CARPET - reuse, repair, refurbish end-of-life carpet

Setting framework conditions for the textile sector

Living Lab CARPET lays down the framework conditions to make the textile sector a more sustainable, circular industry. To this end, they are investigating how reuse, repair and refurbishing can be used to extend the life of floor coverings.

Every year, about 1 700 000 m² of textile floor covering is installed in Belgium. After a lifespan of about ten years, that carpet ends up in landfill, which has a major impact on the environment and wastes valuable raw materials. And yet the quality of collected carpets often allows reuse after repair or refurbishment.

Therefore, this Living Lab lays down the framework conditions for reuse, repair and refurbishing business models. This ranges from eligible fraction to bottlenecks to be solved via ecodesign, the necessary actors, training and logistics chain, among others. Demonstrators will demonstrate the possibilities and special attention will be paid to raising awareness. These preconditions are a first step towards EPR (extended producer responsibility).

The goals of Living Lab CARPET are;

• a fully defined (logistics) value chain with the required actors,
• suitable business models, validated by the partners and stakeholders involved,
• demonstrators for reuse, repair, refurbishing,
• developed training plan for all actors in the value chain,
• strong contribution to the Flemish climate objective,
• a replicable concept, already validated for the first time, usable for other regions and consortia.

The Living Lab CARPET partnership consists of carpet producers, a waste intermunicipal organisation, tailoring companies, designers, a textile association, a textile trainer and a textile knowledge institution.