Just a quick post this Friday evening as the Colorep/Transprint team is behind-the-scenes at the fall 2010 ready-to-wear New York Fashion Week with Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra. And just like the SS2010 show, the boys from Brooklyn have maximized the unique design applications AirDye® technology makes possible and put out a stunning eco-friendly fall collection.

Jeffery took his camera underwater to capture the opalescence from the underside of a stingray and that became the  inspiration for this collection. But the pieces are far from feeling cold–the shimmering images of the sea are contrasted with warm, rich tones of deep rose with shimmering copper, gold, and plum. Each piece, be it a jacket, skirt, or dress is dramatically draped and emphasizes the contrasting colors.

Via Twitter, Faith Cummings said, “Color palette at Costello is so warm and perfect. I almost feel heat radiating from the clothes.”

playing up the contrasts

The collection has contrasting color palettes as well as contrasting fabrics. Costello Tagliapietra alternate between a soft jersey and a heavier more structured fabric. Typically for the bolero jackets, they’d need to be double-faced to achieve the contrasting colors, but with AirDye, Jeffery and Robert are able to achieve just the look they want with a single piece of fabric–much more sustainable. As Bonnie Julian, vice president of design for Transprint, puts it, “Using AirDye you can dye one side of the fabric one color and the other side can be completely different. Thus allowing the beauty of the cut, flow, and drape of the fabric to be completely in the hands of the designers. You lose that control when you have to use two pieces of fabric.”

Speaking of sustainability, the average piece in this fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection uses about four and a half yards of fabric. By using AirDye, each item saves between 350 and 450 gallons of water over traditional dye and decoration methods.

Naturally, we’ll have lots more photos and feedback soon. But here’s a quick tour of some other photos posted via Twitter:

photo credit: jezebeljenna – large photo

Oftentimes on this blog, we recommend that companies take steps to conduct themselves more responsibly, and with environmental consideration. While we realize that it is easier to campaign for change, than to actually change, we wouldn’t push for it if we didn’t believe that sensible solutions existed.

Take for instance, the use of banners and display products for trade shows, conferences, and expos. Most banners and display products that are created for a trade show have a limited use, and after the event is over, the product is thrown out.

Although these display products are an important tool for companies, they create an incredible amount of waste, and are environmentally harmful to produce. That’s why companies like Go Green Displays makes bamboo banner stands and Ditto Hangers sells hangers from recycled materials. These companies recognize that displaying your message need not be bad for the environment. For our part, we’ve created a solution we call ecobanner.

the problem with traditional banner products

Over 1.4 billion pounds of vinyl banner materials were consumed in North America in 2007–the majority of which ends up clogging landfills. The printing process includes heavy metals, solvents, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pollute the air and water. Banner production also requires large amount of energy.

what is ecobanner?

Ecobanner is a display product made from post-consumer recycled materials. It is sustainable because it begins as recycled material, and gets recycled again after use. We start by purchasing recycled material from a manufacturer. Then we use AirDye® technology to create vibrant, high-quality display products for customers. When our customers are finished, they return the banners, which are then recycled, and the process repeats.

We’re thrilled that our high-quality display products happen to be environmentally friendly, and so are customers like Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Bill Manley, the brewing company’s communications coordinator, told us why Sierra Nevada picked ecobanner:

In 2010, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will celebrate its 30^th anniversary as a brewery. During that time, the brewery has grown from a small hand-built microbrewery into one of the most well respected craft breweries in the country. This growth has not come from extensive marketing campaigns or relentless television advertisements, but rather from the generous word-of-mouth recommendations of our fans. The way we represent ourselves is very important; we always want to send the right message. ecobanner helps us to send the right message both visually and philosophically.

Originally, we chose ecobanner because of the sustainable focus of the company. Our two businesses share similar philosophies when it comes to producing a superior product with the smallest possible environmental footprint. We both work toward goals of sustainable business practices and feel that environmental stewardship is necessary for the future.

In the past, the quality of printed material suffered when choosing recycled stock or sustainable methods. Ecobanner has completely changed that perception. Print quality, visibility, and durability have all improved since we switched to their banners and we couldn’t be happier.

