How Carpet Can Reduce Your Environmental Impact

At every turn, we as a society are becoming more cognizant of our relationship with and our impact on the environment. Preserving and maintaining the natural resources that are afforded to us guarantees their existence for future generations. This has extended into our everyday lives, as well as into our homes.

Flooring is a major part of the evolution. Over the past decade, carpet options have been moving in a positive direction in terms of green design and sustainability. You can reduce your carbon footprint through making a few conscientious decisions when choosing your carpet.

Life Expectancy

A carpet's endurance goes a long way to creating a sustainable and efficient product. The choice of a new carpet should be yours, not because the carpet isn't holding up over time. This will just increase the likelihood of more waste being added to landfills, negating your hope to be more environmentally sound. Research the materials that are present in the carpet you are shopping for, and find how well they handle your everyday needs. Give yourself a timeframe you expect your carpet to live through; ten years is a good place to start. Truly sustainable carpet can perform well past that.

Full Circle

The buzz word for recyclable carpet is cradle-to-cradle manufacturing. This is when companies take used carpet or materials - sometimes their own and sometimes that of other companies - that typically would be headed for a landfill, and instead put them back into new products or lines of carpet. The systems and processes to efficiently create this type of manufacturing have become more prevalent, but still remain in the infancy stage. However, the cradle-to-cradle process is significant because of its environmentally conscious design. Look for companies and manufacturers that have adopted these processes.

Look Under Your Carpet

The carpet itself is part of creating an eco-friendly environment in your home; however, what you use to install your carpet also plays a part. Typically, installing carpet involves chemical-based glues, which have been connected to respiratory problems and health issues. One option to avoid such pollutants is through tacking. If glue is necessary, there are water-based and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) options to choose from that decrease your carbon footprint.

If you are becoming increasingly aware of environmentally efficient choices for your home, flooring is a great place to begin. It can lead you in a direction that will leave your home looking beautiful, in addition to the benefits it affords to the preservation of our natural resources.