First Commercial Flooring Manufacturer to Reach Significant Milestone and Receive Independent Certification
J+J Flooring Group, a leading manufacturer of commercial specified flooring, announced today it has been certified as a Zero Waste to Landfill manufacturer by GreenCircle Certified, LLC., a prominent third-party certifier of environmental claims. J+J Flooring Group is the first commercial flooring manufacturer in the United States to achieve this landfill free status. It is also the first company in the industry to have its waste diversion efforts audited and verified by a recognized, third-party certifier of environmental claims.
Over the years, through effective reuse, recycling and repurposing methods, J+J Flooring Group has significantly decreased the amount of waste it directly sends to local landfills. This long-standing initiative concluded in August of 2014 when the company officially stopped sending any material directly to the landfill.
Now in 2015 and beyond, any waste at J+J’s Dalton, Ga., campus that cannot be recycled, reused or repurposed – approximately two percent of its total waste – will be sent to Covanta, the country’s largest energy-from-waste operator. The waste received by Covanta will be converted into energy to help provide steam power to the Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army garrison that services a number of tenants including the Army Materiel Command, the Missile Defense Agency of the Department of Defense and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
To further demonstrate commitment to waste diversion, J+J Flooring Group selected GreenCircle to verify its waste diversion process. This certification included a material flow analysis of J+J’s Dalton campus as well as a review of its downstream material management organizations receiving J+J’s waste. After verification of the processes, sources and procedures, GreenCircle awarded J+J Flooring Group a Zero Waste to Landfill Certification.
“Our focus on waste reduction and recycling over the past 20 years is what has allowed us to reach this significant milestone. It is the result of a common passion and drive between all J+J associates,” said J+J Flooring Group Director of Sustainability Russ Delozier. “This marks another significant step in J+J’s journey to holistic sustainability.”
Landfills not only represent a waste of resources, but according to the EPA, they pose significant risks to the environment. Landfills in the U.S. are the third largest emitters of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4), which is 34 times more harmful than CO2. Hydrologically, toxic liquids can leach from a landfill and cause water management concerns.
J+J Flooring Group’s landfill reduction, an effort started nearly a quarter of a century ago, has been accelerated by the company’s 20/20 Vision. This roadmap includes the company’s sustainability goals to be met by 2020 and demonstrates its commitment to corporate responsibility.
About GreenCircle Certified
GreenCircle’s rigorous evaluation process provides trusted transparency that manufacturers’ product and operations claims are valid and verified. GreenCircle provides verification and assurance to manufacturers, suppliers, regulators, and consumers that products and operations labeled with the GreenCircle mark consistently meet our specific certification standards. In today’s discerning market, third-party certification is a valuable asset in establishing brand integrity and developing consumer confidence.
About Covanta
Covanta is a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions. The Company’s 45 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities and businesses around the world with environmentally sound solid waste disposal by using waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta’s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into clean, renewable electricity to power one million homes and recycle approximately 500,000 tons of metal. Energy-from-Waste facilities reduce greenhouse gases, complement recycling and are a critical component to sustainable solid waste management. For more information, visit www.covanta.com.