Cover the Floor with Recycled Content Carpeting

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Joyce Benson
Tag(s): Greening the Home, Recycling

If your plans to spruce up the house for the holidays include getting new carpeting, there are some eco-friendly options that you should consider. From recycled plastic bottles to recycled nylon from old carpets, these durable carpeting choices are sure to be comfortable underfoot. All of the following manufacturers’ recycled-content products meet the most stringent industry standards for low Volatile Organic Compound emissions (VOCs) under the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Indoor Air Quality Program.

FLOR’s modular carpet squares are made from renewable and recycled materials and offer unlimited design flexibility and style. The company implements a ‘Return & Recycle’ program where old carpet tiles from customers are collected and made into new carpet, so no FLOR carpet ends up in the landfill. Even the company’s catalog is printed on 100% recycled paper / 85% post-consumer waste and of course can be viewed online as well.

More than 17 billion plastic bottles have been recycled into Mohawk’s everSTRAND™ carpet fiber since 1999. Post-consumer recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from plastic beverage bottles. PET bottles are sorted, ground into fine chips, and then cleaned. These chips are then melted and extruded into fiber and spun into carpet yarn. It is then dyed and a stain-resistant polyester carpet is created! The company’s bonded carpet cushion is comprised of 90% recycled materials from its fiber and carpet manufacturing waste.

Shaw’s durable and stain-resistant Anso Nylon carpeting is made with a portion of post-consumer recycled nylon which can be recycled over and over again. In fact, the company has a network of collection sites throughout the country that accepts post-consumer nylon carpets and keeps up to 300 million pounds of carpet out of landfills each year. Its Endurance II carpet cushion is comprised of 100% recycled materials. Shaw has also made great strides in minimizing its packaging while still protecting its product during transport.