Green carpet treatment: Castle Carpets 

We persuaded Castle Carpets, based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to join Sustainable Leaders in Business. They’re a long established, family run, carpet and flooring retailer. I confess that I get my flooring from here and one of the best experiences is going into the shop and pondering over the huge selection of flooring styles, colours, patterns, and materials. 

When “Sustainability” was mentioned there was a bit of scepticism as they didn’t think their business could do anything different. They said the shop was small, they didn’t have much in the way of heating, or air conditioning. They deliver carpets in their van and fit them in situ.  How could they make a difference? 

Step 1- Environmental Legislation Review

This was our time to change their minds. They signed into Sustainable Leaders in Business and began with Step 1, answering questions about their business and business activities.  Compliance with the law is the absolute minimum any business should be doing.  Surprisingly, there are many businesses that do not know what laws apply to them for example, how to dispose of waste, responsibilities around packaging passed onto customers, or laws relating to the use of air conditioning. 

“We found Step 1 to be really simple and easy to follow. The questions were relatable to our business even though we had doubts about being able to become more sustainable, as we thought we were doing it all already. It was informative and helped us to realise what we do in our everyday work life can affect our businesses impact on the environment, even small things like the disposal of batteries and the packaging our products come in. After answering the questions, we found it extremely helpful to have our report back which included all the environmental laws that apply to our company in a controlled organised space, with easy access to scan over and familiarise ourselves with.” – Jake Marks (co-owner at Castle Carpets)

Step 2- Sustainable Goal Setting

Then onto Step 2 – setting some goals to complete in the next year.  The Castle Carpets team went through a series of questions such as “Is your printer set to print double sided?” or “Are you supplied by renewable energy?”.   Deciding what to change first is daunting.  Goals help you focus but then, how do you go about doing them?   

“We found step 2 was great with helping us to understand what short term goals we can work towards in the next year to make our business even more eco-friendly. The questions can apply to any company, even a small family owned one like ours. We have five employees and one company vehicle, we work hard to car share, cycle or walk to calls when able to, and our newest achievement since joining is ways to reuse our waste products, we began advertising our offcuts and oddments in our shop to the public for a small price, they can be used for anything from door mats, dog beds, a way to spice up your cars footwells/boot or even insulate your tents when off camping! It’s not only reduced the amount of waste we usually get but also encouraged more customers to come in. We are working towards reducing the amount of heating we use during these cold months and looking into getting double glazed windows to try to keep the heat in more efficiently to avoid wasting energy and increasing our carbon footprint. We’re also working towards reducing the amount of paper we use in our shop, in regard to bills, job sheets, receipts and work diaries. Not only would it be great to reduce the amount of paper usage but also handier to have online!” – Jake Marks

Outcomes

Castle Carpets sceptical start has been replaced with some fantastic positive changes including understanding sustainability and environmental credentials of their products, so they can better inform customers about eco-friendly flooring.  

“When we are asked to remove waste from a job site, we will try to salvage as much product as possible to be reutilised in multiple different ways. If their old carpets aren’t able to be reutilised, they will be carefully organised and sent to ‘Cartwright skips’ to be recycled into things like, insulation, sport pitches or even car parts. Though it’s a lengthy process, it can be worth it! We also try to keep customers informed on the process of how their carpets have been made before they purchase, as well as where they’re made. All our providers are UK-based and Fair trade who take pride in their sustainable journey too.” – Jake Marks  

Following our interaction with Castle Carpets we’ve embarked on research into how old carpets can be recycled or reused. Currently we are experimenting with natural fibre (wool) carpets as a growing media for plants. Wool contains high levels of nitrogen reducing the need for fertilisers.  See our results so far (picture).  We planted a box of mixed bee and butterfly friendly seeds on a thin layer of compost on top of the carpet.  If it works, we will use the carpet to make a roof garden.   

We have enjoyed working with Castle Carpets and gained an insight into the carpet industry.  Additionally, we are glad that Castle Carpets gained a good understanding about sustainability through their supply chain and are better equipped to deal with and that it is relevant to all businesses.  

Even a small business has the power to make positive change.