Step to It: Keeping Sustainable Flooring Options on Even Footing
- Words by Peppermint
photos SUPPLIED BY CARPET COURT
When looking for spaces to make sustainable selections in your home, the answer might be hiding beneath your feet. The plush, cosy feel of a good carpet under your toes can be a treat for the senses, particularly on a cold winter’s morning, but it may harbour hidden costs, for both the environment and your own health.
Many carpets on the market are made from synthetic, petroleum-based materials, and are filled with toxic chemical dyes, adhesives and glues. These mixtures are what create the distinctive ‘new carpet smell’ – actually the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can pollute the indoor air quality of your house – and take a serious toll on the environment in their production and disposal processes.
Those looking for more environmentally friendly floor coverings can turn to natural fibre options, including plant-based materials such as jute, sisal, seagrass and coir (coconut fibres), or the king of natural carpeting – wool. Biodegradable, recyclable, naturally stain-resistant and durable, wool can stand up to a lot of being stood on without wearing out. This makes it a good long-term investment, but it is an investment, often carrying a hefty price tag we can only hope goes back to keeping those sheep in the good grass.
If you’re hoping to be more economical in your environmentalism, there are affordable alternatives. Created by Italian firm Aquafil, ECONYL® regenerated nylon is a 100% regenerated nylon made from synthetic waste like industrial plastic, fishing nets reclaimed from the ocean and even old carpets rescued from landfills.
The production of ‘virgin’ nylon requires worrying amounts of water and oil, and emits a substantial amount of nitrous oxide which has significant global warming potential as a greenhouse gas. (On a per-molecule basis, nitrous oxide has 265 times the atmospheric heat-trapping ability of carbon dioxide.) The end product is non-biodegradable and, according to Good On You, is estimated to make up to 40% of man-made plastic waste in the oceans.
In contrast, ECONYL® regenerated nylon is created using a closed-loop regeneration system which uses less water and creates less waste than traditional nylon production methods. Waste is collected, cleaned and shredded, depolymerised to extract nylon, polymerised, transformed into yarn, and then re-commercialised into textile products. Infinitely recyclable without losing quality, the aim is to decrease global nylon production by regenerating that which is already in circulation and replacing virgin nylon in everyday products, clothes and furnishings.
Initially picked up by ethically focused luxury fashion brands like Stella McCartney, ECONYL® regenerated nylon is now available through more mainstream accessible vendors, such as Carpet Court, whose eco-friendly carpeting range contains an ECONYL® regenerated nylon collection.
ECONYL® yarn carpets boast all the benefits of nylon – durability, affordability and resistance to stains and fading – without compromising on the climate cost. They’re also lower in VOCs making the carpets allergen friendly and less inclined to impact your indoor air quality. Gentle on your feet, the ECONYL® regenerated nylon carpets boast a dense cut pile, and twist fibre that’s warm in the winter and welcoming in the summer.
At the end of the day, every material has its impact – with no commercial recycling facilities that recycle used carpets and rugs currently available for the general public in Australia, consider re-use and responsible disposal options at the end of its lifecycle too – and if you do choose to carpet your space, think of Mother Earth as you deck out your hearth.
This article was produced in collaboration with Carpet Court. Step to investigating the possibilities offered by ECONYL® regenerated nylon with Carpet Court’s eco-friendly range of carpets, available in an array of colours from understated neutrals to rich greys.
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TOGETHER WE STITCH RETURNS! 🪡✨
Ditch the dishes. Clear your cutting table. Pop the kettle on. Because Together We Stitch is back from 15 to 22 March for seven joy-filled days of sewing, learning and reveling in the joy of shared community, no matter where you are in the world!
Hosted by Megan from @SewAndTell.Co, this global online sewing event brings thousands of makers together for a week of practical know-how, confidence boosts and those “why didn’t I know this sooner?!” moments.
This year’s line-up is packed with masterclasses and practical inspiration, like:
🪡 Simple knit finishing tricks to make your garments look store-bought by @SewAndTell.Co’s Megan Linley
🪡 Troubleshooting your sewing machine by Jenni Miller from @LetsGetSewingNow
🪡 Hands-on pattern adjustments for sway back from @GinaReneeDesigns
🪡 An interview with Brandon Hayden from @HappilyDressed about building a garment around the fabric you love
🪡 Iron Care 101 by @MicheleMuska
🪡 Kate Boyle from @MindMovementHealth shares posture tips and exercises to help prevent sewing aches and pains
🪡 An easy jeans-to-skirt upcycle project from @LaCreativeMama’s Victoria Martinez Azaro
🪡 DIY custom fabrics and creative craft-room upgrades by Stephanie Young from @So_Stephanie_Says
🪡 Plus choosing prints with intention, making your dream wardrobe a reality, and meeting the creator of Project & Cut, Clinton Blackmore to talk all things PDF pattern future
Together We Stitch is all about expert-led sessions, creative demos, practical tips you can take straight to your sewing table, and a community that celebrates every win along the way. Join live or catch the replays when it suits you.
