RUGS-DIRECT INTRODUCES
ECO-FRIENDLY RUG DEPARTMENT

WINCHESTER, VA.-- Rugs Direct, the  multi-channel rug retailer, has added an eco-friendly department to its website, www.rugs-direct.com.

“Rugs Direct currently offers more than 4,500 area rugs that have been classified as eco-friendly,” noted David Craig, chief executive officer. “And we will increase that number as more and more manufacturers realize the importance of creating products that don’t harm our environment.”

 

Consumers looking for eco-friendly rugs can click on the Eco-Friendly graphic on the opening page of the website. The same graphic is used in the details page of each rug in the category. The company has also launched an e-mail campaign telling consumers of the availability of these rugs.

 

Retail prices on the Eco-Friendly rugs range from $200 to $10,000 for 6x9 size. Some of the vendors providing rugs in this category include Momeni, Shaw, KAS, Nejad Rugs, Surya and Nourison.

 

Randy Kremer, president of Rugs Direct, noted that there are three criteria to consider when  evaluating how environmentally neutral a textile product is:

1. Renewability. A renewable resource can be replenished in a relatively short period of time as opposed to centuries or millennia, such as oil or natural gas.
2. The ecological footprint of the resource. It's important to consider the amount of land and water necessary to develop the renewable resource to full or usable growth.
3. The amount of chemicals or other potentially damaging products used to grow or process the material.

Another important consideration in determining a  rug's eco-friendliness is how easy it is to recycle the discarded product and whether or not its fiber content is biodegradable, said Bill Martin, Rug Direct's executive vice president and chief merchandising officer.

"Several of our top manufacturers – most notably Shaw and Nourison – have developed excellent programs for keeping rugs out of landfills and taking advantage of recycled materials to produce new products,”  said Martin.

Kremer and Martin discussed several commonly used rug fibers and their impact on the environment.

 

"Wool is not only one of the best materials from which to make beautiful, durable area rugs but it is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics on the planet," Martin stressed. "Sheep grow wool continuously.  It is readily available and affordable."

 

Kremer also pointed out that most of the less eco-friendly processes for bleaching and dyeing wool are rapidly being replaced with ones that cause no adverse or long-term effects to the environment.

Bamboo is another eco-friendly fiber for rugs, according to the executives. It is a rapidly-growing, highly renewable grass that has natural antibacterial properties. Bamboo has a small ecological footprint and its fibers are completely biodegradable.

Other plants from which area rugs fibers are made include jute, sisal, seagrass, coir, cotton and mountain grass. They require  little  pesticides or fertilizers to achieve full, healthy growth. In addition, these botanical resources can be replenished quickly and are almost completely biodegradable.
 

Rugs Direct is a multi-channel retailer that  offers over 60,000 products through its e-commerce website, catalogs and retail stores.

05.02.08

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