Environmentally Friendly Impacts of Choosing a Sisal Rug
Sisal is known for its ideal combination of natural strength, durability, and texture. These qualities make the natural fiber an excellent material for making rugs, because using them allows experts to weave beautiful, soft rugs that are also naturally strong, durable, and easy to care for. Given the lack of compromise sisal offers, it’s not surprising that it has remained such a popular natural fiber for as long as it has.
In more recent years, sisal has become even more popular for another reason: as a natural fiber, it’s considerably more sustainable and environmentally-friendly to use than many of its synthetic counterparts. In an age where every consumer is aware of and invested in supporting environmentalism as best we can, sisal has emerged as an excellent material for creating strong products you can actually feel good about using in your own space.
This is what you should know about sisal, including why it’s environmentally friendly, how we here at Sisal Rugs Direct ensure it stays environmentally friendly, and why this natural fiber might be the perfect material for your next custom rug.
What is sisal?
Sisal is a type of natural fiber derived from the leaves of the Agave Sisalana flowering cactus plant. This cactus is native to southern Mexico but has been widely cultivated and naturalized in other countries because of the diverse usefulness of its fibers.
The Aztecs and Mayans were likely the first civilizations to cultivate sisal for use. During the 19th century, cultivation of the plant spread to America, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Africa. Brazil began cultivating sisal for commercial sale in the 1930s, and has since become the world’s largest producer of the natural fiber. Though sisal farming once led to environmental degradation as the plant proliferated, it is now generally considered less damaging than almost all other types of farming.
Sisal fibers are naturally stiff, strong, durable, flexible, and resistant to saltwater. These properties make them ideal for creating a wide range of products such as rope and twine, paper, cloth, footwear, bags, and — naturally — rugs.
Sisal rugs retain the properties of their fibers once woven together. Sisal is one of the strongest and most durable natural fibers available. Rugs woven from sisal last even longer than seagrass, hemp, or jute, making them an excellent choice for areas with heavy foot traffic. Sisal rugs are also relatively easy to clean and maintain, which makes them a smart choice even if you place them in areas where they’re likely to gather dirt and dust quickly.
Despite its durability, sisal is also nearly as soft as jute, making it quite comfortable to walk on even in bare feet.
Is sisal sustainable?
Yes. As a natural fiber, sisal is a renewable and sustainable material. In fact, every step of creating one of our custom sisal rugs — from farming and creating the fibers themselves to weaving the rug — is sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and even beneficial to the local economy where we source our fibers.
The sisal fibers we use to weave our rugs come from plantations in Tanzania that have cultivated the plants for centuries. A single Agave Sisalana cactus has a lifespan of around seven to ten years. During this time, they produce between 200 and 250 leaves that dry out and spin into usable sisal fibers.
Approximately 1,000 fibers are extracted from a single leaf, which means each sisal cactus produces a great deal of the fibers we can use to make rugs. The rest of the plant doesn’t go to waste, either, as the farmers who produce the plant use it to feed farm animals, produce electricity, or create fertilizer. The process of using the entire plant this way significantly reduces waste and capably supports Tanzania’s economy.
Crucially, the Agave Sisalana cactus is also a very hardy plant that grows year-round in very dry and hot locations. These cacti don’t require very much water to grow, making the process of farming them sustainable and highly eco-friendly, as well.
At Sisal Rugs Direct, we take great pride in the fact that our sisal rugs are as sustainably sourced and environmentally-friendly as they are. If you’re looking for a rug you can feel proud of owning, sisal rugs could be the right choice for you.
Is sisal biodegradable?
Yes. When sisal rugs do eventually wear out, their fibers are completely biodegradable. Instead of becoming a permanent part of a landfill like its synthetic counterparts, sisal naturally degrades and breaks down into soil nutrients.
In addition to being crafted from renewable materials, sisal and other natural fiber rugs also emit very low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a variety of chemicals that pollute air quality and can cause adverse health effects. This makes sisal rugs considerably better for air quality and health and safety than some synthetic rugs can be.
You won’t need to use any potentially harmful cleaning chemicals to keep your Sisal rug looking fresh, either. Instead, all you have to do to reliably clean your Sisal rug is vacuum it regularly and spot clean with Sisal Life Cleaner when necessary.
Sisal Life Cleaner will prevent spills from becoming stains, and vacuuming will help shake out dust and debris that might collect between the fibers and can help your sisal rug last even longer.
When you choose a sisal rug, you’ll be getting a quality rug that shines in durability, appearance and environmental impact. Browse the sisal rugs available from Sisal Rugs Direct to find the perfect style for your home.
