RUG VENDORS JUMP ON "GREEN"
BANDWAGON WITH ECO-FRIENDLY
 MARKETING PROGRAMS

By Janet Herlihy

Several rug suppliers are jumping on the "Green" bandwagon with new marketing programs with an environmental message.

While there may not be a lot of consumer demand for rugs that have an eco-friendly pedigree, vendors such as Nourison, Shaw, Safavieh, Vantage and New Moon are making efforts to promote their ecological efforts.

Both man-made and natural products are involved in these marketing campaigns that let the public know these companies are working to help improve the environment.

Nourison Taos Collection Emphasizes
"Global Village" Approach

Poster for Nourison Taos Collection

 Nourison's new Taos collection is not only green in terms of materials and processes used, but is also as an example of "global village€VbCrLf thinking, a philosophy that aims to help the poorest people who produce the raw materials and make the rugs.

 "For our Taos collection, village artisans, with skills passed on through generations, use family owned herds and crops to create fine yarns,€VbCrLf said Dave Forman, marketing director for Nourison.

 "Sheep raised to produce the wool are the lifeblood of these villages, so these animals are some of the best cared for in the world. The wool is then hand woven into backings made of locally grown cotton to produce€¦area rugs,€VbCrLf Forman explained.

Nourison Taos rugs retail at approximately $999 in 5 x 8.

 Nourison is providing point of purchase materials to help retailers get the message to shoppers. A poster includes the story of wool and cotton produced in small villages where the fibers are made into yarns by hand using natural dyes and then hand knotted into rugs. The resulting industry supports the entire village. Hangtags on each rug also feature the "global village€VbCrLf message.

Safavieh  All-Natural Collections

  
 Safavieh's Bohemian Collection is hand knotted of aloe and hemp fibers blended for a soft hand and lustrous finish. Suggested retail is $499 in 6x9

Safavieh recently launched Bohemian and Organic, two collections that are hand knotted from all-natural fibers to create rugs that are "eco-friendly€VbCrLf and affordable, according to the company. The Bohemian collection of 25 styles is made of aloe and hemp fibers that are blended for "ultra-soft€VbCrLf yarns and colored with vegetable dyes.  Bohemian has a suggested retail price of $595 in 6x9.

The Organic collection, hand knotted in India of  jute fibers, includes 20 designs in cut and loop pile construction. The  suggested retail price is $499 in 6x9.

 Safavieh is giving retailers its eco-friendly message, but is not creating any POP materials, according to Arash Yaraghi, company principal, because "the appeal is the look and feel of the rugs. These rugs are so soft to the touch, they look and feel like wool.€VbCrLf

New Moon: Environmental Responsibility

Diamond pattern  is part of  New Moon's Caribe collection of flatweave soumak rugs.

New Moon is a vendor that has always made environmental and social responsibility a part of doing business. "We try to pay attention and have shifted to using all natural products. We recapture the waste water from our dyeing process and don't use chemical washes on our rugs,€VbCrLf said John Kurtz, president of New Moon.

"All our wool is washed only with soap and water, and we don't use chemical mothproofing treatments. It's as pure as a rug can get.€VbCrLf

While New Moon's environmental policies and practices are part of its company message at its website, the company doesn't market its green achievements as such.

New Moon's Caribe Collection, a group of Soumak weave rugs made of Tibetan wool, aloe or sunpat is one of the company's newest groups.  Sunpat and aloe are natural fibers that are indigenous to Nepal. "These natural fibers not only have a low impact on the environment when harvesting and preparing, but they also creates an income for the  Nepalese living in the mountains,€VbCrLf said Sara Wells, national outreach coordinator for New Moon.

The wool and sunpat Caribe rugs retail for $1,050 in 6x9, while the aloe styles retail at $1,155.

Shaw Living  Adds Rugs to Corporate
 Recycling Efforts

Shaw has been active in promoting its recyclable broadloom products for approximately a year, and recently the Shaw Living division became a part of the corporate efforts. This Summer, Shaw Living introduced Premier and Natural Expressions,  two rug collections that are part of the Shaw Green Edge cradle-to-cradle recycling program. The rugs are machine tufted of Evertouch nylon, a recyclable nylon 6 fiber.

Premiere includes five designs in three to six colors each, available in 5'x7'6€VbCrLf and 7'6€VbCrLfx10'. In styles ranging from soothing organics to bold contemporary. Suggested retail is $279 in the  5' x 7'6" size.
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Natural Expressions is Shaw Living's sisal-look rendered in soft-to-the-touch EverTouch nylon. With one pattern available in four shades, Natural Expressions is offered in 5x8 and 7'6€VbCrLf x10' sizes, with  the 5 x 8 retailing at approximately $299.

The rugs can be recycled at Shaw's Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augusta, Ga. When a consumer is ready to recycle a Premiere or Natural Expressions rug, information is available at Shaw's website, or on a label fixed to the back of each rug.

           
 "Consumer research has revealed that more than 72% of consumers are concerned about environmental issues and close to 90% have told us they want to learn more about what they can do to help,€VbCrLf said Kimberly Barta, brand manager for Shaw Living.  "With the recyclable Premiere and Natural Expressions rug collections, consumers are doing something good for the environment without sacrificing beautiful style and design.€VbCrLf

Shaw is providing POP materials in the form of a tag that ships with the rug as well as the green label on the back of each rug.

Vantage Going Organic
 

Bob Weber, president of the Coated Fiber Division of Leggett & Platt, noted that  more manufacturers were offering green products. "The buyers represented by the category are significant and growing,€VbCrLf Weber said. "We pride ourselves on technological advancement and so started working on a green product.€VbCrLf

Vantage recently introduced an Organic Polymer Pad,  a product that is made from organic (bio-based) polymers, according to Weber. "That lessens its carbon footprint,€VbCrLf he added. "It's the first phase and we hope to follow it with a patented line of others.€VbCrLf

Green rugs are ahead of the curve
 

While newspapers and television may be full of stories about global warming, the environment and ways the average American can live a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle, there is litle demand for rugs that qualify as "green,€VbCrLf say retailers.

 "No one is coming in saying, €˜I'm looking for a green rug,€VbCrLf said John Murse, owner of Rugs As Art, Sarasota, FL. "On the hand made side, most rugs have always been green in that they are made of renewable, natural fiber. Those that are made of jute, hemp and other plant fibers are even more green. But there's not a mad rush of consumers looking for them,€VbCrLf Murse said.

When shoppers look for a rug, fashion is uppermost in their minds, according to Murse. "People are still traditionalists. They're looking for color and design, the size and the price,€VbCrLf he stressed.

California consumers may be more environmentally-minded, but green isn't in demand there either, according to Gary Garcia, area rug department manager and buyer for Coles Carpet, San Diego, CA.

"There's a little bit of awareness, but no real interest,€VbCrLf Garcia said. "At this point, it's not a big deal. If it's going to take place, it would have to happen at retail . But it could happen.€VbCrLf

Advertisements that might feature green, eco-friendly products might be effective, according to both Murse and Garcia. 

Murse added, "From an advertising standpoint, it could be something to get some attention, but it's in its infancy.€VbCrLf

Garcia agreed, saying, "Maybe in an ad, you could promote "green€VbCrLf rugs. But right now, it would be a rare person who comes in and asks for a green rug.€VbCrLf

9.11.07

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