Mohawk said DuPont Tate & Lyle's previously announced expansion of its plant that makes Bio-PDO, a key ingredient in DuPont Sorona polymer, is welcome news. DuPont Sorona is used in Mohawk's SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpets.

“SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona is steadily gaining consumer acceptance and expanding retailer commitment,” said Tom Lape, president of Mohawk Residential. “The DuPont Tate & Lyle plant expansion allows us to support the growing demand for SmartStrand and support our retail partners with new, future products that help drive profitability for their businesses.”

Lape added that the green attributes of SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona also drive interest. “It’s a meaningful renewable resource. Because Bio-PDO uses corn to replace 37 percent of the petroleum in the polymer, and because it takes less energy and resources to produce, we give consumers another compelling buying incentive -- a superior carpet fiber that reduces our dependency on oil and is good for the planet,” he said.

Mohawk has heavily promoted SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpet in the past year. Most recently, the carpet was tested against the foot traffic of more than 95,000 people in seven days at the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament in Charleston, S.C. Last August, Mohawk was used in the cage of Ricko the Rhino, a 2,800 pound black rhino at the Birmingham Zoo. Additionally, the product has been named a “Martha Find” on the Martha Stewart Show. For more information, visit www.mohawkflooring.com or www.mohawktoday.com.