Ege CircleBack: A ground-breaking take-back concept reducing your used carpet’s end-of-life CO2 emissions by as much as 60%
In Europe, only 1-3% of carpets are recycled. The rest finds space in landfill sites or goes up in smoke. It’s time for a change and therefore, we’ve proudly introduced Ege CircleBack, a ground-breaking take-back program that aims to minimise waste by recycling and reusing your used carpet.
Example: ReForm Memory
Let’s reduce your carbon footprint
The CO2 emissions associated with the carpets’ end-of-life stage have historically constituted a significant part of their overall lifetime carbon footprint. With Ege CircleBack, we offer to take back and recycle your carpet, thus lowering its end-of-life CO2 emissions by as much as 60%. See the breakdown below.
Carbon footprint comparisons
Ege CircleBack significantly reduces the end-of-life CO2 emissions of your carpet. For example, our bestselling ReForm Memory wall-to-wall collection with woven textile backing previously had a carbon footprint of 4.06 kg per m2 at the end-of-life stage. Thanks to Ege CircleBack, this carbon footprint has decreased to just 1.35 kg per m2. This represents a 66% reduction in the carpet’s end-of-life emissions compared to end-of-life incineration without Ege CircleBack.
We recycle up to 100% of your carpet
We make all Ege CircleBack carpets from a unique combination of recyclable materials, allowing us to recycle 98-100% of the used carpet’s components. At end-of-life, an advanced separation plant shreds the carpet into smaller pieces, which are sorted into different material components. The components are transformed into high-quality resources or utilised in other useful ways to create new products and thus contributing to a circular economy. For instance, the yarn fibres are reborn into new ECONYL® yarn of which some is turned into new carpet.
How we recycle your carpet
We’re passionate about creating a better future through sustainable innovation. When you choose an Ege CircleBack carpet, you bring beauty into your space and make a conscious environmental choice. Ege CircleBack’s transparent and straightforward process makes choosing the sustainable option convenient and easy. We summarise this process in five simple steps.
1. Choose your Ege CircleBack-labelled carpet
When you purchase an Ege CircleBack carpet from one of our 10 wall-to-wall and rug collections, the carpet will bear two logos on the backing: R2R and CircleBack. These logos act as a reminder that the carpet is intentionally designed for recycling, aligning with Ege CircleBack’s mission of minimising waste by recycling and reusing your used carpet.
2. Contact us to initiate Ege CircleBack at your carpet’s end-of-life
When it’s time to recycle your carpet, simply reach out to us. We’ll guide you through the process, providing detailed instructions on how to dismantle the carpet and prepare it for collection. We’ll also provide you with a list of our trusted freight partners. Activating the CircleBack program includes a small additional cost per m2.
3. Your selected freight partner picks up your carpet
Your selected freight partner collects the carpet directly from your location and transports it to our carpet recycling centre, where the carpet is recycled and later separated into different components. The freight cost is covered by you but keep in mind that you save the cost for sending the used carpet to the landfill or incineration.
4. We shred, sort and transform into recyclable resources
The advanced separation plant shreds the carpet into smaller pieces, which are sorted into different material components. The components are transformed into high-quality resources or utilised in other useful ways to create new products and thus contributing to a circular economy. For instance, the yarn fibres are reborn into new yarn as previously illustrated.
5. When your carpet is recycled, we calculate the CO2 reduction
When we complete the carpet recycling process, we calculate the total CO2 reduction throughout the end-of-life journey. We then share this data with you, highlighting the positive environmental impact of your Ege CircleBack carpet. As part of Ege CircleBack, we offer you the option to receive a CircleBack certificate. This certificate is a formal acknowledgement of your commitment to sustainability.
The 10 Ege CircleBack collections
Ege CircleBack makes choosing the sustainable option convenient and easy. You can choose a carpet fitted with woven textile backing from 10 of our most popular collections, each made from materials that we can take back and recycle, thus significantly reducing your carpet’s carbon footprint.
By: Mette Frydensbjerg Jacobsen
