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Natural, British, Beautiful, and now Carbon Neutral with Axminster Carpets

Swaledale from Axminster CarpetsAxminster Carpets' commitment to the environment can now be witnessed in what is a market leading carbon neutral carpet collection - Swaledale.

This unique standing of Swaledale offers green conscious consumer a carpet range with the perfect blend of comfort, performance and sustainability at a price point that is within easy reach of all.

Utilising wool from a single breed of British sheep, manufactured locally and with an independent third-party assessment of the carbon footprint from its production, Swaledale is becoming one of the most talked about carpets in recent history.

As its name suggests, the carpet uses wool solely from Swaledale sheep, a hardy breed, with wool that has an inherent amount of grey fibre. This characteristic, which is more pronounced in the lighter shades, gives the carpet a unique look not seen in other ranges.

In order to achieve a carbon neutral status for the 80/20 wool-rich Swaledale, Axminster Carpets underwent an independent assessment of its carbon footprint for all operations. Aspects examined included not only the energy consumed in the manufacturing process at Axminster Carpets, Curragh Carpets and the Buckfast Spinning Mill, but also the carbon emissions attributed to flights, rail, lorry and car journeys associated with sales and distribution.

The results are among the lowest in the industry and are set to reduce even more in the near future due to advances in manufacturing technology. Many further improvements are imminent and these developments, along with continued analysis of company operations, are set to ensure that Axminster will remain at the forefront of green manufacturing.

From these figures, Axminster Carpets calculated the amount of carbon dioxide relating to the manufacturing, sales and distribution of the Swaledale range and invested in a number of projects in the UK and around the world including wind and wave power and reforestation to offset all carbon emissions.

Comprising 20 nature inspired colourways, each available both four and five-metre wide and in a 40oz cloth, Swaledale will be presented on its very own display unit emphasising the importance of the introduction:

Swaledale will be available in leading retailers later in 2009 priced around £25 per square metre.