In the United States, 4 billion pounds (approximately 1.8 million tons) of carpet waste are generated annually. Of this enormous amount, only 5% is recycled and 6% is incinerated for energy recovery. The remaining 89% ends up in landfills. These figures highlight a significant environmental problem, as most carpet materials are not biodegradable and therefore remain in landfills long-term. The low recycling rate indicates considerable potential for improved circular economy practices in the carpet industry.1
Despite the fact that most carpet face fibers are technically recyclable, the way carpets are constructed has historically locked them out of the circular economy.
For decades, latex-based backings have been the standard in carpet production. While effective at binding fibers, latex creates a complex, inseparable composite. Once combined with pile fibers, the materials are bound together permanently. The result: carpets that perform well during use, but are destined to become waste at the end of their life. This model is increasingly untenable. Policymakers are raising the stakes with Europe's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles, mandating separate collection of textile waste by 2025. At the same time, consumers and property developers are scrutinizing not just the look and feel of flooring, but its carbon footprint and recyclability. The flooring market, valued in the hundreds of billions globally, is at an inflection point.
Hard surface growth vs. carpet's staying power
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) dominates design trends, but carpets remain essential in homes, offices, and commercial spaces. Over the past two decades, carpets have steadily lost market share to hard surface alternatives, most notably Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT). LVT has captivated designers and contractors with its durability, ease of installation, and uncanny resemblance to wood and stone. Globally, it accounts for a significant share of new flooring installations.
Yet carpets are far from obsolete. In residential markets, particularly in bedrooms and living areas, consumers continue to prefer carpets for their warmth, comfort, and acoustic properties. In commercial spaces, carpet tiles have become the dominant modular flooring option, accounting for around 44% of modular revenues. Carpet's resilience lies in its versatility and its ability to adapt to design trends. What has held the category back is its environmental baggage, and this is where innovation is beginning to change the story.
Hot-melt coating: 80% less energy, zero wastewater
Compared to traditional latex coating, hot-melt technology offers significant environmental benefits. The manufacturing process with hot-melt coatings consumes up to 80% less energy2 and generates no wastewater, as it doesn't require the drying and vulcanization processes necessary with latex. This efficiency gain results from the fundamentally different coating process itself. Hot-melt coatings are applied in a molten state and harden through cooling, while latex systems require energy-intensive drying and curing processes with high water consumption. This shift to hot-melt technology represents a significant step toward reducing the ecological footprint in carpet production, regardless of the material composition of the end product.
Real-world proof: tiles, turf, and aviation
The potential for recyclable carpets is not confined to residential or office interiors. Mono-material design specifically for PP and PET carpets allows for their downcycling into less performance-demanding items like flowerpots or waste bins, marking a first step toward circularity. This becomes more challenging when using different raw materials in carpet construction. A particular advantage of PET-based carpets lies in the possibility to depolymerize and subsequently repolymerize the material through chemical processes, achieving a closed material loop with virgin-quality material.
Carpet tiles, the workhorse of the commercial sector, are now being designed for cradle-to-cradle loops. For carpets with multiple components, such as those using Polyamide 6 yarn or natural fibers like wool, the recycling process developed by the Fraunhofer IVV and patented by Clariant for floor coverings guarantees pure recovery of the raw materials used, regardless of their composition, solving a critical barrier to true circularity.
