AB2398 Quarter 3 Report shows modest improvements and efficiency gains

There’s good news as CARE reports its quarterly results as the carpet stewardship organization in California under AB2398. There was a slight uptick in the gross weight of collected and recycled carpet during the past quarter. This was despite the closure of two carpet recycling businesses, which reduced processing capacity. While the gross collected pounds increased to 23.3M, it is estimated that it could be as high as 27M pounds when non-reporters are accounted for.

Gross weight of collected and recycled carpet in California

Another positive statistic is the decreasing amount of collected carpet that cannot be used and is disposed of by landfill. The trend hints that recycling efficiency is improving despite the continued trend of decreasing nylon face fiber. The face fiber data collected from California recyclers shows that nylon may have decreased by about 7 percentage points since the previous quarter while fibers reported as “other” were up.

Continued success in California requires improvements in existing processes but hinges on developing cost effective ways to recycle PET (polyester). CARE is still accepting research proposals from researchers at California universities interested in doing just that. But get your great ideas in soon, as the deadline for submission is this Friday, December 20.

Eric Nelson and Russ Delozier honored at CRI Annual Meeting

CARE would like to heartily congratulate board members Eric Nelson and Russ Delozier as the recipients of the 2013 Joseph J. Smrekar Memorial Award from the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).

The Smrekar award honors the late Dr. Joe Smrekar who served on a number of CRI committees and “set the standard” for service to the carpet and rug industry. Following his untimely death in 1998, Milliken & Company established the award to honor individuals who demonstrate exemplary service to the carpet and rug industry. Recipients are chosen by CRI staff members and for the first time, the vote ended in a tie resulting in two award winners.

Eric Nelson has 15 years of experience in the carpet manufacturing industry and is currently the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Interface Americas. In 2007, Eric took over Interface’s ReEntry 2.0 program that seeks to recycle all types of carpet yarn and carpet backing. Mr. Nelson serves on the Strategic Issues Leadership Council and is a member of the Caprolactam Advocacy, Landfill, and NSF-140 task groups and the EPR and CARE Panel at CRI. Eric has served on the CARE board since 2008.

Russ Delozier is the Director of Sustainability for J&J Industries, where he manages all of the company’s sustainability initiatives and leads research programs to facilitate the development of new environmental directives. Mr. Delozier serves on the EPR and CARE Panel and the Landfill and NSF-140 task groups. He has served on the CARE board since 2008 and is the longest-serving carpet mill representative on the Carpet America Recovery Effort Board.

“CRI is as strong as its volunteers,” said Carpet and Rug Institute President Werner Braun. “The carpet industry represents an incredible depth and breadth of talented people. In Eric Nelson and Russ Delozier, you see two of the best. CRI is blessed by their energy and support.”

Past winners of the Smrekar award include, Howard Elder Ph.D, Robert Cannon, Alan Luedtke Ph.D, Dr. E.P. “Rusty’’ Willimon, Frank Endrenyi, Carey Mitchell, Jim Jolly, and Dan Frierson.

Save the Date! CARE’s 11th Annual Conference is May 6-8, 2014 in Seattle, WA

The upcoming new year means that the next CARE Annual Conference is just around the corner. 2014 marks our 11th meeting, which will be held May 6-8 at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington.

Are you an Entrepreneur or small business owner? Are you a seller of manufacturing products? Are you a collector? A Customer? A Government Stakeholder? Do you work with or for Carpet Mills or Equipment Companies? Then this is the conference for you.

Don't miss our keynote speaker, Dr. David Crowe, Chief Economist & Senior Vice President at the National Association of Home Builders. Hear him speak to the state of our national economy and drill down to the specifics of flooring and carpet trends in the U.S. Also invited is Ms. Caroll Mortensen, Director of CalRecycle and responsible for the only EPR law on the books, AB 2398.

If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor or exhibitor, now is the time to register. Multiple levels of sponsorship and benefits are available. Contact Anthony Cline for more details.