On our blog we will continue to encourage companies to make choices with the environment in mind. And within our company, we will continue to create solutions that make the choice an easy one.

In a follow-up to our prior post on Wal-Mart’s sustainability index, we are taking a look at the 15 questions Wal-Mart will ask its suppliers.

When Wal-Mart announced their Sustainability Index, they outlined the implementation as a three-part process. The initial phase consists of Wal-Mart surveying its suppliers around the globe, and asking them to answer 15 questions in four categories: energy and climate, material efficiency, natural resources, and people and community. Today we are discussing the first two categories and how AirDye® technology can give suppliers the best chance for an excellent score on the sustainability index.

Looking first at “energy and climate” policies, Wal-Mart would like to know:

1. Have you measured your corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions?
2. Have you opted to report your greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)?
3. What is your total annual greenhouse gas emissions reported in the most recent year measured?
4. Have you set publicly available greenhouse gas reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?

It is easy to set an internal goal of reducing GHG emissions and energy use. The difficult part is modifying operations to achieve those goals. For suppliers of textiles to Wal-Mart, using AirDye technology to dye and decorate could reduce their GHG emissions by up to 84 percent, not to mention this process uses up to 87 percent less energy. A simple, cost effective solution with significant and measurable results.

Under the “material efficiency” category, the questions are:

1. If measured, please report the total amount of solid waste generated from the facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
2. Have you set publicly available solid waste reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
3. If measured, please report total water use from facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
4. Have you set publicly available water use reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?

Using AirDye also helps in this category, because it not only uses no water at the point of coloration, it reduces both working loss and excess inventory. AirDye simply uses air to dye and decorate synthetic fabric, bypassing the liquid state of dye altogether. Instead of mixing dye with water and placing it on the surface of a fabric, our process transforms dye from a solid to a gas, eliminating the liquid state and therefore the need for water.Traditional processes can see working loss rates of 10-15 percent, but with AirDye, working loss rates are around one percent. Additionally, AirDye improves material utilization by allowing manufacturers to run smaller lots. Without the imposed overages of traditional methods, the supply chain is automatically more sustainable. Suppliers can also carry less inventory, as AirDye allows for easy and fast reordering of an exact product amount.

Another significant advantage of  this revolutionary process is that the local water supplies are not polluted due to dyeing and solid waste is drastically reduced. Thus eliminating a major sources of pollution in the textile industry, and allowing manufacturing to take place in more strategic locations.

These questions are aimed at creating transparency and measurable practices, helping Wal-Mart compare companies, and better manage their suppliers. The answers will help quantify where companies currently stand. If your company is a Wal-Mart vendor and you’re using AirDye you can feel confident that you are leading the pack with sustainable production, backed by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research, with quantifiable, verifiable benefits.

According to a new study conducted by Miller Zell, our nation’s retailers are missing the boat when it comes to offering eco-friendly products. In fact, the survey finds that half of all shoppers are willing to pay more for green goods and they universally dissatisfied with the sustainability information.

An interesting finding from the study uncovers a higher willingness of lower income shoppers to pay a premium for green products. In fact they are more likely to pay for eco-friendly items than middle or upper income consumers. Why are lower income shoppers more willing to shell out a higher percentage of their hard-earned cash for “green goods”? Some speculate that this is due to Gen Y Millennials who have just entered the workforce, and who make up a disproportionate percentage of the lower income bracket.

The Miller Zell study also indicates that there is an opportunity for companies to supply more green information at the shelf level. On average, 40 percent of consumers desire more information about green products, with Gen Y Millenials listed as the most interested segment. Although consumers yearn for an increased amount of quality information, retailers are not delivering. The overall availability of in store information on green products received a D- from those who participated in the study. All of this is good timeing for Wal-Mart’s new sustainabilty index labels. The team in Arkansas seem to, once again, know exactly what consumers are looking for.

photo credit: Miller Zell study Stores Not Doing Enough to Sell Green