The Environmental Choice label for wool pile carpets resulted from a New Zealand government initiative to guide consumers seeking products with a reduced environmental impact. The group that wrote the Environmental Choice specification for carpets comprised representatives from Telarc, the New Zealand Forest and Bird Council, the New Zealand Council of Women, Greenpeace, the University of Auckland, WRONZ, and the New Zealand Wool Board. After considerable debate, the group formulated a life cycle analysis matrix for carpets made from wool, polypropylene, cotton, nylon, acrylic, or polyester fibers. The life cycle analysis matrix included such weighting factors as energy required for yarn production, dyeing and finishing processes, and disposal; durability; ease of repair; and safety. The life cycle analysis matrix produced the following scores, ranked in order from best (least effect on the environment) to worst (most effect on the environment): wool, 168＜polypropylene, 241＜cotton, 247＜nylon, 249＜acryyester, 292.