Carpet

The Carpet and Rug Institute reports that carpets and rugs cover about 70% of U.S. floors. Their life cycle has several impacts, including chemical emissions during manufacturing, use of petroleum and other resources, transportation, indoor air quality issues, and disposal costs at landfills or recycling centers.

To reduce these impacts, many companies now offer better options. These include recycled backing, modular tiles that last longer, recycled cushions, and adhesives with little or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Some also provide refurbishing and recovery programs to extend carpet life and keep waste out of landfills. In addition, several manufacturers are cutting greenhouse gas emissions, by using renewable energy like solar, and reducing waste, toxics, and non-renewable resource use.

Policy and Goals:

King County’s Sustainable Purchasing Executive Policy (CON 7-22-1-EP)

• Reducing waste generation by choosing products that are durable, reusable, repairable, refillable, recyclable, compostable, salvageable, deconstructable, or made with recycled content or remanufactured parts 
• Minimizing the purchase of products containing toxic chemicals, especially perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs), with a goal of phasing out all usage of products containing such chemicals
• Minimizing pollutants to air and water, including indoor air emissions
• Promoting transparency, including disclosure of environmental, health, economic, and social risks through the use of environmental certifications and ecolabels, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Health Product Declarations (HPDs), and vendor sustainability ratings