Dalton—ABC World News Tonight recently devoted two weeks of evening news broadcasts to this challenge: “Could you furnish a home using only American-made goods?” It included products from Mohawk Industries as one of its solutions. ABC News traveled to Dallas, TX, and visited the home of the Usrys, a middle-class family of four who thought they had furnished their home with mostly American-made products. When the show’s producers checked the labels, it found that virtually everything owned by the family was made outside the USA—including upholstery, casegoods, appliances, flooring, lamps, and other furnishings. ABC News removed everything that wasn’t American made, then set about giving the Usrys a total home makeover—using only goods made domestically.
ABC News identified manufacturers across the nation who provided replacement products for the home. Mohawk Industries was among the companies showcased in the project, providing area rugs made using Mohawk’s revolutionary SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona fiber.
Introduced just five years ago, SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona is the first truly new carpet fiber in nearly 50 years. Laboratory and field tests show that it is significantly more stain resistant than nylon fiber, and more durable than polyester. SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona is inherently soft—one of the industry’s softest fibers, in fact—and it has a remarkable sustainability story: 37% of the polymer is made from renewable sources like corn sugar rather than petroleum. And it’s made in the U.S.A.
“Mohawk has been manufacturing in America for over 130 years,” said David Duncan, vice president of marketing. “The craftsmanship, dedication and commitment to preserving and building upon the Mohawk heritage are very important to us, and make us who we are as a company.”
After the makeover using U.S.-made products, the Usrys were thrilled, and pointed out they felt that they didn’t have to sacrifice quality or style to buy American. In fact, they thought their home looked better than before.
Show producers also reported that nearly half of all goods currently purchased by American consumers are made in other countries, and that if Americans changed their buying habits so that they spend just $64 more a year on U.S.-made goods, domestic employment would increase by 200,000 jobs.
A video detailing the ABC News “Made In America” project is available at mohawktoday.com.