Choosing new carpet for your home involves making a lot of decisions, including things like color, plushness, texture and material, but many people forget to consider the carbon footprint of carpet as you’re planning your purchase.
Just like every other choice you make, item you buy or action you take, installing carpet generates a carbon footprint, which serves as a representation of how much your new carpet impacts the earth.
While it might not seem that something like carpet could have a big impact, you may be surprised to learn that 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions across the globe come from building materials and construction.1
Want to learn how you can enjoy cozy carpeted floors while also protecting the planet?
This article explains how something as mundane as carpet manages to produce a significant carbon footprint, why it matters, and how you can use your purchasing power to help save the earth.
What Is a Carbon Footprint?
When measuring the carbon footprint of carpet, it’s helpful to understand what is a carbon footprint.
Definition of Carbon Footprint
By definition, your carbon footprint is equal to the total greenhouse gas emissions you generate, or that are generated as a result of your actions. This includes both direct emissions, such as the carbon dioxide that comes out of the tailpipe of your car, and indirect, or embodied emissions, which is a measure of the greenhouse gasses generated to produce the things you buy, the foods you eat, the house you live in and the clothes you wear.
Greenhouse gasses include things like carbon dioxide,2 methane, nitrous oxide and other gasses.
Carbon footprints are typically measured in tons per year. You can calculate your own personal carbon footprint, one for your family, your workplace, your city or even the planet as a whole.
The Carbon Footprint of Carpet
The carbon footprint of carpet may seem negligible, but when you consider all of the carpet used in homes and buildings across the globe, you can see that this impact really adds up.
In fact, carpet contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every step of its lifecycle, from the moment raw materials are extracted from the earth, through manufacturing, distribution, installation and disposal.
Carbon Footprint of Carpet Installation
The carbon footprint of carpet installation begins long before your carpet technician arrives to install your new carpet. Here are some of the ways carpet contributes to emissions at each stage of its life:
- Most synthetic carpet is made from polyamide or polyethylene fibers, which are made from extracting oil from the oil and forming it into yarn. This process of extraction, tufting and finishing the carpet is responsible for 50 percent of the total emissions associated with carpet.5
- Producing enough carpet from nylon fibers to cover a 0.9 square meter (about 10 square feet) area generates 4.80 kg (10.58 pounds) of carbon.6 Wool carpet generates even more, at 6.35 kg or 14.0 pounds of carbon per 10 square feet.
- Transportation also adds to the carbon footprint of carbon. This includes the impact of transporting raw materials to the factory, distributing finished carpet to stores and showrooms, and delivering product to the home for installation.
As a simple estimate of this impact, consider that every gallon of fuel burned in a vehicle generates almost 9,000 grams of carbon emissions,7 that’s almost 20 pounds. - Don’t forget maintenance and care; if you hire someone to come to your home to clean your carpets annually, their vehicle emissions and the energy used to run their equipment all contributes to your carbon footprint.
Carpet Disposal
If you want to understand the full carbon footprint of carpet, you also have to consider carpet disposal.
No matter what happens to carpet once it leaves your home, it continues to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
About 4 billion tons of carpet end up in U.S. landfills each year,8 representing 2 percent of the entire waste stream by volume. Every ton of carpet in the landfill produces 0.9 tons of carbon emissions annually.9
Carpet Recycling
Carpet recycling can go a long way toward reducing the carbon footprint, yet only 3.6 percent of carpet in the U.S. gets recycled.
If all carpet sent to U.S. landfills was recycled instead, it would reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions by 5 metric tons a year, about the equivalent of removing 3.5 million cars from the roads.9
How Long Does Carpet Last?
One of the questions you should be asking when shopping for carpet is “How long does carpet last?”
Because the most eco-friendly option is always the product you already have, you can show your love for the planet by choosing a carpet that is designed to hold up for many years.
The average carpet lasts about ten years,10 and you can maximize its life by following all installation and maintenance instructions.
Types of Carpet and Carbon Footprint
Different types of carpet affect your carbon footprint in different ways.
When choosing floor coverings, consider both the material your carpet is made of and how it is cut to find the most eco-friendly option for your home.
Impact of Natural Fibers and Synthetic Fibers
Around 97 percent of all carpet in the U.S. is made from synthetic fibers,11 with 70 percent of this carpet made from nylon.
Only around 3 percent of carpet is made from natural fibers, such as wool and silk.
While you may expect nylon carpet manufacturing to have a higher carbon footprint than wool, the reverse is actually true. Producing 10 square feet of wool carpet generates about 14 pounds of carbon, versus 11 pounds for nylon.6
Where wool wins out is at disposal time. Wool is a natural fiber, and is both biodegradable and completely renewable, it’s made by shearing sheep.
Nylon carpet is made of synthetic fibers. That means it’s spun from oil, which is non-renewable.
It’s also a form of plastic, which means it will take a very, very long time to degrade in a landfill, and will continue to produce greenhouse gas emissions long after you’ve removed it from your home and replaced it with something new.
Whether you choose synthetic fibers, the way the material is dyed can also have an impact on your carbon footprint. To reduce your impact, look for carpet that is solution-dyed or pre-dyed.12
This means that the plastic is colored before it is made into yarn. This process produces fewer emissions than processes like piece-dying or continuous-dying, which dye the yarn after it has been spun.
Recycled Carpet
One way to limit the size of your carpet carbon footprint is to buy recycled carpet products.
While most carpets made from recycled content contain mostly pre-consumer materials,12 this doesn’t really make much of a difference compared to buying carpet made from virgin materials.
Instead, look for products made using 100 percent post-consumer content,8 and focus on companies that offer take-back programs when you are ready to dispose of the carpet. This allows for a very eco-friendly process known as closed-loop recycling.
