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Jute Rug Design Characteristics
Native to India and China, jute traditionally has been used for everything from imitation silk to burlap sacks. The soft, flexible fiber has abrasion-resistant properties that help it stand up well to wear and tear.
At Merida, we select fibers for our 100% jute area rugs based on length,
flexibility, strength and luster. The fibers we use in our natural
jute rugs are carefully spun to produce strong, consistent yarns. Depending
on the design, our jute area rugs are woven either by hand or on
semi-automatic looms.
The look and feel of jute results in truly distinctive rugs. The fiber's
natural, warm shades of brown and grey showcase beautiful organic
variation. Meanwhile, our thick, bold weave structures make for a
cushiony walking surface and add a strong textural element to any room.
Sustainability
Jute plants grow quickly and are inexpensive to grow and process.
Merida's eco friendly jute rugs are 100% biodegradable and completely
undyed. (The different colors are a natural result of the retting
process described below.)
We currently use a natural/synthetic latex compound as backing for our
jute area rugs to enhance the stability of their weaving. In order to
achieve 100% biodegradability, however, we are working hard to design
and develop well-performing natural jute rugs with degradable backing or
no backing at all.
Our jute partner is located in Kerala, India, which has some of the
highest levels of social development and labor standards of any Indian
state. Our partner has exemplary environmental management systems, as
signified by its ISO 14001 certification (which sets worldwide accepted standards). It also has earned SA8000 certification, attesting to its superb social and labor practices.
Cultivation & Jute Fiber Extraction
Kerala's humid, tropical climate and rich, loamy soil make the region
ideal for cultivating the fibers used in every natural jute rug that Merida produces.. After harvesting, the jute stalks are
bundled together and soaked in water for two to three weeks. This
retting process softens the stalk tissue and separates the fibers from
the rest of the plant.
The jute fibers are then stripped from the stalks, washed and hung in
the sun to dry for two to three days before being spun into yarn and
woven.
