CARPET - BACK
Take your pick: From corn and soda bottle based fibers to traditional fibers with 25% or more recycled content, the carpet industry is rapidly going green. The government is taking notice as well providing credits to builders who meet the LEED criteria set forth by U.S. Green Building Council (see Definitions).
PET Carpet
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is fiber that is extruded from recycled plastic bottles, containing 100 percent post-consumer recycled content. Because plastic beverage bottles are made with top quality PET resins as required by the US Food & Drug Administration, the recycled carpet product is superior to lower grades of synthetic fibers. One quarter of all recycled PET bottles in the United States are reused by Mohawk Carpet alone for the production of new carpets. Not only is this fiber environmentally conscious, it offers fashionable styling, colorfastness, a luxuriously soft “hand” and inherent resistance to water-soluble stains.
Here is the process that takes recycled plastic bottles and makes it into fine carpet styles:
1.
PET bottles are separated according to color
2. Ground into fine plastic chips
3. Thoroughly cleaned
4. Melted and extruded into fiber
5. Spun into yarn
6. Tufted into carpet
Mohawk SmartStrand® with DuPont™ Sorona
Mohawk leads innovation in sustainable flooring
with SmartStrand® carpet with DuPont™ Sorona® renewably
sourced polymer. In a partnership with DuPont, this
carpet exclusively offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™ (the
key Sorona® ingredient), which is produced from corn
sugar. By utilizing this new ingredient, 37 percent
of Sorona® is being made from renewable resources. This
marks the first time that a luxuriously soft carpet
offers durability and stain protection, while also making
less of an environmental impact.
Why is this carpet environmentally smart? DuPont™ Sorona®
plays a major role in the worldwide objective of a renewable
economy and represents a new frontier in sustainability.
This carpet is environmentally smart because:
1. The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent
less energy than the production of an equal amount of
nylon.
2. Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona®
are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.
3. This energy reduction results in approximately one
gallon of gasoline saved per every seven square yards
of carpet.
The superior stain resistance of SmartStrand® carpet
is engineered into the fiber and will never wear or
wash off, meaning consumers will never need to retreat
the carpet with stain protectors after steam cleaning.
And this engineered-in stain resistance reaches new
levels of protection, allowing tough stains such as
mustard, red wine, and cherry Kool-Aid® to be removed
simply with warm water and a mild detergent, or with
Mohawk FloorCare™ Essentials. The fiber even resists
discoloration from bleach.
DuPont™, Sorona® and Bio-PDO™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. Kool-Aid® is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods.
Natural Carpet
Cotton and wool are two other great options. Rather
than carpeting over your old hardwood floor, you could
use a cotton or wool area rug to cover old blemishes.
Cotton is great because it comes from the earth and
can be grown and replanted rapidly. Wool is another
great option because of the obvious fact that a sheep
can grow more of it! Below is an excerpt of Living
Well with Wool by ELISE DEMBOSKI. This article
originally appeared in a Winter 2007 edition of Fabulous
Floors Magazine (Volume 13)
Living Well with Wool
The materials used to make carpets and rugs can be
divided into two categories, natural and man-made
(synthetic). Some of the most common natural fibers
include wool, silk, cotton, jute, coir and sisal.
Natural materials are renewable, meaning they can
be produced over and over again without depleting
the Earth’s resources.
Mother Nature really outdid herself when it came
to wool. Though it has been around for centuries,
wool continues to amaze us with its benefits –– many
of which man has yet to replicate. Wool is a natural
fiber that embraces our lives, and the only one that
can clothe, protect, comfort and inspire us to live
well. Wool, the most popular natural fiber used in
carpets and rugs, is produced from a totally renewable
resource –– grass –– and is thus environmentally sound.
 We
are familiar with the many colors and patterns available
in wool sweaters, pants and suits, but may not know
that the beauty of wool can be translated to the floor.
Wool’s luster, color, dyeing characteristics and versatility
make it one of the most luxurious –– and sought after
–– carpet and rug fibers.
Additionally, wool is as beautiful inside as it is
out. The wool shorn from the sheep is completely natural.
It is composed entirely of amino acids, the building
blocks of life. As such, it boasts many natural qualities
that support health and well-being.
When wool carpet is installed in a home, it works to
improve air quality by absorbing common contaminants,
such as formaldehyde (a common pollutant emitted by
building materials), nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide,
by binding the gases irreversibly in its structure.
It also creates a more balanced environment by absorbing
vapor from the air in humid conditions and then releasing
it when the atmosphere becomes dry.
Safety is another inherent quality of wool. The high
moisture content of the fiber, along with wool’s protein
constituents, gives wool carpet excellent flame resistance.
The wool fiber will not support combustion; therefore,
wool is difficult to ignite and is self-extinguishable.
If an ember from a fireplace falls on wool, the carpet
may char, yet the residue can be easily brushed away
without disfiguring the carpet. Thus, as well as being
extremely safe, wool carpets retain their appearance
even after minor burn damage.
Some people, having experienced itchiness from a wool
sweater, think they are allergic to wool. What appears
to be an allergic reaction is simply the “tickle and
prickle” of the wool fibers when worn close to the skin.
This effect is similar to the itchiness felt after getting
a haircut. The cut hairs may be irritating, but none
of us are allergic to our own hair. The truth is, wool
is a nonallergenic fiber and does not promote the growth
of bacteria or dust mites or give off harmful emissions.
In fact, wool carpet minimizes allergic reactions because
it is able to hold dust in its structure until it is
removed by vacuum (or wet) cleaning. Because wool is
too long and too coarse to be inhaled, it does not affect
asthma sufferers. As far as dust mites are concerned,
wool carpet is a hostile environment, providing none
of the conditions they require to thrive.
It is unfortunate when misconceptions about wool prevent
people from experiencing its many benefits. Studies
show that those who buy wool tend to purchase it again
–– and again. Not only because it is beautiful and easy
to clean, but because it positively affects the comfort
of the entire home. Those with wool feel a little safer
and breathe a little easier, not to mention the fact
that they contribute a little more to the sustainability
of our planet.
by ELISE DEMBOSKI Reprinted with permission from FABULOUS FLOORS Magazine © 2007
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