March 2026

View as Webpage

CARE Celebrates 10 Years of Transformative Grants

This month the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its California Carpet Stewardship Grant Program—marking a decade of strategic investment, market development and infrastructure expansion that has dramatically increased the state’s capacity to collect, process and recycle post-consumer carpet (PCC). As one indicator of the grants’ impact, the carpet recycling rate for the state has soared from 11% in 2016 to 37% in 2025, a rate of growth unmatched anywhere.

Since launching the grants in 2016, CARE’s California program has awarded 98 grants to 79 entities, totaling approximately $12 million, catalyzing new recycling facilities, supporting product innovation and expanding collection access across the state.

Capital Improvement grants have supported collection growth by over 20 million additional pounds annually and recent investments expect to add another 13 million pounds annually. The program kickstarted three new PCC collectors in the state.

Grants in modest amounts have led to big payoffs. CARE’s Micro Grants for Collection and Reuse have supported dozens of existing or new public collection sites, increasing convenience, access and PCC collections by 13.6 million pounds annually. The Micro Grants (up to $15,000 each) have also supported two new reuse hubs in the state, tripling carpet tile reuse from just a few hundred thousand pounds to over three million pounds of reuse annually.

13 Product Testing Grants and 6 Innovation & Design Grants have been awarded. By funding laboratory work, pilot manufacturing runs and applied research partnerships, CARE has helped companies move recycled PCC from concept to commercial reality. These grants have supported field trials and commercialization efforts across multiple sectors, including new PCC-content products, improved designs to promote carpet and carpet tile recyclability and advanced fiber identification technologies.

Read more on CARE's 10 years of grant program success.

Several Grant cycles are currently open. See CarpetRecovery.org/CA-Grants for details.

Oscars Red Carpet Recycled with CARE

A significant portion of the red carpet from the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony (aka the Oscars) was successfully recycled through the California Carpet Stewardship Program. CARE collaborated with local stakeholders and recyclers to ensure that the carpet was sent to a regional recycling facility, which processed the materials into new products.

“This is exactly the kind of outcome that the California Carpet Stewardship Program is designed to deliver,” said CARE CEO Bob Peoples, “Despite early media reports, thousands of square yards of carpet material was not sent to landfill and instead will be recycled into new products.”

Read more.

CARE Conference to Feature Mills Tour

Registration is now open for CARE's 24th Annual Conference, "Elevating the Future – From Valley to Summit," May 5-6, 2026 at the Westin in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga is close to Dalton, Georgia, the capital of the U.S. carpet industry.

Preliminary agenda is posted here.

On May 7, a limited number of Conference attendees will have the unique opportunity to see amazing technology in action. CARE is working with carpet manufacturers Engineered Floors and Tarkett to host walkthrough facility tours that will highlight manufacturing of both commercial and residential products. Each tour participant will receive a special gift provided by the Carpet and Rug Institute. There is no extra charge for the tour and availability is limited; employees of mills and Day Pass holders are not eligible for the mill tour.

Tour spots are going fast!

Accommodations    

A limited number of rooms are set aside at The Westin Hotel Chattanooga and will be available to conference attendees until filled or through April 6, 2026, whichever comes first. If you have any questions about hotel accommodations, please contact Trish Strong.

CARE California LLC Created

In order to comply with AB 863, CARE registered CARE California, LLC and appointed four non-voting board members (Steve Belong, DC16 Union; Doug Kobold, California Product Stewardship Council; Sarah Pollo Moo, California Retailers Association and Matt Weir, DC36 Union) as required by statute. The purpose of the CARE CA Board is to oversee the efforts of CARE as the Carpet Stewardship Organization that runs the Program. 

New Backstamping Requirement Coming

Under the new carpet stewardship law (AB 863) effective January 1, 2027, all carpets sold in California must carry a back stamp. CARE has formed a joint task force with the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) to develop a universally acceptable solution. Look for an update on that time-critical effort next month.

CARE on the Road

On March 18^th, California Program co-Director Rob Thiess participated in “How It’s Unmade: Material Stewardship for Interiors,” a panel discussion at the offices of Turner Construction in Los Angeles. Presented by Carbon Leadership Forum – LA, the panel explored the ways that construction professionals can incorporate circularity, deconstruction and material stewardship into their projects.

Follow CARE!

CARE posts regularly to LinkedIn about the California Program’s progress along with industry developments. Follow us here.

Share our news!

Please forward CARE's e-news

to others who might be interested.

CarpetRecovery.org/CA