Trex Company, Inc.
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Trex Company, Inc. is a manufacturer of wood-alternative composite decking, railing, and other outdoor items made from recycled materials. Headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, Trex is the world's largest
manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...
of wood-alternative decking and
railing Railing or railings may refer to: * Railings (horse), a racehorse * Guard rail, a structure blocking an area from access ** Cable railings, a type of guard rail * Handrail, a structure designed to provide support on or near a staircase * Grab bar, ...
. Trex composite products are made of 95% recycled materials. In redirecting more than 400 million pounds of plastic and scrap wood from landfills each year, Trex is one of the largest plastic film recyclers in the US.


Company history

In 1988, Roger Wittenberg combined sawdust and plastic bags to create a park bench. In 1996, Mobil Chemical Co. acquired Wittenberg's technology and formed Trex, LLC. Trex is widely considered to be one of the inventors of composite decking made from recyclable materials. The idea for a process and product created to maximize the use of materials that would otherwise wind up in
landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
s is credited to inventors Kjell-Ake Gustafsson, of Binghamton, New York; John J. Muller, of Winchester, Virginia; and Roger A. Wittenberg of Newton, Pennsylvania. The first patent for a "Method of Producing a Wood-Thermoplastic Composite Material" was filed as
U.S. Patent Under United States law, a patent is a right granted to the inventor of a (1) process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, (2) that is new, useful, and non-obvious. A patent is the right to exclude others, for a limit ...
number 5746958 in March 1995 and granted in May 1998.


Leadership

Bryan H. Fairbanks was named president and CEO of Trex effective April 29, 2020. Former president and CEO (2015-2020), James E. Cline, has assumed the position of chairman of the board and Ronald W. Kaplan is now vice chairman effective April 29, 2020. Effective October 23, 2023, Brenda Lovcik was named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.


Manufacturing

Trex is America's largest manufacturer of composite decking. Their manufacturing process combines recycled plastic film, like grocery bags and dry cleaning wrap, with reclaimed wood, some of which is swept from the floors of furniture factories. To procure the amount of plastic film necessary for production, Trex works with grocery store chains like Albertsons, which has contributed more than 200 million pounds of recycled plastic film to the NexTrex recycling program. Trex uses approximately 400 million pounds of recycled plastic film to make its composite decking. Trex maintains two manufacturing facilities in Winchester, Virginia, and Fernley, Nevada.


Environmental considerations

Trex promotes an environmental stance as part of its commercial appeal in the marketplace.


Recycled components

Trex composite decking contains more than 95% recycled content and offers verification by ICC-ES. In July 2010 Trex received a Verification of Attributes Report (VAR-1011) from the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) under the Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation Program. The verification validates Trex's wood-alternative products are manufactured with a minimum of 95.4% recycled content. Trex claims is the first composite decking manufacturer to obtain this certification.


Environmental recognition

Trex corporate participation in environmental efforts, coupled with its eco-friendly product profile, has led to recognition by governments, publications and trade groups. These include: * Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2025,
Barron's ''Barron's'' (stylized in all caps) is an American weekly magazine and newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp, since 1921. Founded as ''Barron's National Financial Weekly'' in 1921 by Clarence W. Barron (1855–19 ...
. * Winner, "Green Products: Decking," 2024, Green Builder Media. *Eco Leader Award, 2019, Green Builder Media. *Readers' Choice Award, 2015 & 2016, Green Builder magazine. *Winner, 2016 GAIA award.


Industry recognition

*Best of Houzz Design Award, 2024,
Houzz Houzz is an American website, online community and software for architecture; interior design and decorating; landscape design and home improvement. It was founded in 2009 and is based in Palo Alto, California. History Houzz was founded as an o ...
. *America's Most Responsible Companies 2024,
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
. *IBD's 100 Best ESG Companies for 2023,
Investor's Business Daily ''Investor's Business Daily'' (''IBD'') is an American newspaper and website covering the stock market, international business, finance, and economics. Founded in 1984 by William O'Neil as a print newspaper, it is owned by News Corp and headquar ...
. *America’s Most Trusted Outdoor Decking 2023, Lifestory Research. *America's Best Mid-Sized Companies, 2021,
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
. *Top Brand, 2017 & 2019 Builder Brand Use Study. *Top Brand: all four composite/PVC subcategories, 2016, Builder Brand Use Study. *Gold Award, Social Media Communications, 2016, Publicity Club of Chicago. * Platinum (x3), Gold (x3) Awards for Design Excellence, 2015, ADEX. * Best Decking (Platinum List), 2015, Ocean Home Magazine. * Eight awards, 2015, Remodeling Magazine's Brand Use Study.


Product issues

A manufacturing problem at the Trex manufacturing facility in
Fernley, Nevada Fernley is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States, and part of the Reno–Tahoe–Sparks metropolitan area CSA. The city was incorporated in 2001. The population of the city was 22,895 at the 2020 census, making it the 7th most populous ...
, from 2002 to 2007 led to production of decking boards that were prone to surface flaking. These boards were sold throughout 16 Western states in the U.S. and resulted in a class-action suit against the company. In a settlement approved in 2010, Trex agreed to replace any decking boards, including some resulting labor costs, for decking affected by surface flaking.


References

*
Pool Decks
. Professional pool Deck builder. Retrieved 19 March 2005.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trex Home improvement companies Recycled building materials Building materials companies of the United States Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Companies in the S&P 400