HMTX Industries – A Big Entity With An Even Bigger Heart For Social Equity And Transparency

Few companies survive as long as the Stone family business has without evolving. With family roots dating back four generations, 2019 was a historic year for what has now become HMTX Industries, bringing their diverse family of companies together under a singular entity for the first time.

NeoCon in Chicago this past June was the “launch” party for HMTX, which encompasses Halstead, the leading supplier of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) to The Home Depot; Metroflor, their signature residential brand in North America; Teknoflor, their focused healthcare and institutional brand; Aspecta, their high-end global contract brand for architects and designers; and Vertex, the foundation of the organization’s international supply chain. It was a change long in the making, one that allows each member of their corporate family to continue operating under their own identity while leveraging the power of their combined enterprise. This includes being an even more vocal advocate for the work being done by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) and their positive influence on the building products industry.

One passion that HMTX has been highly vocal about is their commitment to sustainability and transparency.

The company sees these two areas as an opportunity to take a leadership role on two very important issues that are part of their core values. This commitment to transparency and sustainable business practices has been displayed through the company’s long-term involvement in product development and manufacturing in Asia. As one example, HMTX has worked closely with their Chinese manufacturing partners to achieve JUST social justice labels for both factories (Elegant Home-Tech and Yihua) where many of their products are produced, the first such label issued for a flooring manufacturer, and the first for manufacturing facilities not only in China but anywhere in Asia.

The relationship between the Stone family and the Song family, which owns Elegant Home-Tech in Zhangjiagang, dates back over 25 years, long before the groundbreaking took place for their current facility. The elder Mr. Song has said, “Being kind to employees is to be kind to the company. Employees are the biggest capital of Elegant.  Harmony is the greatest productivity.” His son, Jin Song, said, “Only when employees grow can the company grow. The company should not only invest in machines and systems, but also in employees.” These beliefs and values are shared by HMTX and are a big reason why their relationship remains so strong. The company recently produced a video showing the impressions the JUST label has had on many of the workers at Elegant Home Tech.

HMTX is also pursuing a JUST 2.0 label for the entire global enterprise. This label will encompass the complete family of companies under the HMTX umbrella and will be completed in time for the Living Future UnConference 2020. To receive the JUST label, an organization is rated on a wide range of metrics, including Diversity & Inclusion, Equity, Employee Health, Employee Benefits, Stewardship and Purchasing & Supply Chain.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about where the products they are buying come from and how they are made. HMTX is very enthusiastic about being transparent and was one of the first to make use of ILFI’s Declare label for resilient flooring. Now, HMTX has also achieved a new, international standard that relates to transparency in the supply chain:  BES 6001. BES 6001 is an international standard that assesses and certifies manufactured products as responsibly sourced if conformance with the standard is achieved.  HMTX recently took a giant leap in transparency, achieving certification for ASPECTA ONE, ASPECTA FIVE, ASPECTA TEN, Elemental ISOCORE, Elemental DRYBACK, and LOOSE LAY products through the BES 6001 standard.

Additionally, HMTX is involved in continued efforts to provide Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List-free options to the marketplace, which can be used in LBC projects as well as any project in which customers are interested in LBC-compliant flooring.  The company’s upcoming Aspecta Bonterra, which will be the first such option in their Aspecta line of products, adds to their collection of Teknoflor Naturescapes sheet, tile and plank products, which are also LBC Red List-free. The name Aspecta Bonterra is loosely translated to “Good Earth”, which relates to the organic castor oil ingredient in the product.

Further reinforcing HMTX’s commitment to transparency, the company is also poised to become one of the first manufacturer Member-Owners of mM L3C. mM L3C is owned and operated by select participants in the mindful MATERIALS Collaborative, an inclusive network of building industry professionals and companies that share a common vision for a thriving building materials ecosystem.

In December, HMTX announced it was adopting an innovative approach for the flooring industry, fully merging their quality and sustainability efforts. Since arriving at HMTX, Rochelle Routman, now their Chief Sustainability and Quality Officer, has led a team of experts overseeing sustainability and transparency, as well as innovation and product testing. David Altman, a technical expert in the flooring industry, was promoted to the newly-created position of Vice President of Product and Customer Support.  These changes consolidate the holistic quality initiatives related to products, processes, and information-sharing with the transformational sustainability programs that have become a hallmark of HMTX.  Rochelle was among the recipients of the 2019 Living Future Hero award, becoming the first individual from a manufacturer to receive this prestigious honor, celebrating those who have exceeded expectations in environmental advocacy. She was also a major presence on behalf of HMTX at the Greenbuild conference in Atlanta this past November, leading a panel on how manufacturers can achieve transparency in social justice.

HMTX is also preparing to break ground in 2020 on their new headquarters in Norwalk, CT, integrating ILFI’s programs and again expressing their strong commitment to sustainability and the environment in the age of climate change. 

Coming off a year filled with exciting changes and innovative breakthroughs, HMTX is preparing to make an even bigger splash in 2020. One thing that will never change is the company’s commitment to a Living Future and the values that have been so vital to their success through four generations.