Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Trex
Search every verified Zachary Lauer interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Zachary Lauer, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Manufacturing at Trex, discussed the company's recycling and manufacturing operations on the Sustainable Packaging Podcast in September 2022. Lauer stated that Trex is expanding to a new facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, to access more recycling material and get closer to customers. He said that 95% of the material used in Trex's decking products is post-industrial or post-consumer recycled content, and that the company diverted more than a billion pounds of plastic over the previous five years, including more than 360 million pounds of plastic film in 2020 alone. Lauer described Trex's process as combining discarded plastic bags, wraps, and reclaimed wood to produce a product warrantied for 25 years. He noted that the company works to capture film from retail stores, distribution, and manufacturing, and that it recycles 100% of its water in a captive process. Lauer also mentioned Trex's school recycling competition, which rewards communities and schools with products made from recycled materials. He encouraged listeners to contact him via LinkedIn or email at [email protected] with ideas for new recycling initiatives.
“At Trex, 95% of the material that goes into our decking products is post-industrial or post-consumer recycled content. We're trying to divert as much material from the waste streams as possible and make a valuable product.”
“Over the last five years, we've diverted more than a billion pounds of plastic. In 2020 alone, we upcycled more than 360 million pounds of plastic film from landfills. Each year, Trex uses more than 1.5 billion plastic bags in our eco-friendly outdoor living products.”
“The genius of Trex is in our process where we combine discarded plastic bags, wraps, and reclaimed wood to produce a product that can withstand harsh outdoor conditions and is warrantied for 25 years.”
“We're growing and moving to the Midwest to Little Rock, Arkansas for our next facility to access more recycling material and get closer to our customers. We're continuously looking to develop the future of recycled materials.”
What happens to most of the plastic you drop off at the grocery store recycling box? It gets turned into a wood replacement ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Zachary Lauer.