Earth Weave’s Catskill Collection Rugs are non-toxic, super-soft and luxurious. Made with natural, organically dyed wool, these area rugs are available in six light and dark earth tones including Heron, Palomino, Otter, Brindle, Barred Owl & Seal. They are available in 4’x6′, 6’x9′, 8’x10′ and 10’x12′ sizes as well as custom sizes.
Earth Weave
Highlights: Super sustainable, non-toxic rugs made with natural materials in the US.
Table of Contents
- Super-soft and luxurious
- Made without any hazardous ingredients
- May help purify indoor air by trapping contaminants, allergens, and dust
- Custom-made, so not returnable,
- Can take up to 4 weeks to arrive after ordering
- Natural variations in texture and colors
- Expensive
At a glance:
Made in: America (using UK-sourced materials)
Materials: Wool, industrial hemp, cotton, natural rubber latex and jute
Certifications: LEED® Qualifications: Indoor Environmental Quality/4.3 Low-Emitting Materials/Flooring Systems: 1 point, Indoor Environmental Quality/5 Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control: 1 point, Materials & Resources/4 Recycled Content: 1 to 2 points, Materials & Resources/6 Rapidly Renewable Materials: 1 point
Overview
The Catskill rugs from Earth Weave are much higher quality than most natural fiber rugs currently available. They’re also thicker than the McKinley, Pyrenees, and Dolomite collections from Earth Weave.
The Catskill rugs have a 65 oz. pile weight and will likely last a lot longer than most other rugs, making them particularly eco-friendly. And, when it does come time to dispose of them, these rugs are 100% biodegradable.
All of Earth Weave’s area rugs are made without any hazardous ingredients. This means no:
- Toxic dyes
- Moth protection
- Chemical stain protection
- Synthetic latex adhesives (styrene butadiene)
- Formaldehyde in the backing or elsewhere
- Synthetic anything.
Earth Weave uses 100% pure virgin wool from Europe to make its rugs. The primary backing is made from natural hemp and cotton, bound to the yarn with all-natural rubber. The secondary backing is made of jute. Together, the backings help prevent the rug from sliding around.
Because Earth Weave rugs are naturally fire-resistant, they’re often used on military jets, submarines, boats, and so forth.
See our full roundup of eco-friendly rugs here.
Non-toxic and sustainably made
Earth Weave developed its own system for coloring wool with an organic dye process called OrganoSoftColor™ that uses only safe ingredients. This means that its offers a wider variety of colors without off-gassing of harmful chemicals. Indeed, these rugs may even help purify the air in your home by trapping air contaminants, allergens and dust.
Earth Weave rugs are pretty much as eco-friendly as you can get. They are made with completely renewable resources, are more durable and cleanable than rugs made with nylon, polypropylene and olefin, and are naturally fire resistant without chemicals. They are also excellent at absorbing sound and insulating a space to make it feel cozy while also reducing your heating bill.
Earth Weave use British Wool from free-range sheep, meaning that the wool is hardy and high quality.
Earth Weave rugs are LEED qualified (MR Credit 4.1, 4.2: Recycled content, 5.1, 5.2: Regional Materials, 6: Rapidly renewable materials, EQ 4.3: Low-emitting materials). This means that they can contribute towards a building’s LEED certification (products themselves cannot be LEED certified).
What is Earth Weave?
Earth Weave is a carpet mill that makes all of its own Bio-floor carpet in the USA. The company began in 1996 and was the first carpet manufacturer to use only natural materials such as industrial hemp and natural latex. Unlike most carpet manufacturers that use toxic dyes, moth-proofing and stain protection, Earth Weave uses nothing synthetic in the face yarns, backing or adhesive.
Even companies that claim their wool is untreated often turn out to have used mothproofing chemicals. (Through personal communications, the owner of Hook and Loom – one of our top choices for rugs – confirmed that its wool rugs are not treated with mothproofing chemicals.)
Earth Weave also offers a natural rubber pad for their rugs and all-natural wool padding for their carpet.
Downsides to Earth Weave rugs
Earth Weave area rugs are all custom-made and, therefore, not returnable. They can also take up to 4 weeks to arrive after placing your order. Because these are made with natural fibers and dyes, the rugs also vary in texture and color.
To care for your Earth Weave rug, vacuum with a suction-only vacuum cleaner (remove the beater-bar) and use only wool-approved cleaners for removing stains. Avoid vigorously rubbing the rug (lightly blot instead). All Earth Weave rugs come with a 5-year warranty.
Earth Weave vs. the competition
Earth Weave is an excellent option for eco-friendly wool rugs, offering a variety of pile weights, colors, and designs. The company has been in business as an environmentally sustainable carpet and rug manufacturer for more than two decades and has long led the field. That said, it’s oddly devoid of third-party certifications, so we’re going largely on reputation and trust.
Earth Weave vs. Organic Weave
Organic Weave (see our review) is easily the best in class for wool rugs. The company not only uses GOTS certified organic wool, FSC natural latex (where needed), and GOTS certified organic cotton, it is also GoodWeave certified to ensure no child labor is involved in the manufacture of its rugs. Organic Weave is clearly committed to sustainability, safety, and social fairness, and has demonstrated this right from the beginning by never selling a rug that doesn’t meet these standards.
So, while other companies may produce the occasional eco-friendly and/or Fair Trade certified wool rug, if you’re looking for a top-quality rug from a company with a solid set of ethics, look to Organic Weave.
Earth Weave vs. Hook and Loom
Hook and Loom gets third place in this category for its undyed, handwoven, and hand-bound rugs (View Prices on Hook and Loom). These are made without glues, bonding agents, latex, dyes, or other chemicals that can be harmful to human health and the wider environment.
Hook and Loom also claims to make rugs free from child labor, but lacks the same certifications as Organic Weave. It does, however, ship rugs in minimal packaging to reduce environmental impact and carries the Green People seal of approval. This is one of the less weighty eco-certifications for rugs but does help to weed out companies simply ‘greenwashing’.
See our review of Hook and Loom rugs
Final thoughts on Earth Weave rugs
All in all, Organic Weave is the best choice for eco-friendly rugs and has enough variety in colors, patterns, and styles to satisfy almost every demand. And, if you don’t find what you need, it is very open to custom orders.
Earth Weave
Highlights: Super sustainable, non-toxic rugs made with natural materials in the US.