06 Jun Sustainable Carpeting

Did you know that Americans throw away five billion pounds of carpet every year? And did you know that carpeting is one of the bulkiest and least biodegradable products in our landfills? One carpeting company is trying to make a difference.

Interface is an Atlanta-based carpet manufacturer with over $1 billion in yearly sales. In 1994, Interface’s founder Ray Anderson declared that the company would start down the road towards environmental sustainability. Since then, Interface has kept more than 200 million pounds of waste from ending up in landfills and saved around $433 million in the process.

How did they do it? According to an interview with Interface CEO Daniel Hendrix in Bloomberg Business Week, environmentally conscious carpeting has been essential to the company’s popularity. In the architectural design community, for instance, sustainable carpeting is a popular option for eco-friendly buildings.

The company’s yarn suppliers, says Hendrix, were forced to produce post-consumer recycled yarn or faced losing Interface’s substantial business. One of the suppliers followed Interface’s directions; another did not and was subsequently dropped.

Today 44% of the raw material used in Interface’s carpets is bio-based. The company hopes to be at 100% by 2020.

According to Hendrix, the largest roadblock to producing sustainable carpeting is the energy needed. While eight of Interface’s manufacturing plants draw on renewable sources of energy, getting completely off the grid is simply not possible.

Reduce Your Impact

Here at Steamer’s Carpet Care we believe that one of the best ways to reduce your carpet-based, environmental impact is by maintaining your old carpet. Instead of changing out your carpeting every few years (and inevitably throwing it into a landfill), consider taking special care of the carpet you have. Clean up spills as soon as they occur and vacuum regularly. Also invest in periodic, professional carpet cleaning that can help keep your old carpets fresh and intact.

Contact Steamer’s Carpet Care for quality carpet cleaning that can have your old carpets feeling like new again. Whether you’re trying to save the planet or just a bit of money on expensive carpet, Steamer’s is your choice for carpet cleaning in the San Antonio area.