Clear Path Recycling, a joint venture company between Shaw Industries and DAK Americas, has begun processing operations in Fayetteville, N.C. The plant will produce recycled PET (RPET) from post-consumer PET bottles. The facility is scheduled to be at full capacity by the fourth quarter of this year.

The RPET processed through Clear Path Recycling is now being used as recycled content to significantly expand Shaw’s ClearTouch family of residential carpet, according to David Wilkerson, corporate director of sustainability and product stewardship. “Shaw’s ClearTouch products will utilize the RPET through the Clear Path Recycling operation,” he said.

By the end of the first phase of the project ramp-up, the operation will be able to use up to 160 million pounds of PET bottles, which will save more than 550,000 cubic yards of landfill space each year. Additionally, the energy savings related to the project will save an estimated 1.4 trillion BTUs of energy annually. This energy savings will contribute to Shaw’s pledge to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent by 2018.