Contact: Robert Peoples, Carpet America Recovery Effort (706) 428-2115

SANDESTIN, Fla. (April 24, 2003) – The First Annual Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) meeting concluded today following two days of lively discussion in an open forum that included updates on the progress the organization has made in its first full year of existence.

“In all actuality it has been a very productive and fulfilling year. We’ve had our ups and our downs as we’ve traversed through our first year, but all in all, the future looks bright. I fully expect we’ll meet our goal of 40 percent landfill diversion by 2012 simply because of the commitment I see from people attending this conference,” said Frank Hurd, chairman of the board, CARE.

“One of the most compelling things to me is the solidarity and unity of our members from within one of the most competitive industries I have seen. We have a lot of powerful players in the carpet industry and to see them all pulling together to tackle this issue, knowing that is the right thing to do, simply amazes me. I feel good about the direction CARE is headed,” said Mr. Hurd.

CARE was formed as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship (MOU), a national agreement signed by members of the carpet industry, representatives of government agencies at the federal, state and local levels, and non-governmental organizations. CARE’s mission is to foster market-based solutions for recovering value from discarded carpet to meet the recycling and reuse goals set forth in the MOU.

Highlights of the meeting included the release of the First Annual CARE Report, the announcement of the first grant recipients, honoring of the Recycler of the Year and CARE Person of the Year, and the announcement of three new signatory commitments to the MOU.

The First Annual Report is a part of the annual monitoring in place to show progress towards the goals in the MOU. It offered updates on market development opportunities, quantities of discarded carpet diverted from landfills, successes and obstacles encountered, and related state and federal efforts. The data was compiled via a survey by the University of Georgia.

Los Angeles Fibers Company, the largest recycler of post consumer carpet in North America, was named Recycler of the Year. Dr. Robert Peoples, Ph.D, director of carpet recycle and business development for Solutia, Inc. was honored as CARE Person of the Year for his work within the organization. Dr. Peoples serves as co-chairman for the Marketing Development Committee.

“It’s a great honor not only to be able to recognize a recycler such as L.A. Fiber for their effort and commitment in this arena, but to be able to appreciate Bob Peoples for his tireless and voluntary effort. CARE is a completely voluntary organization and it could not function without the Bob Peoples’ of the world,” said Mr. Hurd.

The three new signatory commitments of the MOU included the states of Georgia and Florida as well as Recycle Florida Today (RFT).

Other highlights from the meeting were presentations from Dr. Edmund Vankann, Executive director of GUT, the recycling group in Germany, and Deputy Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Allan Bedwell, who spoke at the awards dinner.