Available from Wayfair, courtesy of the Millwood Pines brand, the Emrys Berber Hand-Woven Tobacco Brown Area Rug is made with 50% jute and 50% wool, making it an excellent sustainable rug choice. It is available in 3′ x 5′, 4′ x 6′, and 5′ x 7′ sizes for $117.99, $162.99, and $234.99, respectively.
Our Rating: 2 / 5 (See: How Leaf Score is calculated)
Table of Contents
Product Highlights
- Excellent sustainable rug choice
- Woven by hand in the mountains of Greece
- Fully reversible
| Country of Origin: | Greece |
| Materials: | 50% jute, 50% wool |
| Certifications: | None listed |
Overview
These rugs are woven by hand in the mountains of Greece, using local mountain wool and jute. They are fully reversible and have a pile height of 0.5”.
There are no eco-certifications for this rug, so the only reason it is included here is because it has a higher jute content than most wool-jute rugs, including the West Elm Wool and Jute Rug. (You can check up our roundup of eco-friendly rugs for some alternatives with better credentials.) As jute is naturally eco-friendly, and the wool in this rug appears to be undyed, chances are that this is a better bet than most rugs on the market. However, given the lack of eco credentials, anyone with chemical sensitivities might want to avoid this rug and any that don’t explicitly state that they are chemical-free. The wool in this rug may well have been treated with mothproofing chemicals at minimum.
Millwood Pines vs. West Elm
West Elm’s Wool and Jute Rug and Millwood Pines’ Jute and Wool Rug are neck and neck in the eco-stakes. West Elm’s rug is certified Fair Trade, which is nice, but the Wayfair rug contains considerably more jute, making it naturally more eco-friendly.
Neither are explicitly great options, given the lack of credentials certifying that these products have not been treated with toxic chemicals. But, as wool is naturally flame-resistant and does not appear to be dyed, there’s a decent chance that these rugs have not been treated with some of the most toxic chemicals often present in other rugs. Of the two, the West Elm rug is likely to feel softer, offer better insulation, and prove more durable, given the greater wool content. And, it is good to support Fairtrade products where possible.