Head to togetherwestitch.com or hit the link in bio to save your seat. 🪡
#TogetherWeStitch #SewingExpo #SewingInspo #MeMade #SewingCommunity #SewistsOfInstagram
Coffee begins long before your morning cuppa! ☕️
2026 has been declared the International Year of the Woman Farmer, led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the @UnitedNations. It’s a global spotlight with a practical purpose: to recognise women’s indispensable roles across agrifood systems, and to push for the changes that still haven’t arrived evenly, like equal access to land, finance, training, technology and decision-making.
Into that bigger picture steps Elizabeth Duna, a coffee farmer from Papua New Guinea and the chairwoman of the Keto-Tapasi Progress Association. Elizabeth is also the only female chairperson across the @FairtradeANZ cooperative network in the Pacific, overseeing farmers across the association and helping ensure Fairtrade standards are met.
We had the privilege of chatting to Elizabeth (just in time for International Woman’s Day this Sunday, too!) about what’s been growing and changing within her cooperative, what ‘fair trade’ means to her, and the hopes that manifest in a ‘simple’ bag of coffee beans.
Link in bio ☕️
#FairTrade #FairTradeCoffee #InternationalWomensDay
DIFFICULT ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿
The collab we needed for International Women`s Day… and every day!
From @DangerousFemales:
"Hands up if you’ve ever been called difficult behind your back, to your face, or by an Australian Prime Minister during a Q&A?
DIFFICULT by Grace Tame, in her own handwriting is… one word: ICONIC!
100% of profits from our tees are donated, 100% of the time. Funds from this @TamePunk tee will go to @BerylWomen_inc, a First Nations led women’s refuge in the ACT.
Kinda ironic, don’t ya think?
Supporting an org in the parliament state with words from a politician for Australia’s longest running and underfunded women’s refuge.
Thank you @TamePunk for being difficult." 🫶🙌
Link in bio to get behind this tee!
#InternationalWomensDay #DangerousFemales #GraceTame #Difficult
NEW PATTERN ALERT 🎉
She’s giving comfort, she’s giving style, she’s giving palate-cleansing sewing. There’s nothing quite like an easy breezy dress that’s not only a dream to wear but a delight to sew, and the NEW Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress delivers!
Cute, classic and cool with a touch of retro: the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. Bust darts are in play for shaping and spacious pockets to hold all your treasures. Top-stitching detail around the neck and armholes invites creative contrast threads and the keyhole loop closure at the back neck begs for a feature button (or a tie closure!).
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection. Karmme also stocks darling tassels so we popped a hot pink one on as a closure!
The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside complementary fabrics steeped in tradition with modern iterations from Jaipur, India. Hand block-printed and digitally printed soft cottons produced by Indian artisans showcase rich colours and designs from Imby’s travels, perfect for showing off me-made masterpieces.
Our dresses were superbly stitched by our sewing manager @Laura_The_Maker, and modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews. And that perfect pink wall was courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Patternmaker: @GarmentaApparel
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
Connection 🫶🏻
Such great ideas from @GrowWithColby:
“A common theme I noticed in 2025:
Everyone is craving more connection.
Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.
Send this to the people you want to do these with.”
#Connection #Friends #Community
No bull - these pants are the cat`s (or cow`s) pyjamas...
Jenny from @RhubarbSundays:
And they are done! My @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintFernPleatedPants made using a gorgeous fabric from @IndyBindyFabrics! I absolutely love this fabric! It’s soft and drapes beautifully. And the best thing about it is that, from a distance, it looks like an abstract print and then you look closer and theres a curious bull looking right at you. 🤣🤣 🐄 🐮
Really happy with the end product. They are very comfy! I didn’t make many changes to the pattern. Just a touch more room in the rise and a little bit off the waist. I’ll post some closeups of the details tomorrow when I actually take them off. 🤣 "
Grab the pattern from the link in bio!
#PeppermintPatterns #IMakeMyOwnClothes #ClothesThatFeelLikePyjamas #SewersGonnaSew
