Carpet Backing Too Green for the Market?

In an ironic example of a great idea that is struggling commercially, Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Company has created a new carpet backing but is having trouble selling it. Amoco’s AdBac® Composite Backing System has a host of advantages: it is lighter weight, easier to install, and free of the odor (generally associated with the chemical 4PC) that comes from the styrene butadiene (SB) latex in most carpet backing. It also makes the entire carpet easier to recycle. So what is it, and why aren’t carpet manufacturers lining up to get it?

Nearly all broadloom carpet made today consists of a face fiber (usually nylon or polyester) that is tufted into a primary backing fabric, usually a woven polypropylene. In conventional carpet, SB latex is then applied to lock the tufts into the backing and to adhere a secondary backing, which is typically also woven polypropylene. The AdBac system uses a thin layer of polyethylene adhered to both the primary and secondary backings. After the face fiber is tufted into the primary backing, the secondary backing is applied so that the two layers of polyethylene are joined. This sandwich is then heat-fused by melting the polyethylene (which melts at a lower temperature than the other polymers).