The beauty of a never-ending story
The biggest issue in the carpet industry is waste and this challenge has two main issues: there’s no overall return system for carpets and there’s a lack of technological solutions to separate and recycle used carpets. We work together with partners to find solutions to these issues.
Ege CircleBack is a step forward
Ege Carpets have launched a take-back system in a step towards solving the carpet waste issue. The system ensures used carpets go to our recycling partners who separate and recycle up to 98-100% of the carpet components.
Designed to be taken apart and recycled
Today, our carpets are highly complex products with more than 200 constituent substances glued together. We invest in the development of new products and techniques which ensures that the carpets are easier to separate and can be reused, recycled or composted.
Recycling all that’s recyclable
We’re recycling tonnes of yarn, cardboard cones, carpet offcuts, packaging and pallets to make sure as much as possible is reused and as little as possible is wasted.
We've changed the recipe in selected collections to ease separation of the carpet materials after use. And we've strengthened our partnership with the supplier of ECONYL® yarn; ensuring a unique agreement that they'll take back our carpets and recycle them.
Raw materials are delivered on pallets wrapped in plastic foil. All the plastic foil is collected and sold to a Danish packaging manufacturer and recycled into new plastic packaging.
Over 5,500 disposable pallets are reused every year. We receive raw materials on disposable pallets, but instead of discarding them, we work with companies that recycle the pallets whenever possible and use them for biofuel.
47 tonnes of cardboard cones and 153 tonnes of yarn are recycled every year. All of our production facilities send used cardboard cones containing leftover yarn for recycling to Ege Go2Work – a special production line for employees with mental and physical challenges. The production line unwinds the residual yarn and sends both yarn and cones for recycling.
Our carpet off-cuts are reused in riding arenas and sports gear. So far, we’ve managed to ensure the reuse or recycling of 30% of our total waste volume, while 65% is sent for thermal recycling. The aim is for all our waste to be reused, recycled or composted by 2030.
Every year, we send yarn waste from our yarn factory to Belgium, where it’s 100% recycled. In 2022, we sold 34 tonnes of carding waste to a furniture company in the area.
By 2030, we want to better at turning waste into resources
By 2030, we want to be 100% Cradle to Cradle Platinum Certified®
By 2030, we want to close the loop and bring down CO2 emissions
By 2030, we want all our waste and carpets to be recycled
