A Quick Guide To Sustainable Carpeting

The impact that mankind has had on the planet has really come to the fore in the last few weeks and months, and it certainly appears as though we’re running out of time to halt the damage that we’ve done over the centuries.

And this is no doubt why both businesses and consumers are becoming increasingly interested in sustainability and how their impact can be reduced in as many different ways as possible. When fitting out the interior of a business premises or a residential dwelling, trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible certainly seems to be the order of the day – so what can be done with it comes to carpeting and carpet to hardfloor trims?

If it’s a completely sustainable carpet you’re keen to invest in, you’ve got to remember that it isn’t just the materials you’ll need to consider, but also the manufacturing process itself. This means doing your research and finding a supplier that takes its corporate and environmental responsibilities seriously, with high standards when it comes to green credentials.

Questions to ask your supplier to ascertain just how green they actually are; include whether or not they use sustainable or recycled raw materials, if they dispose of all waste responsibly and if they can document all environmental claims they make for their manufacturing processes and products.

In terms of materials, looking out for carpeting that’s made from plant-based fibres will certainly assist you in achieving your goal of sustainable flooring at home or at work. The likes of jute, seagrass, coir and sisal are all products to look out for as they’re all 100 per cent biodegradable.

You’ll likely have heard of jute, a soft vegetable fibre with similar production levels to cotton that’s spun into coarse threads, but what about the others?

Coir is fibre taken from the outer husk of a coconut and which can be used to make ropes, matting and other products, while sisal is a Mexican agave that has big fleshy leaves and which is cultivated for fibre production, again used particularly for ropes and matting.

And seagrass, as you might be able to tell from the name, is a flowering plant which grows in marine environments. There are numerous species of seagrass and they’ve been used by people for thousands of years, with applications including bandages, insulation for houses, woven furniture, thatched roofs, car seats… the list goes on!

If you’re looking for the most sustainable of all carpeting materials, jute is likely the best option since it takes around six months for the plant to be ready for harvesting, which means that less land is needed to maximise output, compared to other crops.It can also be grown without pesticides or fertilisers, so not harming the environment in this way either. You can find out more about jute on the Green Clean Guide website.