CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF.—Bentley Prince Street, California’s largest commercial carpet manufacturer, is taking a significant step toward its goal of becoming a completely sustainable enterprise by the year 2020 by launching a new carpet tile backing line using next generation thermoplastic technology.
Through this technology, Bentley Prince Street will dramatically decrease its environmental footprint by reducing energy use, decreasing raw material usage and increasing efficiencies in its carpet tile manufacturing processes. Ultimately, this new technology will also improve the company’s ability to keep reclaimed and waste carpet in the technical loop and increase its use of recycled content materials. The new line will support Bentley Prince Street’s comprehensive carpet tile offering, which includes 18in X 18in, 36in X 36in and 50cm X 1m in a variety of styles and patterns.
In development for three years and launched last month at the company’s Los Angeles manufacturing facility, the $5.2 million custom-designed backing line puts sustainable commerce into action. For the past two decades, the company has dominated the industry in sophisticated styling for carpet tile—a segment of the market that continues to undergo explosive growth. In looking at ways to increase production to meet market demand yet still eliminate its impact on the environment for the long term, Bentley Prince Street realized investing in the new thermoplastic high-speed tile line in its Los Angeles facility was another way to “green” the bottom line.
Whole-Systems Approach
“We’re taking a whole-systems approach to improving both our products and our processes to eliminate our potential impact on the environment,” said Anthony Minite, president of Bentley Prince Street. “Recycled products are important, but they’re only one piece in a very large puzzle to get to a fully sustainable operation. Equally important is how products are made—the type and amount of energy and materials used as well as the processes behind them. We know this investment not only makes sense from a business perspective, but also supports our responsibility to be more sustainable in every aspect of our operations.”
This new recycled-content technology eliminates the need for any latex and polycarbite laminate in carpet tile backing and decreases the overall product weight, a key factor in reducing its environmental footprint. It also reduces the manufacturing process from a two-step operation to one, realizing energy, water and manufacturing efficiencies. In addition, by housing the new carpet tile line at its Los Angeles headquarters, it eliminates the need for transportation outside the state, reducing shipping expenditures and related environmental impacts and keeping business in California.
“As a California company, containing all our manufacturing operations in the state was another important factor in our decision,” Minite said. “Not only is this new technology an investment in our company and our planet, it’s also another commitment we’re making to our home state.”
Go to Bentley Prince Street.
