The carpet industry is proud of the fact, and rightfully so, for being the leader among all industries for their recycling efforts and sustainability initiatives. From recycling plastic bottles to make polyester carpets, recycling manufacturing waste and old carpet to be used in the manufacture of new carpet and bringing back used carpet back for the same. Also, the use of corn and soy beans to make new fibers and backing components respectively and the use of other waste materials being used as fillers in finishing and backing agents. New recycling plants are being brought on line to keep carpet from the landfills and initiatives with reclamation services firms around the country to coordinate these efforts are being solidified. Herculean efforts by the carpet industry are winning them accolades and deservedly so. A job well done and an example for all other industries to follow but are we really as green as we could be?
One sector that is blatantly obvious is being woefully overlooked in my opinion and that’s the waste in time, money and materials relative to claims and not just the claims for defective carpet products but all flooring materials. This is waste that, until we get control of it, could undermine all other commendable efforts and give the industry a black eye.
The first element it the inherent manufacturing issues with carpet, those being inadequate finishing practices that generate fuzzing and pilling complaints, aggravate consumers and infuriate retail dealers. This can be resolved with a more concerted effort to eliminate this problem, which can be more easily accomplished than not by getting filler loads in latex closer to where they should be and slowing down a tad. The second is the epidemic of wrinkling carpet and trying to blame it all on installation. If the carpet is not dimensionally stable and won’t hold a stretch, instead being elastic, causing it to be re-stretched two and three times then something is wrong with the carpet, admit it or not. That something, again, is partly due to the high filler loads and latex crumbling in the carpet backing and backing materials that have low pics. The combination of high filler loads, low pic backs, cushion that is too thick and soft all contribute to wrinkled carpet. Eventually the carpet has to be prematurely replaced and, unless the retail dealer is really in the recycling loop, he throws it in the landfill. Certainly, the installer may have something to do with this as well by not using proper techniques to install and that is also the industry’s problem to address. There is backing technology available to prevent carpets from stretching such as FreeLay, which will completely eliminate this issue and real installation training programs, like INSTALL , that address installation issues.
Next and probably the least identified as undermining the green and recycling initiatives is failed installations due to high moisture content in concrete and other substrates. Moisture causes more failures of flooring materials than anyone gives it credit for. Carpet, sheet vinyl, vinyl tile, laminate, wood and ceramic is all affected by moisture in the substrate. From high moisture levels in concrete slabs in commercial buildings to moisture under the crawl space of a home that warps wood and lifts sheet vinyl material, flooring material is wasted and again, prematurely replaced. The influence of the compromises by moisture causes millions of dollars of flooring material to be trashed that needn’t be, simply because we have not gotten serious about the moisture issue. This is on top of the waste of millions of dollars spent fighting these claims and the animosity it creates in the industry – the waste of reputation and trust.
The key to eliminating this problem is to mandate testing before installation and to persistently insist, that if testing is not done by a professional firm and a failure results due to high moisture no claims will be honored as a result. One of the biggest culprits here is Fast Track building; damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead and we’ll worry about or litigate the consequences later. This is the General Contractors and end users fault. This issue is getting out of control and it has as much to do with sustainability as using renewable resources and recycling. Until the industry gets control of this we can’t honestly say we are truly green. The industry and our planet both need all of us to work together to make this happen. What a colossal waste this issue creates; think about it.
Learn more about substrate moisture, attend our seminar being held at the end of October.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts