Sorry to pull the rug out from underneath you but that thing you’re standing on might be ruining what we’re all standing on.
Comfy rugs may feel nice to the touch but their footprint is anything but soft on the planet. Let’s replace those planet-killing Persians with the most sustainable rugs around.
Most rugs today are made with nylon and polypropylene. These types of plastics are economical, versatile and moisture-resistant but they can be potentially toxic, especially when kept inside.
Polypropylene can release chemical compounds that impact air quality. These are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which can become harmful to our health if we’re exposed to them over time.
These eco-friendly rug brands make non-toxic rugs out of recycled or recyclable materials to bring cozy comfort to your healthy and planet-friendly home.
As we refresh our articles in the coming months, we’ll be adding our new Brand Rating System to help identify the 22 criteria we look for in an ethical homeware brand. To learn more about this new system, take a look at our explainer here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Rug Roll Please….For The Best Eco-Friendly Rugs
If you’re done tip-toe-ing around toxins, rugs like Cold Picnic’s colorful range will brighten your home and spirits.
Parachute is out to save the day with elegant and neutral rugs for your living room delivered carbon neutral.
In addition to zero-waste production, Lorena Canals makes the first-ever washable sustainable wool rugs. And we can report that both our toddler and dog give their thumbs up after many hours of testing one of these.
Index: Sustainable Rug Companies
- Lorena Canals Jump to brand
- Boutique Rugs Jump to brand
- Parachute Jump to brand
- Cold Picnic Jump to brand
- Burrow Jump to brand
- Loomy Jump to brand
- Fhygge Jump to brand
- Made Trade Jump to brand
- Fab Habitat Jump to brand
Lorena Canals
About Lorena Canals
Price Range: $99–$995
Woman-owned Lorena Canals is the carpet connoisseur of rectangular, round, runner, and silhouette eco rugs in various colors for any space, indoor or outdoor.
Because our decor and lounge are one of many themes and colors, we opted for their Woolable Rug Autumn Breeze. The minimalist color palette of sandstone and almond frost provided an understated complement.
We can’t help taking off our shoes just to feel the soft wool beneath our feet. Admittedly, we’ve had many a night just lounging on the rug with our dog (picture above!).
Their range also includes unique interactive play rugs, the Path of Nature being our favorite design. It has provided a creative platform for our toddler for hours on end.
He uses a variety of toys and props that interact with the dynamic peaks and troughs bringing the landscape to life. It strikes the right balance between enough visual stimuli while still allowing him to use his own imagination to fill in the details.
Lorena Canals’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Pure cotton, recycled cotton, and ethical wool make up the material trifecta. The most sustainable cotton rugs are those in their RugCycled ® line, made of upcycled production scraps.
The cotton features eco-friendly dyes while the Woolable wool rugs are undyed and get their color from the natural coats of different sheep.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Products are handmade by a team of mostly women artisans based in India in an ISO9001, 14001, and 18001-certified factory.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Rugs come packaged in a cotton tote bag and after launching the scrap-upcycling RugCycled® rug collection, Lorena Canals rugs became zero-waste. This saves 90% of the water typically used in production, though they also employ water recycling methods.
Community & charitable giving:
The Sakûla Project is Lorena Canals’ charitable arm, which builds nurseries for underprivileged children in northern India. These nurseries provide safe spaces, free meals, and education. This project also donates funding to an Indian public school.
Boutique Rugs
About Boutique Rugs
Price Range: $87–$7,099
In addition to light fixtures, throws, pouffes, and decor, Boutique Rugs offer a selection of rugs. Shop by color, size, material, or style—farmhouse to mid-century modern—but not all are eco-friendly.
Boutique Rugs’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
In addition to recycled rugs made from PET, they have ones made of 100% jute or wool. Others blend traditional cotton, viscose, and virgin polyester or polypropylene.
