Within the sustainability realm, water-cooler chats have long revolved around single-use plastic straws and the damage they cause to the environment. For one thing, they’re petroleum-based and transported. Even worse is their after-effect, whereby they litter coastlines and pose a massive threat to marine life everywhere. While many businesses are beginning to source single-use water bottles as a recyclable material for a variety of products, Fab Habitat has also targeted the plastic from straws in an effort to reduce post-consumer waste and wildlife endangerment.

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One of Fab Habitat's colorful recycled plastic rugs.

Fab Habitat is a company aimed at producing quality goods while maintaining a minimum carbon footprint. Husband and wife co-founders Kanan and Suchin Gupta began the company with a lifetime’s worth of experience in the manufacture of handmade rugs. Born in India and now living in New Jersey, Kanan has made rugs for decades now, sharing her husband’s beliefs in fair trade, non-child labor, and eco-friendly materials.

“You have to be constantly improving the rugs and your ethical standards,” says Suchin.

Kanan and Suchin Gupta, the founders of Fab Habitat.

It’s true that consumers respond well to most any product made using recycled materials, but if that product doesn’t meet some kind of need, their interest in it still wanes pretty quickly. That’s why Fab Habitat created an assortment of colorful rugs that cater to all kinds of interests.

All Fab Habitat rugs can be used in or outside the home. They are available in a variety of colors to suit any decor, and also come in eight different sizes, ranging from small 2 x 3-foot rugs to full room-sized 10 x 14-foot ones.

One of Fab Habitat's colorful recycled plastic rugs.

The rugs are available in both round and rectangular designs. Every rug also has a pattern, some more subtle and others more bold. There are stripes, leaves, zig-zags, Native American-themed prints, and even full-on images available as pattern options. Plus, each Fab Habitat rug is reversible, offering two usable sides. With longevity in mind, each rug has also been UV treated to protect against fading and premature wear under the hot sun.

Plastic straws are just one of the recycled materials the company uses in their rug product line-up. For example, PET is a polyester fiber made from recycled soda and water bottles. It makes a fabric that is as soft to the touch as cotton while diverting plastic from landfills. One distinct advantage of PET products is its stain-resistance and ability to clean with just soap and water.

One of Fab Habitat's colorful recycled plastic rugs.

For fans of true cotton, the company also makes rugs from recycled cotton sourced from the manufacturing floors. In other words, they take those little scraps that would have otherwise been thrown away and turn them into rugs instead. Sustainable wool is another popular material when responsibly sourced. Finally, the product line also includes jute rugs, which perhaps provide the most back-to-earth look of the group with their natural tan and brown tones.