Eco-friendly alternatives to standard carpeting do exist; recycled-content carpet is beginning to make an appearance. This green carpet option uses various materials, including plastic soda bottles, nylon, cotton, wool, or even used carpet. Some recycled-content carpet can even be reclaimed at the end of its lifecycle by the manufacturer. They recycle the carpeting again, transforming a non-renewable substance into a renewed material.
Carpet pad made from recycled nylon carpets is also available. If these eco-friendly materials are tacked down instead of glued, the carpet installation process is considerably greener, while the carpet retains its look and its soft, sound-absorbing qualities.
Another more traditional sustainable carpeting is wool. This material has a large advantage over synthetics because it's made from a renewable and biodegradable resource. Wool carpeting is made from the cut hair of sheep or llamas that depend on the grass of New Zealand hills instead of the oils of the Middle East. Actually, sheep raised for the purposes of yielding carpet fibers are raised in several countries. The shipping distance involved requires considerable use of energy, as does the resource-hungry process of animal agriculture. On a purely tactile level, wool is often thought of as a superior material to synthetics for its richness of texture, durability, and natural crimp, which preserves the springy quality of plush carpet.
Wool is also resistant to soiling, moisture, static, and fire. Not like other carpeting materials, wool is less hospitable to dust mites than synthetic fibers. Wool carpeting also traps pollutants and keeps them out of the air for decades. The most popular criticism is the moth-proofing chemical treatment that most wool carpeting receives, causing some VOC off-gassing. However, untreated wool carpet is available in the U.S. from at least two purveyors. This environmentally friendly product also uses jute backing instead of polypropylene—as do several other wool carpet lines—and uses only natural dyes for coloring.
Wool carpet should be vacuumed frequently and kept out of wet environments that may encourage mildewing. Installed properly and cleaned with natural cleansers, wool can be eco-friendly and healthy flooring. Although it is generally more expensive than synthetic carpet, the long-lasting quality and luxurious feel of wool carpeting may be well worth the cost, making it an investment rather than an extravagance.
Plant fibers are another sustainable flooring material that has the advantage of being VOC-free, biodegradable, and chemically untreated. The best-known of these is sisal, made from leaves of an agave plant which is grown without pesticides and harvested by hand in the deserts of Latin America and Africa. Although the production of sisal is thought to be less efficient than it could be, it is more eco-friendly than other flooring materials . Sisal carpeting provides a durable, easy-to-care-for surface with a texturally unique feel; it doesn't capture mites or allergens, and like other carpets, it is antistatic and sound absorbent.
Seagrass is another sustainable material , being a thicker fiber grown underwater in Asia and woven into tough carpets backed with latex or urethane. Because it doesn't hold dye, the green-brown color of seagrass ties it to its natural source. Seagrass carpeting is also very easy to care for.
There are many plant and reed fibers from which to choose, sisal and seagrass being the most widely available. Another material is Jute, a softer fiber that appears almost silken when woven, but requires more maintenance. Abaca, from a cousin of the banana plant, is eco-friendly and has gorgeous hair-like fibers in thick knots. Coir, from coconut fiber, is usable as in and outdoor carpeting and provides a sustainable alternative to synthetic welcome mats.
