Conclusions

Carpet Life Cycle

In the manufacturing phase, carpet is made from nylon, polypropylene or polyester, which are petroleum fibers that increase greenhouse gas emissions.  In the United States, 45% of the world's carpet is produced there.  Most of this production takes place in Georgia (especially Dalton, Georgia where 80% of the carpet in the US comes from an 85 mile radius from Dalton).  Trucks are the main form of transportation of carpet, which uses the valuable/expensive resource of gasoline.  Cork and bamboo are heavier, so the transportation of the product costs more.  Carpet is lighter and uses less fuel.  Other types of carpet like wool have to be imported from overseas, so the traveling costs are more expensive.  If the installation process of the carpet is done right, the carpet can last longer.  The disposal of carpet is a sad one, which results in the old carpet mainly being thrown into landfills.  This is because only certain types of carpets can be recycled.

The chart shows the life cycle cost for carpet and tiles in a school setting.  So overall carpet may be cheaper in the long run, but it isn't healthy.  There are a variety of particles that get stuck in carpet, and no vacuum can get out 100% of the dirt in carpets.

Carpet greatly affects the indoor air quality for the people within.  It's the most dangerous of all flooring types, and it's within 60% of US homes.  The chemicals used to make carpet last longer are hazardous, and some are even known carcinogens.  Off-gassing is a regular process for carpet when it is heated up from the sun.


As mentioned before certain carpets can be recycled, but even today over 4.7 billion tons of carpet are thrown into our landfills.  Only about 3.8% of that was recycled.  The only safe type of flooring is hard surfaces.  These healthy alternatives include bamboo, linoleum, ceramic tiles, concrete, cork, and certified wood flooring.  These are healthy but some are not in the cost category.

As you can see from the charts, the initial costs of the healthier flooring are rather high, yet over time the maintenance can still be a burden.  Yet linoleum is one of the cheapest initially and over time.  


Linoleum is made from natural materials that can bio-degrade over time, or even be recycled.  These materials include natural resins, jute, color pigments, cork powder, linseed oil, limestone, and wood powder.  Even the process of manufacturing linoleum isn't too intense, and doesn't have to be done at a variety of locations like with carpet.

Linoleum is a product that contains many great attributes.  These include that it is wear and slip resistant, and also anti-static.  The average life spam of linoleum is around 20 years.  It is easy to install, clean, and maintain.  So the cost over time won't hurt your wallet.  It is a thermal insulator and fire retardant.  Lastly, linoleum is a very hygienic flooring type, which makes it healthy for any setting.   

As said before, disposing of linoleum tiles is a healthy one.  The tiles themselves bio-degrade over time.  So the natural materials in the linoleum can be returned back to the environment.  Also, the degrading process of the tiles gives off carbon, which helps to feed a variety of fungi types.  Lastly, the tiles can be recycled back into new linoleum tiles.  Even the scrap pieces of linoleum from production can be recycled back into the flooring.

So my conclusion is that linoleum is a very safe flooring type that should be used all around to ensure the health of us.