What Is The Carpet And Rug Institute?

So, what exactly is The Carpet And Rug Institute?

The Carpet and Rug Institute [also known as CRI] is the carpet industry's not-for-profit national trade association. It represents carpet manufacturers and those who provide goods and services and raw materials for the industry. The CRI membership manufactures close to 98 percent of all the carpet made domestically.

One of CRI’s primary functions is to coordinate with other segments of the industry, such as distributors, retailers, installers and cleaning/maintenance providers. The goal is to demonstrate to consumers in particular how carpet improves the living environment and help increase consumer satisfaction with carpet.

CRI is headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, better known as “the Carpet capital of the World.” Rightly so: nearly 80 percent of all the carpet manufactured in the United States is done so within a 65-mile radius of Dalton. Nestled among the foothills of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Dalton is located 30 minutes southeast of Chattanooga, TN off Interstate-75.

Three distinct departments make up the CRI: a Government issues, a Technical issues and Marketing issues department. Our government folks see to it that legislation that could be detrimental to the sale of carpet never finds its way into the light of day at any level. Our technical people are the masterminds behind test protocols that serve as a way to assure that our product is the very best and safest product that it can be. The marketing department takes all this wonderful information and data and delivers it to the people who want to make the most informed decision possible when it comes to purchasing flooring. [That's where Bethany and I get involved.]

Policy is determined by a board of directors composed of chief executive officers from member companies and is implemented by a full-time professional staff. Additional member company personnel provide time and expertise to more than 40 committees and subcommittees. The wide range of assembled information provides a focal point for issue discussion and a voice for the industry. The overall fields of interest are technical services, member services, governmental and consumer affairs, and public relations. CRI membership and staff are intensely involved in facilitating cooperative solutions to all industry challenges.

CRI is also a source of extensive carpet information for consumers, writers, interior designers, specifiers, facility managers, architects, builders, building owners and managers, installation contractors and retailers. You see, there's a great deal of inaccurate information about carpet available. Our job is making sure you have the right information. That's why CRI continually conducts primary research and gathers data from other sources so you can make the right decisions based on relevant facts.

As we describe on the CRI website About Us section, we offer materials, many of them free of charge and some for a small charge, on all of the following topics:

• Aesthetic, functional and financial benefits of carpet
• The carpet or rug selection process
• Installation guidelines
• Characteristics of fibers
• Carpet construction
• Carpet’s role in indoor air quality and the environment
• Daily maintenance and long-term care
• In-depth technical guidance

CRI also has a long list of continuing education units (CEUs), which have been certified by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC). These one-hour courses were developed by CRI members and are taught by member companies.

CRI is a consensus builder. We work to strengthen the role of carpet in our lives by building consensus among diverse parties in our industry. We aim for an open dialogue with educational, health, and environmental stakeholders and community decision makers about qualities of the industry and the product category itself.

On the sustainability side, we work to advance innovations and solutions that are consistent with long-term social, environmental and economic responsibilities. We do this for our industry, and consider ourselves a model for many industries. Whether or not you support the Kyoto Protocol, the carpet industry may be the only one which can say it meets the stringent protocol, having the same amount of CO2 emissions today as it did in 1990, yet producing over 42 percent more product. All of this and much more information can be found in the carpet industry sustainability report. Many individual companies produce such sustainability reports, but again, the carpet industry stands out in the fact it does one for the industry as a whole, measuring our collective footprint and working together to reduce it.

CRI is the source for science-based information and insight into how carpets and rugs can create a better environment – for living, working, learning and healing. Ultimately, we are an advocate for the consumer. We are committed to addressing the needs of the customers of CRI members to help create that better environment for living, working, learning and healing. For you, our customers. As you are served well, so is the industry.

That's what we'll discuss here in this blog.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

~ James


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