SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET: EXPOSING THE GREENWASH OF THE EUROPEAN CARPET INDUSTRY

The report examines the carpet industry in Europe, finding that despite sustainability claims, the vast majority of carpets end up in landfills or incinerators. It highlights a significant gap between the environmental commitments of leading manufacturers like Interface and Desso and their actual recycling rates, which are estimated at 1.5% and 3% respectively. The document identifies specific systemic failures in France's events sector and Germany's waste management infrastructure, and calls for immediate regulatory action, including the inclusion of carpets in the Eco-design Directive.

• The European carpet sector is failing to implement circular economy principles, with approximately 1.6 million tons of used carpets disposed of annually in Europe, mostly via landfills and incinerators.
• Actual recycling rates for carpets in Europe are estimated to be below 3%, with some of this consisting of 'down-cycling' into inferior, non-recyclable products.
• Leading EU manufacturers Interface and Desso have failed to meet their sustainability targets; Interface's end-of-life recycling rate is around 1.5% and Desso's is around 3%.
• In France, the events sector treats carpet as a disposable product, utilizing single-use carpets across approximately 1,135 annual fairs covering nearly 6 million square meters.
• Germany's waste treatment overcapacity of 2 million tonnes creates financial incentives for incineration over recycling, often misleadingly labeled as 'thermal recycling' or 'waste-to-energy'.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (n.d.). SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET: EXPOSING THE GREENWASH OF THE EUROPEAN CARPET INDUSTRY. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Swept-under-the-carpet-_web-version.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET: EXPOSING THE GREENWASH OF THE EUROPEAN CARPET INDUSTRY. n.d. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Swept-under-the-carpet-_web-version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET: EXPOSING THE GREENWASH OF THE EUROPEAN CARPET INDUSTRY |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Swept-under-the-carpet-_web-version.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundationndswept, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET: EXPOSING THE GREENWASH OF THE EUROPEAN CARPET INDUSTRY}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Swept-under-the-carpet-_web-version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }