Manufacturers Join Forces to Build Recycling Plant

Shaw Industries Group, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer, and DAK Americas, the nation’s second-largest maker of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin and its largest producer of polyester staple fiber, are building a PET container recycling plant that the companies expect to be the largest in the U.S.

The joint venture, Clear Path Recycling, will begin construction of the plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in mid-2009 and is expected to be recycling 160 million pounds (73 million kg) of PET annually by early 2010 and 280 million pounds (130 million kg) by 2012. Shaw and DAK plan to use most of the recycled PET in their own products; about 25% will be sold to other companies. Shaw estimates the recycling operation will yield energy savings of 2.5 trillion Btus (2.6 trillion kJ) annually and save more than a million cubic yards (760,000 m^³) of landfill space each year.