Inside America’s carpet capital: an empire and its toxic legacy

By Dylan Jackson, Jason Dearen, and Justin Price | AP | February 5, 2026

Read the full article by Dylan Jackson, Jason Dearen, and Justin Price (AP)

"Bob Shaw glared at the executives from the chemical giant 3M across the table from him. He held up a carpet sample and pointed at the logo for Scotchgard on the back.

“That’s not a logo,” fumed Shaw, CEO of the world’s largest carpet company, one attendee later recalled. “That’s a target.”

Weeks earlier, 3M Company announced it would reformulate its signature stain-resistance brand under pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency because of human health and environmental concerns."