Corporate stewardship is a crucial aspect of business strategy and operations in today's interconnected and socially conscious world. For Mohawk Flooring, this stewardship extends beyond marketing, influencing employee retention and dealer engagement. It also provides retail sales associates with meaningful narratives to connect with customers on a human level, differentiating their offerings in the market.
“We’ve spent a lot of time looking at all the changes that came from the pandemic, but the change cycle seems to be moving faster—there's more disruption than ever before,” said Kelli Widdifield, senior vice president of marketing. “We found there were some real consumer responses that are coming through not just in their purchase decisions but in their day-to-day living decisions.”
Mohawk’s research showed that tension points and disruptions were strongly impacting humanity, the planet, and society. As that message amplified in the consumer space, Mohawk studied its business operations and brand positioning as the world’s largest flooring manufacturer to more clearly define how environmental, social and governance strategies are making a difference.
“We found consumers are disconnecting from their feelings and pushing back against this hustle culture,” Widdifield said. “We used to talk about it as work-life balance, and it's not that simple. It's a pushback against this hustle culture and prioritization of economic benefit. It’s started to look more like giving back and giving to others without the need for self-gain.”
In 2021, incorporating months of research and consumer insights, Mohawk introduced a broad sustainability strategy to guide its work—from operational efficiency to sustainable product development. The strategy centers around three core pillars: People, Places and Planet.
“We realized there were a lot of things that we were already doing that fit within that Culture of Care,” Widdifield said.
Mohawk SmartStrand is made in part from rapidly renewable, plant-based fiber. Photo: Mohawk.
Care of People
Susan G. Komen: Mohawk has been a Susan G. Komen partner since 2001, with sales of products in its portfolio that support the fight against breast cancer. Mohawk is also the official flooring sponsor of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.
United Way: For more than 40 years, Mohawk has been a United Way partner. Through corporate gifts, employee contributions and volunteer hours, the company has helped improve the quality of life for children, families in need and the elderly across communities.
Latin American Association: The company continues to strengthen its partnership through increased outreach in the regional Latinx community, establishing a scholarship fund for Latinx students, creating a local leadership council and providing funding for new and ongoing programs.
Wellspring Living: On the Designing Spaces episode “Designing Spaces of Hope: Empowering Survivors of Human Trafficking,” several companies came together to transform one of Wellspring Living’s Atlanta-based residential facilities where survivors of human trafficking are offered comprehensive recovery services. Among the companies donating products and services was Mohawk Flooring. Mohawk donated all the flooring materials and Atlanta Flooring Design Centers covered the installation services.
Care of Place
Habitat for Humanity: Mohawk has served as a Habitat for Humanity sponsor for nearly 15 years, with employees actively participating in home builds and fundraising events to help people in need of affordable housing.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation: Throughout its decade-long partnership with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Mohawk has provided support for the building of more than 80 smart homes for the nation’s most severely wounded veterans and first responders.
Sunshine on a Ranney Day: In partnership with the nonprofit organization Sunshine on a Ranney Day, Mohawk’s hard surface products have been used in the design and creation of custom rooms for children with special needs.
The Mohawk and Daltile teams at the Flooring Sustainability Summit in Washington, D.C. Photo: Floor Trends & Installation
Care of Planet
Rhinory: A Texas winery with a purpose, Rhinory is dedicated to preserving the endangered rhinoceros. Through a campaign starring Blake the Rhino, Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpet is raising awareness of the Rhinory’s urgent cause. SmartStrand, known for its softness, durability and cleanability, is also made in part from rapidly renewable, plant-based fiber.
Mohawk leverages its proprietary Continuum process to create new innovative products that incorporate recycled PET bottles. In 2024, Mohawk launched PETPremier, featuring enhanced styling and pet protection and made from recycled plastic bottles.
Plastic Bank: In partnership with Plastic Bank, Mohawk aims to stop plastic from reaching the world’s oceans. Proceeds from PureTech contribute to this global goal.
One Tree Planted: In 2023, RevWood underwent a life cycle analysis to better understand the environmental impacts associated with our U.S.-manufactured laminate flooring. The resulting Environmental Product Declaration revealed the natural carbon sequestration properties of wood-based products with a negative Global Warming Potential score. Mohawk is helping to plant trees and restore forests in partnership with One Tree Planted, with proceeds from RevWood and TecWood hard surface products benefiting this urgent worldwide reforestation mission.
The Continuum Process
The Mohawk Summerville recycle and extrusion facility in Summerville, Georgia, is home to one of the largest integrated recycling operations in the United States. At this facility, the company has recycled over six billion plastic water bottles per year during the last decade.
“Summerville’s BCF Extrusion team utilizes the polymer prepared in recycling to produce a wide variety of polyester fibers for Mohawk’s carpet business,” said Plant Manger Rick Chelsey. “The team also utilizes a bio-based polymer to produce a portfolio of fine dpf Triexta fibers for high-end carpet applications.”
As the company explores new ways to integrate recycled PET into its products, Mohawk continues to improve its processes. In 2023, Mohawk upgraded its washers to AMUT’s 4,000-kilogram-per-hour flake washing system resulting in reduced water and chemical consumption in the cleaning process while achieving better quality.
“The cleanliness translates into improved performance in our downstream processes,” said Mark Dye, vice president of recycling operations. “Since we are a vertically integrated business with our own recycling plant, extrusion fiber operation and carpet manufacturing production plants, we are seeing the quality improvements immediately with a cleaner flake.”
“Culture of Care is about genuinely putting our voice and our reach between our employees and our partners and using those relationships to amplify initiatives to ensure that the organizations can continue to do fantastic work,” Widdifield said.
In 2024, the company took the message out to its independent flooring retail partners, sharing Culture of Care initiatives during its national Mohawk Momentum Roadshow.
“This was a real opportunity for us to take the power and the breadth of our relationships and the resources that we have as Mohawk and boil it down into something consumable so the dealers could start to contemplate how this impacts their go-forward strategies and services and how they stay relevant.”
At the 2024 Mohawk Momentum Roadshow, flooring retailers had the opportunity to attend 30-minute sessions that covered the consumer journey, digital journey and elements of sustainability that are impacting consumers today. Dealer engagement has been high as retailers have added Culture of Care storytelling assets into their marketing and community engagement strategies. Mohawk is planning more of these education sessions for this year’s Edge Summit, which will take place December 16-19, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.
“They're leveraging that storytelling and they're using it to amplify their voice with consumers, which is the easiest way for them to get involved,” Widdifield said.
