What makes a sustainable rug? Try natural fibers or recycled yarn
Collected Image
More than 3.4 million tons of carpets and rugs ended up as municipal solid waste in 2018, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Although 27% of these carpets and rugs are either recycled or burned, 73% of them end up in the landfill.
To consider a more sustainable option, the EPA recommends purchasing rugs made with natural fibers, or recycled content, along with the use of safer dyes, backing and adhesives. Many rug makers offer eco-friendly rugs that are made with natural and sustainable fibers like wool, jute, sisal and organic cotton or created using recycled plastics, commonly known as PET yarn.
Not deciding factor
While sustainability is often a factor in rug purchases, it still isn’t often the deciding factor, according to Greg Jordt, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Harounian Rugs International.
“Rarely, if ever, has a buyer specifically requested to see a collection with a sustainability story,” he said. “The order of interest still seems to be look, color, sizes available and price, and then they ask about other features and benefits such as sustainability and performance.”
Jordt said HRI currently offers four collections of rugs that are made with recycled plastics or PET yarn: the Malibu, La Jolla, Band and Brooks collections.
“All four have become top sellers in our transition category, and they are made with different constructions and textures,” he said. “We have developed a process that results in a soft, natural, wool-like feel to the pile.”
Using recycled plastic
Oriental Weavers, a producer of tufted and jet-printed machine-woven rugs, also uses PET yarn for the rugs in its Bauer collection. The rugs are power loomed and made in Egypt.
“The Bauer collection is power loomed of 100% recycled PET yarn, making it environmentally sound as well as family friendly,” said Angie Shook, director of marketing and PR for Oriental Weavers. “PET yarn is a highly sustainable material made from recycled plastic bottles. This beautiful yarn has the look of wool but is much less likely to shed and easier to clean.”
The unique multi-level yarn system and dense pile of the PET rugs offer more surface interest and a nice tactile quality, according to Shook, while the warm neutral color palette and soft modern designs are a good fit for both rustic and sophisticated spaces.
To make a 5-x-8-foot rug, it takes anywhere from 500 to 600 plastic bottles, according to Shook. The bottles are shredded and melted into pellets which are in turn extruded into yarn and then woven into rugs.
Celebrating the natural
The vast majority of rugs sold by high-end rug company Tamarian, a business-to-business wholesale company, are made of wool since the company is committed to using natural fiber for its products.
“Social responsibility is a big tenant of ours,” said Ned Baker, marketing generalist at Tamarian Rugs. “We are very aware of our supply chain. When using wool, it’s important to remember that the sheep are shorn to create the product, and then they get to live as along as a sheep will live.”
Most of the rugs produced by Tamarian are made in Nepal, and Baker said the company truly values the people that make these rugs with the weaver being the smallest person in the chain as well as the most important since his hands create the piece.
“We also have a new collection called Habit, which is made in India and Afghanistan, that has a friendlier price point,” Baker added. “It is made with either cotton or wool, and really, its story is about the natural fibers, and the look is very natural with more organic colors.”
Baker agrees with Jordt that information about sustainability is not the first thing a consumer would ask, but it is in the consideration set. He believes the story behind the sustainability of the rugs can help encourage a sale.
“For Tamarian, the sustainable angle allows the consumer to feel better about the product,” he said. “It’s an important piece about why our rugs are more expensive since they are made with pure wool.”
Rugs made with natural fibers such as wool, jute and cotton will eventually rot away back into the planet, according to Baker.
“A rug is a living thing; people are in touch with it. In a home with kids, families often want this to be an object of pride,” he said. “Many beautiful heirloom rugs don’t have to be destroyed when being passed down from one generation to another; they can be cut down into smaller rugs or made into a wall hanging.”
Baker said Tamarian’s end goal is to be a leader when it comes to sustainability and affect change overseas by using the best practices possible to help encourage others to innovate.
To consider a more sustainable option, the EPA recommends purchasing rugs made with natural fibers, or recycled content, along with the use of safer dyes, backing and adhesives. Many rug makers offer eco-friendly rugs that are made with natural and sustainable fibers like wool, jute, sisal and organic cotton or created using recycled plastics, commonly known as PET yarn.
Not deciding factor
While sustainability is often a factor in rug purchases, it still isn’t often the deciding factor, according to Greg Jordt, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Harounian Rugs International.
“Rarely, if ever, has a buyer specifically requested to see a collection with a sustainability story,” he said. “The order of interest still seems to be look, color, sizes available and price, and then they ask about other features and benefits such as sustainability and performance.”
Jordt said HRI currently offers four collections of rugs that are made with recycled plastics or PET yarn: the Malibu, La Jolla, Band and Brooks collections.
“All four have become top sellers in our transition category, and they are made with different constructions and textures,” he said. “We have developed a process that results in a soft, natural, wool-like feel to the pile.”
Using recycled plastic
Oriental Weavers, a producer of tufted and jet-printed machine-woven rugs, also uses PET yarn for the rugs in its Bauer collection. The rugs are power loomed and made in Egypt.
“The Bauer collection is power loomed of 100% recycled PET yarn, making it environmentally sound as well as family friendly,” said Angie Shook, director of marketing and PR for Oriental Weavers. “PET yarn is a highly sustainable material made from recycled plastic bottles. This beautiful yarn has the look of wool but is much less likely to shed and easier to clean.”
The unique multi-level yarn system and dense pile of the PET rugs offer more surface interest and a nice tactile quality, according to Shook, while the warm neutral color palette and soft modern designs are a good fit for both rustic and sophisticated spaces.
To make a 5-x-8-foot rug, it takes anywhere from 500 to 600 plastic bottles, according to Shook. The bottles are shredded and melted into pellets which are in turn extruded into yarn and then woven into rugs.
Celebrating the natural
The vast majority of rugs sold by high-end rug company Tamarian, a business-to-business wholesale company, are made of wool since the company is committed to using natural fiber for its products.
“Social responsibility is a big tenant of ours,” said Ned Baker, marketing generalist at Tamarian Rugs. “We are very aware of our supply chain. When using wool, it’s important to remember that the sheep are shorn to create the product, and then they get to live as along as a sheep will live.”
Most of the rugs produced by Tamarian are made in Nepal, and Baker said the company truly values the people that make these rugs with the weaver being the smallest person in the chain as well as the most important since his hands create the piece.
“We also have a new collection called Habit, which is made in India and Afghanistan, that has a friendlier price point,” Baker added. “It is made with either cotton or wool, and really, its story is about the natural fibers, and the look is very natural with more organic colors.”
Baker agrees with Jordt that information about sustainability is not the first thing a consumer would ask, but it is in the consideration set. He believes the story behind the sustainability of the rugs can help encourage a sale.
“For Tamarian, the sustainable angle allows the consumer to feel better about the product,” he said. “It’s an important piece about why our rugs are more expensive since they are made with pure wool.”
Rugs made with natural fibers such as wool, jute and cotton will eventually rot away back into the planet, according to Baker.
“A rug is a living thing; people are in touch with it. In a home with kids, families often want this to be an object of pride,” he said. “Many beautiful heirloom rugs don’t have to be destroyed when being passed down from one generation to another; they can be cut down into smaller rugs or made into a wall hanging.”
Baker said Tamarian’s end goal is to be a leader when it comes to sustainability and affect change overseas by using the best practices possible to help encourage others to innovate.
Source: https://www.furnituretoday.com