The First Facility Management Blog

Carpet manufacturer Beaulieu Commercial was recently honored with a 2009 Green Power Leadership Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards ceremony in Atlanta, GA. The EPA co-sponsors the Green Power Leadership Awards with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions, a national non-profit organization. The award, which Beaulieu Commercial received on September 14, 2009, recognizes exceptional dedication to environmental protection through green power commitment. Beaulieu Commercial purchases kilowatt hours of green power annually to meet 100% of the organization’s purchased electricity use nationwide.

“People don’t always realize that in the U.S., the largest source of carbon heavy greenhouse gasses comes not from automobiles, but from coal fired electric power plants,” said Beaulieu Commercial President James Lesslie. “Supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and crucial in reducing our climate risk.”

A recent introduction in the company's BOLYU carpet line is Yada Yada (seen here).

In addition to energy conservation and waste management best practices in running its manufacturing operations, Beaulieu Commercial was the first carpet manufacturer to include post-consumer recycled content in 100% of its products.

In addition, its Nexterra® tile backing is an industry leader with 85% post-consumer recycled content. The Nexterra® carpet tile products recently earned the platinum level of NSF 140-2007 certification, the only ANSI certified sustainable carpet assessment standard in the industry. NSF International, a not-for-profit organization setting standards in development and product certification, certified all Nexterra® tile products under the BOLYU Contract, Cambridge Commercial and PURE CONTRACT product lines manufactured at Beaulieu Commercial’s Adairsville and Chatsworth facilities in Georgia.

Beaulieu Commercial’s green power purchase of 9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power represents over 12 million pounds of emissions that won’t be going into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of taking more than 1,300 cars off the roads or the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 1,000 average American homes each year.

The Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e logo

Beaulieu Commercial’s green energy leadership entitles the company to display the Green-E Certified Renewable Energy logo (seen at right) on all of its products and corporate communications. “Beaulieu Commercial continues its commitment to being a leader in corporate environmental stewardship,” Lesslie said. “We’re honored by the EPA’s recognition of our efforts.”

Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of the new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

A total of 20 products under the BOLYU Contract and Cambridge Commercial product lines have been certified to meet the NSF 140-2007 Standard. This new sustainable carpet assessment standard establishes performance requirements for public health and the environment, and addresses the economic, environmental and social requirements that can help create a path to a more sustainable carpet product. The standard also provides benchmarks for continual improvement and innovation within the building industry. 

NSF International, a not-for-profit organization that provides standards development and product certification, has certified all Nexterra^® branded commercial tile product manufactured at Beaulieu’s Adairsville and Chatsworth, GA facilities. Nexterra is a tile backing that contains 85% post-consumer recycled content and uses zero water in its manufacturing.

The BOLYU Contract and Cambridge Commercial product lines were certified at the platinum level, the standard’s highest and most rigorous certification level.  Beaulieu Commercial is the first carpet manufacturer to have products certified by NSF International to this new NSF/ANSI standard.

To read TFM’s coverage of NSF 140-2007, visit this link to an article by Robert Peoples, Ph.D., formerly director of Sustainability for the Carpet & Rug Institute and executive director of The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE).

“It’s a remarkable achievement for Beaulieu to have all their Nexterra branded tile products certified at the platinum level,” said NSF president and CEO Kevan P. Lawlor.  “The platinum level certification establishes Beaulieu as a leader in environmental stewardship within the carpet industry and further validates Beaulieu’s commitment to creating a more sustainable future.”

Certification is achieved on a point-based evaluation system through five different categories.  The new standard takes into account sustainability issues as it relates to manufacturing processes; reclamation and end-of-life management; energy usage and energy efficiency; the use of bio-based, recycled or environmentally preferable materials; and steps an organization takes to minimize adverse public health, environment and community impacts.

“From a sustainability standpoint, NSF 140-2007 is one of the more important initiatives for the floor covering industry,” said Beaulieu Commercial president James Lesslie.  “The NSF140 Standard is what our customers have requested for years:  one standard that can be used to compare products.”