Company C: 30 Years of Colorful, Sustainable Rugs

This article is part of our "Sustainable Suppliers" series, a collection of ongoing conversations with our Shop Sustainably™ supplier partners who are doing their part to create a more sustainable future for our planet.

30 years ago, wife and husband duo, Christine and Walter Chapin founded Company C, driven by their passion for colorful living. Company C specializes in designing colorful rugs and today they supply their sustainably produced rugs to Wayfair and Perigold.

When Christine and Walter started Company C in their New Hampshire home, they were aiming to fill a gap in the market for fun, colorful rugs, with bold patterns and exciting designs. Over the years, they have carried different product catalogs, but always returned to that focus on rugs. Company C rugs are unique from most traditional rugs; their bold rugs are stylish, happy, works of art.

Besides the focus on colorful living, Company C also focuses on sustainability. They began their journey by partnering with GoodWeave in 2005. GoodWeave is a nonprofit organization that works to end child labor and protect the rights of adult workers in supply chains. Child labor stood out to Company C and their suppliers as a crucial issue to investigate and address. By partnering with GoodWeave, Company C has the best assurance that their supply chain is free from child labor. Today their entire product line is certified by GoodWeave, so you can know every rug from Company C supports children and positive social change in supply chains.

As the next step on their sustainability journey, Company C began to consider the materials themselves. They began to build out product lines certified to the Textile Exchange Responsible Wool and Global Recycled Standards (Bureau Veritas, license #TE-00076280). They loved that these certifications audit every step of the supply chain from the source to the final product, ensuring that their certified designs support the planet. Company C is working to incorporate more sustainable materials so their customers can feel good about their impact on the planet. These are a few areas where they concentrate:

• Wool: Wool is a renewable resource. Around 70% of Company C's products are made with wool, reducing the need for chemical treatments, and supporting indoor air quality, as wool is naturally fire, stain, and odor resistant. By being certified to the Responsible Wool Standard, Company C is also demonstrating demand for better animal welfare practices and responsible land management in the wool supply chain.
• Recycled Synthetic Fibers: Synthetic fibers certified to the Global Recycled Standard are incorporated into their indoor/outdoor product line. By utilizing recycled materials, they are reducing the need for virgin polyester and ensuring customers have confidence that their products were made more sustainably.
• Elimination of PFAs & Azo Dyes: They also have committed to avoiding PFAS or Azo dyes in their rugs. PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," and synthetic Azo dyes are common pollutants in the environment that can find their way into water and food supplies and the human body, causing environmental and human health issues.

Utilizing sustainable materials and supply chains is important to Company C and getting certified in those efforts was crucial in providing customers with credible, transparent data on the supply chain effects and sustainability claims of their products. "Transparency was the largest factor in gaining these certifications," said co-founder Christine. "With a certified rug we can audit every step of the supply chain until the rug hits the floor of your home". Christine spoke about why they are proud to do this sustainability work saying, "Our entire company loves the outdoors. Our tagline is 'designs for colorful living™'' and so much of that colorful living happens outdoors."

Shop Company C's colorful and sustainable rugs with Wayfair Shop Sustainably program and learn more about Wayfair's sustainability work by reading our annual Corporate Responsibility report.