The leather, hide, and silk rugs do not specify the ethical conditions or manufacturing practices behind these materials. None of Boutique Rug’s rugs contain chemicals considered harmful to humans or pets.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Each product description states where it’s made, predominantly in India and Argentina. We’re not sure what (if any) ethical protections are in place in these factories and have yet to receive a response from Boutique Rugs.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Each description also states whether it was made by machine or knotted, tufted, or woven by hand. Some rugs are machine washable and none come with an incorporated non-stick bottom, making these 100% natural material rugs compostable.
Parachute
About Parachute
Price Range: $129–$1,799
Toxic home textiles got you (falling) down? Parachute can remedy that. All their decor and home textiles—everything from non-toxic shower curtains to wool rugs available in earthy tones and soft neutrals.—are OEKO-TEX certified non-toxic.
Parachute’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Parachute uses non-mulesed New Zealand wool and cotton, with hand-braided jute rugs for outdoor and high-traffic areas. For a non-slip grip, pair any of these natural rugs with an eco-friendly rug pad made of 100% recycled fabrics and natural latex backing.
Supply chain & labor practices:
These rugs are made in a Fair Trade Certified factory in Panipat, India that provides educational programs for employees’ children. Many are also Craftmark certified, identifying rugs handmade by traditional artisans.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Sample swatches mean you can try before you buy. However, if you do need to return one it’ll be sent back (as it was sent to you) via carbon-neutral shipping. Rugs are made using partially renewable energy and shipped in 80% recycled mailers.
Community & charitable giving:
Parachute is involved in the UN’s Nothing but Nets and runs the Home For Dreams Initiative, a training and grant program dedicated to uplifting black-owned businesses.
Cold Picnic
About Cold Picnic
Price Range: $150–$1,950
Despite its name, Cold Picnic will warm your home with a welcoming collection of blankets, pillows, and natural rugs. From doormats to eco-friendly oval rugs, you’ll find all shapes and sizes in a huge selection of abstract prints and bright colors.
Cold Picnic’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Cold Picnic’s eco-friendly rugs are mostly made of either 100% TEX New Zealand wool or bamboo silk, both with cotton backing.
They offer more durable sustainable rugs made of 100% hemp to use as eco-friendly patio rugs, and bath rugs made of 100% organic cotton. All yarn is dyed in small batches using sustainable dyes and finished without toxic chemicals or flame retardants.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All rugs are hand-tufted in a GoodWeave and Care & Fair (C&F) certified factory in India, both of which require transparency ensuring no child labor, forced labor, or bonded labor. Their bath mats are made in India at a small, SA8000, GOTS, and GRS-accredited facility.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Their Indian eco rug factory runs entirely on solar energy, including the weaving machines. They reuse plastic wrapping and tubing used to protect the rugs during transport and are slowly switching to locally sourced compostable bags.
Community & charitable giving:
In addition to their Indian rug factory fully funding a local school for 140 children, Cold Picnic’s rugs fund an extensive list of nonprofits. Most recently, they sponsored a contest for Black design students to create a capsule collection of blankets. The three winners will receive 100% of the profits.
Burrow
About Burrow
Price Range: $195–$895
Burrow’s area rugs are nothing to shake a stick at either. Between fashion-forward geometric patterns to classic gray speckles, you’ll find your feng shui no matter the room.
Burrow’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
With Burrow, you get eco-friendly sofas and rugs made from natural fibers or recycled materials. The 100% wool Empire Rug and low-maintenance 100% recycled polyester Earl Grey Rugs are their most sustainable rugs. For eco-friendly baby rugs, the soft Ridge Rug is baby skin-friendly and made of wool and viscose.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Burrow ensures affordable sustainable rugs by eliminating expensive middlemen and shares how these prices compare with other brands. Many products are made in the USA, but we’re not sure if the rugs are included.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
For couches, Burrow uses FSC-certified wood suppliers who are members of the American Tree Farm System and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. They’re committed to making durable products that won’t end up in landfills.
