Carbon Carpet

A festival that reinterprets sustainability through beauty

Carbon Carpet is the first public event by the Third Sector organization of the same name, dedicated to art, design, and sustainable, social fashion. The name is a deliberate play on the red carpet: here, the carpet does not celebrate luxury for its own sake, but rather reclaimed materials and ethical supply chains. The slogan accompanying the entire journey — "Recovering material to recover humanity" — summarizes the multidisciplinary approach of the event, which treats environmental and social sustainability as two sides of the same coin.

The venue is no coincidence: Villa Altieri, a 17th-century residence at Viale Manzoni 47 in the Esquilino district, now serves as the Palace of Culture and Historical Memory for the Metropolitan City of Rome. A historic setting that hosts a thoroughly contemporary reflection, just a stone's throw from Piazza Vittorio and Termini Station, in the city of Rome, the capital of Lazio.

Three sections, one single journey

The exhibition is divided into three thematic areas curated by different professionals, which interact with each other throughout the villa's halls:

• Art — contemporary works created from recycled materials, curated by Massenzio Arte: paintings, sculptures, and installations that transform waste into a new language.
• Design — eco-design objects and sustainable solutions, a section curated by Lorenzo Natali (Generaforma), with a special focus on innovative materials.
• Fashion — ethical, circular, and sustainable garments signed by fashion academies, independent designers, and social tailoring workshops, curated by Barbara Annunziata of the Accademia Italiana, in collaboration with organizations such as TuedIo Aps, Heritage Collective, and AssemblAbili GlobAli.

The Green Carpet and upcycled fashion

The spectacular heart of the event is the Green Carpet, a fashion show featuring collections born from upcycling and fabric reuse. Fashion academies, emerging designers, and collectives working on material recovery take to the runway: a direct way to show the public that circular fashion is not an aesthetic compromise, but a creative pursuit in its own right.

Inclusion: the «Tracce AUTentiche» project

One of the most recognizable souls of Carbon Carpet is its focus on inclusion. The «Tracce AUTentiche» project presents the public with paintings and sculptures created by artists on the autism spectrum, giving them a meaningful and non-symbolic exhibition space. Alongside this, collaborations with social tailoring workshops and third-sector associations weave the theme of the environment with those of rights, dignified work, and peace dialogue.

Talks, workshops, and performances

In addition to the permanent exhibition, the calendar includes days dedicated to engagement: a workshop on textile sustainability and creative recovery, round tables with journalists and industry professionals, live street art interventions, theatrical monologues, poetry readings, and tastings of organic and fair-trade products. The format is also designed for schools, with classes visiting during the main days.

Who is behind it

The project was born from an idea by Rita Salimbeni, environmental journalist and communications manager, and Vittoria Santilli, forestry expert and scientific curator, supported by Massenzio Arte for artistic direction. Carbon Carpet is a registered European trademark and is now a Third Sector organization. The Roman event is held under the patronage of the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Waste Cycle of Rome Capital.

Why it is worth visiting

In a city that offers dozens of exhibitions every day, Carbon Carpet stands out because it does not separate the message from the object: every piece on display is both a work of art and a demonstration of a viable production process. It is a useful opportunity for those working in design and fashion, but also for families and students who want to understand, concretely, what the circular economy means in Lazio and Italy.