Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to the questions we receive the most about Ecorugs.
If we missed anything, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
Polyester
1. Why aren’t you using natural fibres like cotton as they are better for the planet?
A fibre’s impact on the planet is not just about where it comes from, but also how it’s produced and what happens to it at the end of life. In fact, the way a fibre is made and what happens to at end of life has more impact than whether it is natural or not. For instance, while it’s considered a natural fibre, regular cotton has a big environmental impact because of soil degradation and water usage. You can learn more about this thanks to the World Wildlife Fund and it should be noted that organic cotton is considered to have a lower impact on the environment than regular cotton production.
The main advantage of choosing polyester for Ecorugs is its recyclability. Firstly, you cannot create a mono-material product with natural fibres – it’s important to think about the whole of the product, even down to the label. With polyester, we can make everything from a single material so that it is much easier to recycle. Secondly, polyester doesn’t degrade during the recycling process, so it can be used again and again to make new Ecorugs, rather than having to downcycle it into another product.
It’s also worth noting that polyester has better resistance to wear than natural fibers – our own tests show cotton wears three times as fast – so it provides a longer life for every new rug. Making sure Ecorugs are around for as long as possible in the first place is a great way to minimise the impacts that come with recycling.
The main advantage of choosing polyester for Ecorugs is its recyclability. Firstly, you cannot create a mono-material product with natural fibres – it’s important to think about the whole of the product, even down to the label. With polyester, we can make everything from a single material so that it is much easier to recycle. Secondly, polyester doesn’t degrade during the recycling process, so it can be used again and again to make new Ecorugs, rather than having to downcycle it into another product.
It’s also worth noting that polyester has better resistance to wear than natural fibers – our own tests show cotton wears three times as fast – so it provides a longer life for every new rug. Making sure Ecorugs are around for as long as possible in the first place is a great way to minimise the impacts that come with recycling.
2. Aren’t there better bio-based alternatives, like fibres made from sugarcane?
While there are bio-based fibres that can be used for rug production, they are not widely available in the quantities we require and come with a hefty price tag that puts sustainable choice further away from most of our customers. Also, these bio-based fibres simply don’t have the same properties as polyester when to comes to durability and recyclability. Admittedly, they are biodegradable, but take many decades to breakdown without chemical accelerants.
3. Do you use a special type of polyester that is easier to recycle?
All types of polyester are equally recyclable, so we’ve put our time and effort into the development of the rug and the recycling processes needed to make a circularity more achievable. Research and development focused heavily on making the entire rug from polyester – yarn, latex, bindings and labels – so that not one part has to be separated out or recycled in a different way. This makes take back and recycling much easier. We’ve also worked to ensure that the switch to polyester hasn’t detracted from the aesthetic quality of our rugs, something that Louis de Poortere is famous for.
Recycling
4. Doesn’t it take a lot of energy to recycle polyester?
It is unquestionable that recycling any product takes energy, but the processes used in recycling polyester are much less hungry than those used to make new polyester. Plus, we recycle in Europe where there’s the possibility to use green energy to power recycling.
The main advantage of choosing polyester for Ecorugs is its recyclability. Firstly, you cannot create a mono-material product with natural fibres – it’s important to think about the whole of the product, even down to the label. With polyester, we can make everything from a single material so that it is much easier to recycle. Secondly, polyester doesn’t degrade during the recycling process, so it can be used again and again to make new Ecorugs, rather than having to downcycle it into another product.
It’s also worth noting that polyester has better resistance to wear than wool and cotton – our own tests show cotton wears three times as fast – so it provides a longer life for every new rug. Making sure Ecorugs are around for as long as possible in the first place is a great way to minimise the impacts that come with recycling.
The main advantage of choosing polyester for Ecorugs is its recyclability. Firstly, you cannot create a mono-material product with natural fibres – it’s important to think about the whole of the product, even down to the label. With polyester, we can make everything from a single material so that it is much easier to recycle. Secondly, polyester doesn’t degrade during the recycling process, so it can be used again and again to make new Ecorugs, rather than having to downcycle it into another product.
It’s also worth noting that polyester has better resistance to wear than wool and cotton – our own tests show cotton wears three times as fast – so it provides a longer life for every new rug. Making sure Ecorugs are around for as long as possible in the first place is a great way to minimise the impacts that come with recycling.
5. Doesn’t recycling reduce the quality of the material?
One of the main reasons we chose polyester for the circular model behind Ecorugs is that it doesn’t degrade significantly with recycling. This means we can avoid downcycling and recycle Ecorugs back into new products without any loss of quality in design or performance. Over time, the viscosity of the polyester can be affected by recycling but the technology exists to restore any lost viscosity. The recycling partners we work with have adopted this and so polyester becomes limitlessly recyclable.
6. Why don’t you recycle polyester at your factory?
As you would expect, recycling polyester efficiently is a complex process and requires a huge amount of specialist expertise. We’ve partnered with Europe’s best polyester recyclers for Ecorugs to ensure that we can recycle as efficiently as possible through our Take Care programme. However, we do carry out the sorting required for Take Care in our factory, deciding on which products can be reused and resold and what is ready to be recycled. This is an important step, as re-use is by far the best way to reduce impact because it requires little to no energy use.
Of course, as we progress in the Ecorugs story and the volume of recycled material increases, we will look to internalise recycling. At the moment, the goal is to work with customers through our Take Care programme to create the volume of recycled content needed.
Of course, as we progress in the Ecorugs story and the volume of recycled material increases, we will look to internalise recycling. At the moment, the goal is to work with customers through our Take Care programme to create the volume of recycled content needed.
Carbon Emissions
7. Do you know the carbon emissions for the lifetime of my Ecorug?
We only want to provide you with verified information on carbon emissions relating to Ecorugs. As the collection is so new, we’re currently undergoing an independently verified life cycle analysis (LCA) so we can report the emissions of production, transportation and recycling accurately.
While waiting the results of this independent analysis, we conducted our own analysis using the LCA calculator of ADEME. You can find the results here. Please note this is a LCA we performed in our own with a free database.
While waiting the results of this independent analysis, we conducted our own analysis using the LCA calculator of ADEME. You can find the results here. Please note this is a LCA we performed in our own with a free database.
8. What are the carbon emissions to recycle an average size Ecorug?
We only want to provide you with verified information on carbon emissions relating to Ecorugs. As the collection is so new, we’re currently undergoing an independently verified life cycle analysis (LCA) so we can report the emissions of production, transportation and recycling accurately.
While waiting the results of this independent analysis, we conducted our own analysis using the LCA calculator of ADEME. You can find the results here. Please note this is a LCA we performed in our own with a free database.
While waiting the results of this independent analysis, we conducted our own analysis using the LCA calculator of ADEME. You can find the results here. Please note this is a LCA we performed in our own with a free database.
9. Can you estimate the lifetime carbon emissions of an Ecorug made from 100% recycled polyester?
Until 2025 and further life cycle analysis of products made entirely from recycled polyester, we cannot get an accurate calculation for the lifetime carbon emissions of 100% recycled polyester Ecorugs. However, based on our current 20% recycled 80% virgin polyester mix, we’ve carried out initial internal research using the LCA calculator of ADEME and have estimated CO2 emissions to be 50% less than that of cotton over a three-year product cycle.
