Flooring by Nature does what it says on the tin. They look to source only natural flooring materials or use recycled materials. Their decision came about when they looked around them at flooring suppliers and carpet manufacturers who promoted man-made carpets as the ideal solution for the family home. It is not.
Man-made carpets
Man-made carpets are not sustainable. They are made using oil-based plastic, which is petroleum derived. Plastic products like this have a large carbon footprint. For example 10 square feet of nylon carpet uses 25.42 megajoules (million joules) of energy and produces 4.80 kg of CO2-e emissions (Science Direct).
Man-made carpets may need to be replaced regularly and they can’t be recycled easily. This causes waste carpet to go into landfill or it is incinerated. 130,000 tonnes of carpet was incinerated in the UK in 2019, causing an estimated 243,000 tonnes of CO2 (Zero Waste Europe).
Sustainable carpets
The alternative is carpets that are made from natural materials like wool and sisal, or replacing carpet with either cork or laminate flooring. All of these types of flooring are available from Flooring by Nature.
Wool carpets are particularly durable. A well made wool carpet can last for 25 years. Nylon carpets last less than half of that time. Wool carpet also has many desirable properties for those seeking a more sustainable home. It is soft underfoot. It is naturally fire resistant and stain resistant. It provides excellent insulation. Wool, of course, is also renewable.
Wool carpet is hypoallergenic. This is particularly important for those families that are concerned about breathability and eliminating toxins in their homes. A nylon carpet can off gas VOCs (volatile organic compounds) for years after it is installed and VOCs can affect air quality and cause adverse health effects.
Note that a 100% wool carpet may have a cotton backing or a polypropylene backing, but the type of polypropylene backing chosen by Flooring by Nature (Envirobac) is sustainably produced and it can be recycled at the end of its life.
For an entirely biodegradable carpet, Eco Sisal is a good choice. Sisal carpets have 100% biodegradable plant based felt backing and are plastic free. The carpets and backing are compostable making them ‘genuinely zero-waste’. The felt backing also allows the sisal carpet to be fitted over standard underlay rather than requiring a specialist underlay.
Eco Sisal is durable and hard wearing so it is suitable for high traffic areas like staircases. Sisal grows quickly with no chemicals or water waste. It can flourish even in extended drought periods and it can be grown in arid conditions (Science Direct). Sisal carpet is also naturally moth resistant.
Natural flooring materials
In addition to carefully sourcing their carpets and choosing natural flooring materials, as well as responsibly packaging their deliveries, Flooring by Nature is working towards a low carbon future.
They offset their samples with a tree planted through Ecologi and they have funded 4539 trees. They are working through the Blue Patch Let’s Do Net Zero programme to measure and take action on net zero. It is just the beginning of their journey and their goal is to eventually achieve a state of net zero emissions.
To order samples, get advice on flooring or buy carpets visit www.flooringbynature.co.uk
