ATLANTA—Interface, Inc., the global flooring solutions company where everything is certified carbon neutral, launched several new flooring collections in the first and second quarter, designed to meet performance and aesthetic goals with a lower carbon footprint. With these latest resilient and carpet tile introductions, Interface continues to enhance its flooring portfolio with innovative designs that help customers meet their unique design objectives and solve challenges. The latest launches from Interface include: Third Space: Designed to support today’s workplace design trend of creating alternative spaces where people gather, converse, collaborate, and reenergize, this carpet tile collection combines the classic feel of...

MAUMEE, OHIO—Underscoring Fiberon’s commitment to sustainability, the company’s Wildwood composite cladding has earned a GREEN GOOD DESIGN Award from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. GREEN GOOD DESIGN Awards recognize products and projects that “are leading the global way to a design that is fully sustainable and compatible with the highest standards of good environment.” Because the composite cladding is made from 94 percent mixed recycled plastic and wood fiber content, Wildwood is a key component in Fiberon’s ability to save more than 1 million trees and repurpose an average of 100 million pounds of recycled plastic each year. “While the...

LOS ANGELES—Blair Block has begun commercial production of the world’s first ultra-low carbon concrete blocks at its concrete masonry production facility in Childersburg, Alabama. The new blocks leverage CarbonBuilt’s proprietary technology that reduces embodied carbon by 70-100+ percent compared to traditional concrete blocks. The blocks, which cost no more to produce than traditional concrete, will be used by C&C Masonry in the construction of several municipal projects across the state of Alabama. “This is not only a milestone for CarbonBuilt and Blair Block, but also for the broader concrete and building materials industries,” said Rahul Shendure, CEO of CarbonBuilt. “We’ve shown that it’s possible...

BREDA, THE NETHERLANDS—Leading hotel management tech company, RoomRaccoon, has announced its partnership with Hotels for Trees, a non-profit organization that contributes to reforestation projects across the globe. The Hotels for Trees Foundation partners with hotels to convert daily room cleaning during hotel stays into newly planted trees. Since its founding in 2021, Hotels for Trees has contributed over 132,500 trees to (re-)forestation projects in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Uganda, Madagascar, Mexico, Borneo, Vietnam, Bolivia, and Ghana and is continuing to expand its global footprint. “We are proud to team up with Hotels for Trees and actively promote their cause to our...

ATLANTA—Acuity Brands, Inc., a leading industrial technology company, announced the successful closing of its acquisition of KE2 Therm Solutions, Inc., which develops and provides intelligent refrigeration control solutions that improve profitability by increasing system efficiency and decreasing operational and service costs. Acuity will begin integrating KE2 Therm into Distech Controls within the Intelligent Spaces Group business segment of Acuity. “We are thrilled that Acuity Brands has closed the acquisition of KE2 Therm and are excited to begin its integration within Distech Controls,” said Martin Villeneuve, President, Distech Controls and SVP Distributed Building Technology at Acuity. “This acquisition allows us to expand our product...

WINCHESTER, VA.—After months of collecting, bundling and weighing as much discarded plastic film as they could, eco-minded students across the country are reaping the rewards of their recycling efforts as Trex Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of high-performance, low-maintenance composite decking and outdoor living products, announced the winners of its 2022-23 Trex® Plastic Film Recycling Challenge. Twelve schools from across the country were honored during a live ceremony where more than $50,000 in prizes was awarded. Built on eco-friendly values, Trex composite decking is sustainably made from 95 percent recycled materials, including a mix of industrial wood scrap and polyethylene (PE) plastic film upcycled from common...

SOLON, OHIO—Demonstrative of its commitment to sustainability, Tarkett, a leader in innovative and sustainable flooring solutions, has received two GREEN GOOD DESIGN Awards for its Inspired Nature and LinoFloor xf2 & LinoWall xf2 collections. Organized by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, GREEN GOOD DESIGN is an international program that recognizes new products, buildings, and construction and planning projects that have forwarded exceptional thinking and inspired greater progress toward a healthier and more sustainable universe. One of Tarkett’s award-winning collections, Inspired Nature, is a carbon-neutral collection of modular carpet...

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—As demand for sustainable antibacterial and fast-drying fabric and surface finishes continues to grow, FUZE Biotech is relocating their headquarters to a larger facility in Salt Lake City. The new headquarters and production facility will allow the production of 10 times as much of their gold-powered antibacterial solution to accommodate the exponential growth in demand. “As brands increasingly look for sustainable, high-performance solutions, we are scaling up production to meet growing demand,” said Andrew Peterson, Chief Technology Officer of FUZE Biotech. “Our new facility is state of the art and will help us better serve our expanding roster...

MEMPHIS, TENN.—In the new FedEx 2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, the company highlights how teams across FedEx are doing their part to further the company’s focus on Our Planet, Our People, and Our Principles. Some highlights from the FedEx 2023 ESG Report include: Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions intensity on a revenue basis by 48.9 percent from Fiscal Year 2009 through Fiscal Year 2022, a period during which average daily package volumes grew by 142 percent. Avoiding 150 million gallons of jet fuel through aircraft modernization efforts, reducing its total FY22 jet fuel consumption by more than 10 percent. Providing...

ARLINGTON, VA.—Organizers of Coverings, the preeminent and largest international ceramic tile and natural stone event in North America, have announced that Coverings 2023 exceeded expectations with a vigorous 50 percent year-over-year increase in attendance, totaling nearly 27,000 eventgoers who gathered April 18 to 21, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Fla. The event rivaled pre-pandemic levels and was one of the most dynamic expositions and conferences in Coverings’ renowned 34-year position as the leading event in the tile and stone industry. Coverings 2023 was an action-packed, four-day event laid out to span 450,000 net square feet of...