeywell and DSM. Shaw assumed Honeywell's part ownership of the plant through its recent acquisition of Honeywell's fiber division.
Shaw noted that gaining ownership of the Evergreen plant will allow Shaw to bring it back into operation. The plant uses patented technology to convert nylon carpet into caprolactam, the raw material used to make Type 6 nylon found in residential and commercial carpets. Shaw plans to use the Evergreen plant to recycle post-consumer carpets for reuse, "without the loss of any aesthetic or performance properties," Shaw said.