CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples reports on the Q1 2025 results for the California Carpet Stewardship Program:

Coming off a strong end to 2024, Q1 2025 exhibited the seasonal impacts normally expected. Gross collections were down 2.4 million pounds. Recycled Output was up by 0.6 million pounds, resulting in an overall Recycling Rate of 43.1% and a significant increase over the 2024 Recycling Rate of 38.5%. The target for 2025 is 37%.

Overall, going into the new year markets remained quite challenging. Demand for both nylons remain weak. New tariffs and uncertainty are a key concern. As noted previously over the last four quarters, carpet pad markets, not covered by the carpet stewardship law, also continue to be severely depressed.

Carpet sales in Q1 were 11.88 million square yards; this is the first time sales have dropped below 12 million. Overall sales in 2024 were 53.3 million square yards, about 600,000 square yards below budget and corresponding to a missed $750,000 below revenue. As a reminder, the 5-Year Plan already reflected an anticipated 32% reduction in sales over the life of the Plan.