GlobeNewswire Inc | Dec 16, 2021 05:00PM EST

December 16, 2021

CALHOUN, Ga., Dec. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its twelfth annual Environmental, Social and Governance Report released today online (mohawksustainability.com), Mohawk Industries, the worlds largest flooring manufacturer, stresses its commitment to innovating for a better tomorrow through strategic initiatives that are better for people, the planet and the business performance.

Each year, this report quantitatively assesses our progress in important areas such as carbon emissions and our use of natural resources, and it also provides insights into what defines us as an organization, said Jeff Lorberbaum, Mohawks chairman and CEO. We invest in our employees, respecting what makes each of them unique and helping them find fulfillment through work that matters. We create innovative products that lay the foundation for healthier, more inspiring spaces where people live and work. We have greatly reduced our consumption of water and energy and are incorporating more recycled content into our products, including more than 30 billion plastic bottles in the past five years.

In 2021, Malisa Maynard joined Mohawk as vice president of sustainability. Maynard focused on developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy that builds on existing strengths and accepts new challenges for growth.

Innovation is the common language at Mohawk, said Maynard. There is tremendous passion and creativity around continuous improvement and a desire to better execute every aspect of our business.By identifying commonalities among Mohawks businesses, we have builta framework that truly defines what sustainability means across the enterprise. We are addressingour ESGobjectives through cross-functional teams that will collaborate to define goals and initiatives focused on people and the planet.

The Companys refreshed ESG strategy also gained new focus through the introduction of the people, planet and performance pillars with key goals and objectives for each category representing the detail behind Mohawks commitment to innovating for a better tomorrow.

Mohawk has spent the past decade working toward 25 percent reductions in emissions, water and waste-to-landfill intensity, said Maynard. Therehasbeen great progress.We are continuing to work onourgoals and will refreshthem, including expanded ESG metrics, as we execute our new governance process.

In addition to affirming Mohawks ESG philosophy, thereporthighlightsMohawkscomprehensiveproduct portfolio that leads the industry in sustainable technologyand product circularity.Mohawk carpet collections in the U.S.offerconsumersrenewable (wool), recycled (polyester) andpartiallybio-based (SmartStrand) fiberoptions while delivering unsurpassed style and performance.In Australia and New Zealand, Godfrey Hirsts legacywoolcarpetofferingis completed by itsEco+partiallybio-based collections.

In commercial flooring, Mohawk Group offers the industrys largest portfolio of Red List-free products and recently launched The Waterways Project, which promotes river health through clean-up days across the U.S. This project also includes the introduction of biophilic-inspired collections influenced by rivers and riparian landscapes and that are tailored for multiple commercial environments.

Mohawk is the worlds largest ceramic tile producer, and more than 450ofthe companysfloor and walltile productscontain pre- and post-consumer recycled content.

Similarly, as the largest laminateflooringmanufacturer in the U.S. and Europe, Mohawks productsaremade predominantlywith recoveredwood fiber and chips from sustainable sources.Every year, Mohawks resilient flooring manufacturing reclaims thousands of tons of PVC materials destined for landfillsand transformsthe material into the backing for luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring.

The Companys European panels business has introduced a unique and innovative technology torecyclewood fiber from MDF and HDF boards, allowing the company to reuse this material toproducehigh-quality fiberboards. Theprocesswill eventually keep 380,000 tons of CO2 per year stored in wood fiber that has been given a second life.

Many of Mohawks achievements in sustainability come from the Companys continuous and creative journey to improve the sustainability of its products and operations. The report details how Mohawk utilizes bio-based fuel, has invested in solar and wind energy, has reduced water usage and recovers and reuses waste material to produce high-quality products around the world.

In 2021,threeof Mohawks business units made new climate-related commitments. Mohawk Group signed The Climate Pledgewith acommitmenttoachievenet zero carbon by 2040. Unilin Group pledged to set objectives aligned with the Science Based Targetsinitiative.Godfrey Hirst obtained Climate Active certification by committing to carbon reductions.All of these are part of the Companysoverallgoal of reducing scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, disclosing scope 3 emissions,and developing science-based targets by 2024.

Our digital ESG report offers an expansive view of Mohawks work around the world, and we invite everyone toview the information onlineand provide us with feedback, said Maynard.We are proud of our journey thus far, but we are still listening, learning, growing, testing new ideas and striving for greater results. We are embracing ambitious goals, and we are committed to the important work required to achieve them.

MohawksEnvironmental, Social and GovernanceReport is available exclusively online atmohawksustainability.com.

About MohawkMohawk Industries is a leading global flooring manufacturer that creates products to enhance residential and commercial spaces around the world. Mohawks vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution processes provide competitive advantages in the production of carpet, rugs, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone and vinyl flooring. Our industry-leading innovation has yielded products and technologies that differentiate our brands in the marketplace and satisfy all remodeling and new construction requirements. Our brands are among the most recognized in the industry and include Mohawk, American Olean, Daltile, Durkan,Feltex, Godfrey Hirst, IVC, Karastan, Marazzi, Pergo, Quick-Step andUnilin. During the past two decades, Mohawk has transformed its business from an American carpet manufacturer into the worlds largest flooring company with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

Contact:ROBERT WEBB, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONSrobert_webb@mohawkind.com