Hook & Loom offers three types of high quality, affordable natural rugs: recycled cotton fiber rugs, GOTS-certified organic cotton rugs, and natural wool rugs. As pioneers in the natural rug industry, the brand was one of the first to ensure their rug production excludes harmful chemicals, dyes, or latex. Since even vegetable dyes or natural dyes require chemical mordant to adhere to the color, Hook & Loom limits toxicity through their unique design and production which eliminates the need for dyeing.

Over half the brand’s inventory comes from rugs made of post-consumer recycled cotton, making better use of the huge amount of textile waste generated yearly. Hook & Loom audits their factory partners personally, sources almost entirely from small businesses and gives back to their community. Hook & Loom has been awarded our top overall rating and at the time of writing is our top rated rug brand.

About Hook & Loom

Founder Whitney Selke first started Hook & Loom in 2013 in Lenox, Massachusetts, to fill a gap in the market for non-toxic, natural area rugs for the home. His mission for Hook & Loom was to make comfortable, durable, beautiful, and safe rugs without harming the environment, animals, or people. The brand’s main line is called Eco Cotton Rugs, which are handcrafted in India with colored yarns sourced from recovered discarded textile fiber that are then hand-woven. These come in a wide range of colors and styles. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton rugs and wool rugs come in natural color ranges, given the lack of dyeing.

Product Categories
HomewaresRugsZ'All
Attributes
Ethical Sourcing
Raw materials have been sourced ethically with people and planet in mind.
Handcrafted
Products have been made by hand, typically by an artisan or group of artisans.
Non-toxic
All products are made with ingredients or materials that are currently considered non-toxic
Organic
Products are made from organic materials.
Recycled materials
Some or all products are made with recycled materials
Upcycled
Products have been upcycled from an unusable or undesirable form into new products.
Certifications / Memberships
GOTS
Location

Massachusetts, USA

Pricing

$$$$$

Ships from
United States
Ships to
Worldwide

Rating Summary

Nature & Animals

Hook & Loom has focused their range and designs based on careful material sourcing like undyed wool, undyed GOTS organic cotton, and post-consumer recycled garment fibers (for their Eco Cotton rugs, which comprise over 50% of their line). These recycled cotton rugs include 85% cotton, 12% polyester and 3% other synthetics (chiefly viscose, but also other fibers). The polyester and other synthetics are not added, they are a byproduct of recycling cotton clothing that may have had non-cotton pockets, linings and trims. The colors in their Eco Cotton range are created from these recycled fibers. No dyes, chemicals, or latex are used in the production of any of their rug products. They also sell a non-skid rug pad made with a thin mesh of virgin polyester that is then covered in natural rubber. Waste and pollution associated with the brand’s practices are inherently low. They have no tracking or waste reduction targets, but action is taken to further reduce waste including selling dead stock at a discount, and ensuring minimal office waste. No tracking or disclosures are made relating to water use however the lack of dyeing means minimal impact on wastewater. Circularity is partially addressed through their use of recycled cotton, and most products are compostable and/or recyclable, though there is not yet end-of-life instructions or guidance available for customers. Product and shipping packaging is mostly the reuse of the virgin plastic and materials used to ship from suppliers. They have inherently lower carbon products given they are handmade using lower carbon materials, but there is no formal emissions tracking or climate targets set. The brand offers some disclosed commitment to reduce energy use (like not heating their warehouse) which is 92% of their Tier 1 operating space. Animal welfare could be better addressed, since animal products (wool) are used with no welfare protection or formal policy in place. Although the brand has confirmed that suppliers do not use merino wool because of mulesing risks.

Score for Nature & Animals: 43%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Communities & Wellbeing

Hook & Loom has a small office and warehouse with 18 employees at the time of writing. Employees are provided with a family style work environment with flexible hours and unpaid time off when needed but no formal policies or further benefits are in place. Rugs are hand-woven in Haryana, India. Hook & Loom has direct relationships with factories and Whit Selke (founder) personally audits their two tier 1 factories at least three times per year in person. Partner factory workers are paid a living wage. They have no tolerance for child or forced labor, but no certifications are available to verify this other than first-party auditing. The brand does not produce hand-knotted rugs, since child labor is often common. No official code of conduct is published, but suppliers adhere to an internal policy. The brand has no disclosed DE&I approach however, they have diverse senior employees and ownership, and an openly accepting LGBTQ+ company environment. GOTs certification for their organic cotton range limits toxicity concerns from a health and safety perspective and no product dyes or dangerous off-gassing chemicals are present. Additionally there are reasonable privacy/digital measures in place for online purchasing. Small business sourcing is achieved for almost all suppliers, including small Indian factories and a relatively small USA-based rug mat supplier.

Score for Communities & Wellbeing: 73%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Values & Governance

Hook & Loom is a small-sized business. No regular sustainability reporting is available however public statements on their sustainability initiatives and achievements are available on their website. The brand has no history of or current greenwashing, false claims or destructive marketing. Meaningful charitable giving is provided to the charity Water For People.

Score for Values & Governance: 58%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Product Performance

Products are highly rated on the brand’s website and third-party review site Shopper Approved, of which they have a 4.9/5 star average and over 17000 reviews. Products are designed to last and rugs are confirmed to be high quality, durable, and long-lasting by their customers.

Score for Product Performance: 100%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Review Summary From Other Customers

Pros

  • Customers regularly commend their stylish handwoven rug aesthetics and durability.
  • Colored rugs from recycled yarns are reported by customers to not fade over time.
  • The use of natural fibers and the absence of synthetic additives keeps rug wear-and-tear to a minimum, according to buyers.

Cons

  • Some limited reviews mention a rug sizing discrepancy, and a small fraction of buyers report concerns over rug textures, which can feel rougher than other non-sustainable, synthetic options.

Disrupting

Top 10% of brands

Hook & Loom scores 59% overall and at the time of writing is our top rated brand in the rugs category. Learn more about our scoring here.