You can even find manufacturers that utilize this process while also relying on renewable energy to run their factories, which can further reduce your impact.
Carpet Materials
You may be surprised to learn how much of a difference you can make simply by choosing the right type of carpet materials.
Generally, carpet is sold either in the form of a continuous roll or in the form of tiles.
(Image: Hans15)
Traditional rolls of carpet result in about 10-20 percent of the material being wasted during installation, while carpet tile installation results in only 1-5 percent waste.12
Carpet tile is also a better long-term option as you can replace a single stained or damaged tile rather than ripping up the entire carpet because one spot is damaged.
Why Does a Carbon Footprint Matter?
Why does a carbon footprint matter? It gives you a guide as to how much you are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
These gasses trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and contribute to a concept called global warming.2 Even a small increase in global warming, just a single degree or two, can have catastrophic effects on people, animals, and the planet.
Some of these effects include:3
- Heatwaves
- Droughts
- Floods
- Severe storms and extreme weather patterns
- Food shortages
- Lack of access to water
- Sea level rise
- Wildfires
- Damage to oceans, forests and other ecosystems
In addition, global warming is predicted to negatively affect the economy.
While overall, the footprint of industrial nations has decreased over the past 10 years, the gains made are largely negated by the increase in coal burning power plants that are being built in China and other countries.
Carbon Footprint Calculation
Carbon footprint calculation can be done using two basic techniques.
You can use an online carbon emissions calculator to estimate your impact based on things like where you live, your diet, your travel, and other habits.
If you’d prefer a more tailored approach and want to know how to calculate carbon footprint manually, this link can walk you through the process.
Average Carbon Footprint
The average carbon footprint in the U.S. is 16 tons per person annually,4 compared to just 4 tons per person globally.
Take the time to consider the carbon footprint of carpet when selecting floor coverings in order to reduce your impact on the earth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carbon Footprint of Carpet
How Does Carpet Packaging Affect Its Carbon Footprint?
The carbon footprint of packaging is often overlooked when discussing emissions associated with carpet. Pay attention to how carpet is packaged when making your purchase and remember that carpet contained in heavy plastic will have a greater impact than products contained in recyclable materials like cardboard.
How Does the Carbon Footprint of Polyester Compare to the Carbon Footprint of Nylon?
The carbon footprint of polyester fabric production typically results in higher carbon emissions compared to nylon, and while it’s more affordable, it often shows signs of wear due to its lower durability.13 Nylon is typically not as stain-resistant as polyester.14
What Natural Fibers Are Used To Make Carpets Other Than Wool?
While synthetic fibers claim the lion’s share of the carpet market, sustainable natural fiber alternatives are also available. In addition to wool, some options to consider include cotton, hemp, sisal, jute and seagrass.
Learn More About Carbon Footprint of Carpet
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734 Trees: How Many You’d Have to Plant to Offset Your Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint of Polyester vs Cotton vs Wool vs Leather vs Nylon (Calculator)
Carbon Footprint of Paper vs Plastic vs Glass vs Cardboard (Calculator)
Carbon Footprint of Building Materials (Green Building Calculator)
Carbon Footprint of Electric Cars vs Gasoline (The Truth No One Admits)
References
1U.S. Department of Energy. (2023, August). EMBODIED CARBON RESOURCE NAVIGATOR. U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/83427.pdf>
2Regents of the University of Michigan. (2023). Carbon Footprint Factsheet. Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://css.umich.edu/publications/factsheets/sustainability-indicators/carbon-footprint-factsheet>
3Buis, A. (2019, June 19). A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter. NASA. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2878/a-degree-of-concern-why-global-temperatures-matter/>
4The Nature Conservancy. (2024). Calculate Your Carbon Footprint. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/>
5B.I.G. Yarns. (2024). How to calculate your carpet carbon footprint. Sustainable Yarns. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.sustainableyarns.com/en/get-inspired/how-to-calculate-your-carpet-carbon-footprint/>
6Sim, J., & Prabhu, V. V. (2017, September). The life cycle assessment of energy and carbon emissions on wool and nylon carpets in the United States. Research Gate. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320053158_The_life_cycle_assessment_of_energy_and_carbon_emissions_on_wool_and_nylon_carpets_in_the_United_States>
7United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, August 28). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle. EPA. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle>
8United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, June 14). Identifying Greener Carpet. EPA. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/identifying-greener-carpet>
9United States of Environmental Protection. (2003, November 21). Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Carpet and Personal Computers. EPA. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/pdfs/CarpetPCReport_11_21.pdf>
10Crandall, D. (2020, March 5). 5 signs it may be time to replace your carpet. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/at-home/5-signs-it-may-be-time-to-replace-your-carpet/>
11University of Wisconsin. (2014). Materials. University of Wisconsin. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://archive.sohe.wisc.edu/projects/carpet/fiber.html>
12Architecture 2030. (2020). Carbon Impact of Carpet. Carbon Smart. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.materialspalette.org/carpet/>
13Schmutz, M., Hischier, R., & Som, C. (2021, February). Factors Allowing Users to Influence the Environmental Performance of Their T-Shirt. Research Gate. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349651454_Factors_Allowing_Users_to_Influence_the_Environmental_Performance_of_Their_T-Shirt>
14Simmons, C. (2022, September 14). Comparing Nylon and Polyester Carpet Fibers. The Spruce. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from <https://www.thespruce.com/comparing-nylon-and-polyester-carpet-fiber-2908806>
15Carpet Red Tying Silk Wool Photo by Hans. (2013, April 5) / Pixabay Content License. Resized and Changed Format. Pixabay. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from <https://pixabay.com/photos/carpet-red-tying-silk-wool-100106/>