Loomy
About Loomy
Price Range: $348–$10,500
Enabling consumers to buy directly from the artisans themselves, Loomy is “the right way to rug”.
Whether you’re in need of pet-friendly eco-friendly runner rugs or decorative eco-friendly rugs for your kitchen, Loomy offers an environmentally dedicated range. They also offer custom options and complimentary rug styling.
Loomy’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Loomy’s environmentally-friendly rugs feature ethically sourced New Zealand wool, jute, cotton, hemp, and banana silk—all OEKO-TEX-certified, colored with low-impact dyes, and biodegradable. Some exceptions include eco-friendly outdoor rugs made from recycled plastic water bottles.
Supply chain & labor practices:
From “loom to room” the brand is backed up by a transparent supply chain across the indigenous community of weavers.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
More than 2% of American landfills are made up of rugs. Loomy hopes theirs don’t, prioritizing small-batch handcrafting.
Fhygge
About Fhygge
Price Range: $85–$900
Fhygge is a portmanteau of the Danish coziness concept “Hygge” and the Taoist harmonious space concept “Feng”. Aside from the name, this defines their values.
In addition to lighting, prints, decor, and vintage decorative cushions, this female-founded brand makes organic rugs in the form of entry rugs, eco-friendly runner rugs, full-size tapestry rugs, and custom sustainable rugs.
Fhygge’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Choose between sustainable lifestyle rugs made from either jute, hemp, or a blend of wool and cotton, minimally colored with vegetable-based non-toxic dyes. They also offer a PVC vinyl rug mat but since PVC is a type of plastic we don’t want in the house, we wouldn’t recommend this.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Fhygge is based in Barcelona, Spain, but they have not confirmed with us where their rugs are made or their wool-sourcing policies.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Etsy orders will be delivered via carbon offset shipping.
Made Trade
About Made Trade
Price Range: $55–$4,950
As far as sustainable homeware stores go, woman-owned Made Trade is one of the best. They curate rugs from the best of the best brands (i.e. heritage, made in the USA, vegan, fair trade and more).
Their selection of beautiful organic and ethical rugs guarantees you’ll find the right color, design, size, and shape to go in any room. They also make eco-friendly pillows, furniture and bath accessories.
Made Trade’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The fabric selection is just as diverse as the rugs themselves, with materials like jute, traditional/organic cotton, and wool. That said, not every rug is equally sustainable, so be sure to read the description.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Made Trade shares where each product has been made and by whom. The brands Kiliim and Mumo Toronto’s rugs are made in Egypt, for example.
You’ll see many made using traditional techniques, associated with direct trade or fair trade programs, and/or certified by GoodWeave.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Made Trade is Carbon Neutral and offsets all shipping emissions.
Community & charitable giving:
They’re a member of 1% for the Planet.
Fab Habitat
About Fab Habitat
Price Range: $62–$650
Fab Habitat is a family-owned rug brand blending high style with low prices. Their range includes affordable eco-friendly rugs, doormats, and hammocks.
Fab Habitat’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
For inside, choose between jute rugs, jute/wool rugs, or recycled cotton rugs (sourced from cut-offs, scraps, and leftovers from the textile industry). The eco-friendly patio rugs and doormats are made from otherwise discarded coconut husk coir.
A waterproof and stain-resistant recycled polypropylene makes up their outdoor recycled material rugs—repurposing 279 containers per 5’x8’ rug!
Supply chain & labor practices:
These handwoven rugs are crafted in India under GoodWeave certified and fair trade adhering practices that ensure safe and voluntary working conditions.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
In addition to being reversible (two rugs in one!), they’re also pet-friendly, machine-washable, and resistant to UV damage, mould, and mildew.
When they do wear out, all rugs except the outdoor ones are fully compostable. No wonder they were awarded the SustainAbility Award by the New York International Gift Fair.
Community & charitable giving:
As a supporter of the Navjeevan Society, Fab Habitat helps better the lives of individuals with special needs in India.
