Selecting carpeting with one or more of the following characteristics can significantly reduce environmental impacts, and/or improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ):

• Consider carpet alternatives. Durable flooring, such as a concrete finish floor, linoleum, or area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpet, can use less material and improve indoor air quality.
• Carpet or floor covering made of rapidly renewable materials such as wool, jute, sisal or coir
• Replaceable carpet tiles minimize carpet replacement from wear. Carpet tiles are already common in commercial applications, and residential products are becoming more common.
• Select carpet with recyclable fiber, such as nylon 6.
• Carpet with high recycled content (preferably post-consumer) in the face fiber and backing encourages recycling.
• Consider leasing carpet, which can be maintained and reused or recycled by the manufacturer.
• Request solution-dyed carpet, which uses less water.
• To improve indoor air quality, select carpet and adhesives that meet a third party standard, such as the CRI Green Label or the State of California’s Indoor Air Emission Standard 1350.
• Selection of classic styles and colors, which are unlikely to quickly go out of style, helps to lengthen useful the life of carpet, as can neutral colors that tend to show fewer stains.

Impacts from Carpet:

Carpet manufacture, use, and disposal have significant environmental and health implications. Most carpet is synthetic, made of non-renewable petroleum; its manufacture requires substantial energy and water inputs and creates harmful air and solid/liquid waste. Most carpet is landfilled at the end of its life; in 1999, roughly 2.4 million tons of carpet was discarded, enough to completely cover New York City (Green Seal, 2001).

A small but growing number of carpet manufacturers are refurbishing and recycling carpets into new carpet. Leasing arrangements are also available where the manufacturer will recycle worn or stained carpets, reducing waste significantly. Keep in mind are required for recycling and, unless it can be recycled indefinitely, the carpet will end up in a landfill after a finite number of uses. Carpet tiles limit waste because only worn or stained tiles need to be replaced; such tiles are available for both commercial and residential applications.

Solution dyeing, where fibers are dyed prior to extrusion, reduces the impact of carpet manufacture because it requires less water and generates less hazardous waste than traditional wet dyeing. Synthetic carpets, backings, and adhesives typically off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pollute both indoor and outdoor air. Redesigned carpets, new adhesives, and natural fibers are available that emit few or zero VOCs.

Natural fibers are an excellent green carpeting option because they are renewable and biodegradeable. Options include jute, sisal, and coir floor coverings, as well as wool. Biodegradeable carpets made from plant extracts and plant-derived chemicals are also available. However, all materials have some impacts, including land, water and energy use, so designs that minimize or do not require carpet are usually environmentally preferable.

For More Information:

Green Seal Choose Green Report: Carpet (2001)
In Adobe Acrobat format. Click to download.

California Integrated Waste Management Board
An excellent resource for carpet waste reduction

Carpet and Rug Institute
Maintains a Green Label standard, widely referenced in construction specifications

EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

California 1350 Special Environmental Requirement
Emissions standards for an array of materials, developed by the state of California and being adopted by a variety of other organizations. In Adobe Acrobat format. Click to download.

Sustainable Building Sourcebook
An extensive resource

Oikos
Oikos contains extensive links to manufacturers of environmentally preferable building materials, including flooring.

Center for Resourceful Building Technology
Provides information about environmentally preferable building materials in general, including flooring

Greenguard
Provides independent evaluations of the indoor air quality effects of construction materials and furniture. Requires free registration.