WINCHESTER, Va., Aug. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trex Company [NYSE: TREX], the world’s #1 brand of sustainably made, wood-alternative decking and railing, has been named a 2023 Eco-Leader, the highest honor awarded by Green Builder Media, North America’s leading media group focused on green building and responsible growth. This is the second time the composite decking leader has earned this prestigious honor having previously been recognized in 2019. Furthermore, Trex is the only decking brand ever to be awarded Eco Leader status, which signifies companies across the building products arena that are working to quantify ESG concepts in meaningful ways.
“Our Eco-Leaders program recognizes corporations that are confronting environmental challenges by creating innovative solutions for product development, manufacturing, supply chain management, community engagement, and reducing their environmental footprint,” said Craig Coale, publisher of Green Builder Media. “Trex is a leader in all of these areas – and more. In addition to producing a product that offers a viable solution for our country’s growing supply of plastic content, Trex also uses sustainable manufacturing processes and proactively engages other companies, consumers and future generations in recycling.”
Sustainability at the Core
Trex invented composite decking more than 30 years ago as a way to reduce waste generated from plastic bags. The company uses a proprietary mix of recycled polyethylene plastic film and reclaimed wood scrap, which accounts for 95% of the material in its world-famous decking. Additionally, approximately 40% of the aluminum used in Trex railing products is from recycled sources.
One of the largest recyclers of plastic film packaging in North America, Trex diverts hundreds of million pounds of polyethylene film, bags and wrap from landfill each year. Since its inception, the company has upcycled in excess of five billion pounds of plastic waste.
“Being named an Eco Leader for a second time is a testament to our ongoing commitment to the environment,” said Leslie Adkins, vice president of marketing and ESG development for Trex. “From the very beginning, we have been committed to making our products and processes as sustainable as possible.”
Eco-friendly Manufacturing Processes
Trex employs a manufacturing process that is as green as its finished products. For instance, the company uses vegetable oil instead of petroleum-based fluids in some hydraulic systems and prioritizes process water reuse in closed loop systems, thereby lowering its consumption of water. Utilizing bi-coastal factories reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Trex also works with suppliers to reduce environmental impact across the supply chain, using post-consumer and post-industrial content in raw materials and purchasing finished goods where possible.
Education and Outreach
Through the company’s award-winning NexTrex® Recycling Program, Trex works with approximately 32,000 stores nationwide to provide consumers with opportunities to responsibly dispose of plastic shopping bags and polyethylene film used to wrap products and pallets, and repurpose that material into Trex composite decking. Trex also supports a multitude of recycling solutions at the local level, and continues to expand its support of green initiatives in communities across the country. Over the past 16 years, the company’s annual Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge has educated and engaged thousands of students across the country in recycling. In 2022, participants in Trex’s school and community recycling initiatives helped to give new life to nearly 2 million pounds of discarded plastic film, setting a new record for the NexTrex program.
Transparency and Trust
Further elevating Trex as a leader among this year’s Eco Leader contenders was its commitment to transparency and ESG reporting. Trex released its inaugural Sustainability Report in early 2019 and has published updated ESG reports every year since, providing the public with a comprehensive review of the company’s economic, environmental and social initiatives and performance data.
“At Trex, sustainability is not just a buzzword – it’s a founding principle of our company and a core value that we live and breathe every day,” noted Adkins. “Even as our business expands, we remain focused on creating positive change in the world by innovating to reduce our environmental impact, support our employees, strengthen our communities and govern our business with the utmost integrity.”
Earlier this year, Trex earned top honors in the Green Builder Media Brand Index for 2023 and was named the Sustainable Brand Leader in the decking category, a title it has held all 13 years of Green Builder’s Reader’s Choice program. Additionally, the brand’s newly launched Trex Transcend® Lineage™ decking line was recognized by the Green Builder editorial staff among the 50 most Sustainable Products of the Year.
Trex and the other 2023 Eco Leaders are highlighted in the July/August issue of Green Builder magazine. For more information about Trex’s high-performance, eco-friendly products and commitment to sustainability, visit Trex.com.
About Trex Company, Inc.
For more than 30 years, Trex Company [NYSE: TREX] has invented, reinvented and defined the composite decking category. Today, the company is the world’s #1 brand of sustainably made, wood-alternative decking and deck railing – all proudly manufactured in the U.S.A. – and a leader in high performance, low-maintenance outdoor living products. The undisputed global leader, Trex boasts the industry’s strongest distribution network with products sold through more than 6,700 retail outlets across six continents. Through strategic licensing agreements, the company offers a comprehensive outdoor living portfolio that includes deck drainage, flashing tapes, LED lighting, outdoor kitchen components, pergolas, spiral stairs, fencing, lattice, cornhole and outdoor furniture – all marketed under the Trex® brand. Based in Winchester, Va., Trex is proud to have been named 2023 America’s Most Trusted® Decking Brand* and one of 2022’s 50 Best U.S. Manufacturers by IndustryWeek. For more information, visit Trex.com. You may also follow Trex on Facebook (trexcompany), Instagram (trexcompany), Twitter (Trex_Company), LinkedIn (trex-company), TikTok (trexcompany), Pinterest (trexcompany) and Houzz (trex-company-inc), or view product and demonstration videos on the brand’s YouTube channel (TheTrexCo).
*2023 DISCLAIMER: Trex received the highest numerical score in the proprietary Lifestory Research 2023 America’s Most Trusted® Outdoor Decking study. Study results are based on experiences and perceptions of people surveyed. Your experiences may vary. Visit www.lifestoryresearch.com.
Taylor Spanbauer
L.C. Williams & Associates
312-565-4604 or 800-837-7123
tspanbauer@lcwa.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/48e34774-0224-4191-b498-f750b73ca236
