Beauty as a Legacy

Handmade carpets may be considered one of the oldest sustainable luxury items, making them “green” long before the term was splashed on everything from organic foods to automobiles. The origins of hand knotted rugs and woven textiles harkens back to nomadic peoples who lived in closer harmony with their environment and natural resources.  These cultures sought “renewable” resources and practiced “sustainable” methods for producing carpets, not because it was vogue or people were demanding these attributes, but rather it was the logical way to survive and ensure resources were not wasted or polluted.

Sheep’s wool is harvested without harming the animal and is a sustainable and renewable resource that demands the animals be kept in good health and robust condition in order to grow quality coats of fine Himalayan wool.

The essence of Tamarian’s carpet production has not evolved much since this time, imploring the traditional methods of wool harvesting, material processing, knotting the carpets on wooden looms, and finishing the pieces by hand.

The greatest challenge to “green” carpet production are the dyes used to create the myriad of colors needed to create these magnificent pieces.

Originally, Tamarian used metal complex dyes (Chrome dyes), that produce small amounts of off-gases in the home. In 2007, Tamarian switched to a safe, metal free application called Nylosan/Optilan. These organic dyes offered by Clariant are solid, non-volatile materials, which emit no off-gases.

Tamarian’s commitment to producing their carpets with as little impact as possible to the environment continues to evolve as new technologies emerge. The introduction of Clariant dyes in 07’ represented a step forward in “clean” rug production and has inspired creative thinking and study into how all elements of rug production can be made “green”.