Carpet / matting fibres, backing and underlays compared
Key issues
Materials
The majority of carpet manufactured and installed in the UK is made
of synthetic materials and synthetic / wool blends – nylon, polyester
and polypropylene (PP) pile fibres, with most backings being a sandwich
of polypropylene fabric and latex. Most of the commercial carpets are
made by bonding a pile fibre to a backing fibre using one of a variety
of strong bonding agents. Nylon accounts for around 60% of the market
with polypropylene being the next most commonly used fibre.
‘Natural’ materials make up a smaller proportion of the
market, usually in domestic applications. Wool is the dominant material
with other materials such as cotton, grasses and reeds forming a tiny
fraction.
Waste
Carpet is claimed to account for approximately 2% of all waste dumped
into landfill. Currently 93% of this waste is associated with used carpet.
The remaining 7% is post-industrial waste resulting from manufacturing
and installation operations.
Ways of addressing this level of waste include: direct reuse, refurbishment,
recycling fibre into other plastic products, recycling carpet backing
into new carpet backing, and "carpet-to-carpet recycling."
Recycling
Recycled carpet can be made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) or from recovered textile fibres. PET plastic is usually found
in plastic bottles. About 50 x 2 litre bottles go to make 1 sq metre
of carpet. Carpets that are created using recycled materials perform
the same as carpets created using virgin material often with the added
benefits of increased stain resistance and improved indoor air quality
as a result of less toxic off-gassing of volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). The manufacturing of recycled content carpet produces less emissions
than ordinary carpet.
Recycled underlay is available made from either recycled rubber or carpet
fibres.
Take-back schemes
A number of manufacturers are introducing programmes to take back carpets
at the post-consumer stage for re-use, re-manufacture or recycling.
Recovered carpet will be used for:
- Re purposing - making used carpeting useful again through cleaning
and refurbishment
- Recycling (closed loop) - turning used carpet back into new carpet
- Down cycling - separating used carpet into its components and making
these into products of lesser value.
Greenwash alert: Some carpets carry a recycled
logo. This might mean only that the material is recyclable rather than
made from recycled materials. Check the contents!
Types of carpet:
1 Natural fibres
Wool
 |
Recyclable |
|
Low embodied energy |
|
Renewable resource |
|
Most UK manufactured carpets
use UK sourced wool |
|
Durable |
|
Biodegradable |
|
Thermal and sound insulation |
 |
Some toxin concern from
sheep dipping |
|
Some toxic waste generated in manufacturing treatments |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Some wool can be sourced from overseas adding to
embodied energy |
|
Expensive |
Cotton
|
Recyclable |
|
Low embodied energy |
|
Renewable resource |
|
Biodegradable |
|
Unsuitable for heavy traffic |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Growing cotton is a heavy user of pesticides |
|
Cotton is imported from overseas adding to embodied
energy |
Sisal / Seagrass / Hessian / Coir
|
Low embodied energy |
|
Renewable resource |
|
Biodegradable |
|
Durable |
|
Some products are susceptible to dirt and spills |
|
Not easy to clean |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Plant fibres are currently imported from overseas
adding to embodied energy |
2 Synthetic fibres
Recycled PET
|
Recycled content |
|
Naturally stain resistant |
|
Good colour retention |
|
Durable |
|
Not currently recyclable |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Non-biodegradable in landfill |
Recycled Nylon
|
Recycled content |
|
Durable |
|
Non-toxic in use |
|
Not currently recyclable |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Non-biodegradable in landfill |
|
Gives off toxic fumes when incinerated |
Nylon
|
The technology is being developed to enable recycling |
|
Durable |
|
Non-toxic in use |
|
Made from non-renewable petroleum resources |
|
Petrochemicals refining is a major source of greenhouse
gases, acid rain and toxins. |
|
High embodied energy |
|
Frequent cleaning required implying water and energy
use |
|
Non-biodegradable in landfill |
|
Nylon production contributes (NOx) to global warming,
acid rain and ozone depletion |
|
Gives off toxic fumes when incinerated |
