Information about the health, environmental, or social impact of a company’s products or operations used to be hard for consumer to find. That is changing. As consumers demand more information about the products they buy, new resources are beginning to provide answers. The GoodGuide, which just added ratings for 190 apparel brands, is a perfect example. Founded in 2007, the GoodGuide gives consumers access to a database filled with information about the health, environmental, and social aspects of products.

10% of fashion brands have LCAs

Before rating the 190 apparel brands, GoodGuide researchers spent eight months analyzing each clothing company’s supply chain, product design, corporate transparency, and consumer education. Unfortunately, according to GoodGuide, only ten percent of fashion brands incorporate life-cycle assessments (LCAs) when designing products. Only nine percent publicly disclose the names of their suppliers.

Research and effort are required to determine the sustainability and impact of apparel. For consumers, that research is both difficult and time consuming. GoodGuide is taking a lot of the guess work out of the process. The group already rates household products such as cleaning supplies, personal care items (shampoo and soap, etc.), baby food, toys, cars, even food. Adding apparel is a logical addition.
Continue reading ‘goodguide now evaluates apparel brands’ »

In our last post, we discussed the outdoor apparel industry’s growing commitment to bluesign certification. PrimaLoft, which makes performance insulation products, recently joined the growing list of companies with bluesign approval—or as bluesign prefers to call it, “system partner status.”

The company started with a general screening by bluesign, and that review eventually led to certification.  PrimaLoft’s “ONE,” “SPORT,” and “ECO” insulation products (manufactured in Nantong City, China) will be the first to carry the bluesign endorsement.

PrimaLoft insulation was developed for the U.S. military as a water resistant alternative to goose down. Today, PrimaLoft can also be found in outerwear, home furnishings, and even fashion.

“As a company with roots steeped in the outdoors, PrimaLoft is committed to taking steps to minimize our impact on the environment,” said Eileen Berner, sales and marketing director for PrimaLoft, in a press release. “Achieving the bluesign standard assures consumers, brands and retailers that PrimaLoft is a trusted partner with products that can be not only counted on to perform, but also adhere to strict environmental, health and safety regulations.”

The bluesign label is an added selling point for any company hoping to impress retail customers by touting its sustainability efforts. But it’s also becoming a necessity for textile mills, fabric makers, and other potential suppliers to bluesign “partners” such as Patagonia and The North Face.

Bluesign spokesman Sebastian Baumgartner applauded the PrimaLoft approval. “This is outstanding proof of the acceptance and importance of the bluesign standard in this industry,” he said. “In addition, PrimaLoft will allow a large number of brands, retailers, and end consumers to benefit from the positive effects of the bluesign standard.”

As bluesign certification spreads among influential brands, it creates a ripple effect throughout the industry–creating a higher benchmark for sustainability that both competitors and suppliers will be compelled to match.  It is becoming clear that bluesign is one standard that many in the outdoor industry are eager to meet.

Iconic American jean maker Levi Strauss & Co. has announced the creation of Water<Less jeans for Spring 2011. As the name might imply, creating these jeans uses less water in the washing and finishing process. This has reduced water consumption by an average 28 percent compared to the traditional process while maintaing quality finishes. In some of its line, Levi’s has achieved a water savings of up to 96 percent.

In a normal washing and finishing process, material undergoes anywhere from three to ten washing cycles, which uses approximately 42 liters of water per pair of jeans.

“Sometimes, the way to achieve a more sustainable design is to rethink a traditional process and find a way to do it better,” said Carl Chiara, director of Brand Concepts, in a press release.

To that effect, Levi’s simplified the process by:

• Reducing the number of wash cycles by combining multiple wet processes into one
• Incorporating ozone processing into garment washing
• Removing water from the stone wash, but leaving the stones

“We’re excited about the results we’ve achieved so far, and we know we can make an even bigger impact by applying this innovative thinking to other aspects of our production process,” Erik Joule senior vice president of Merchandizing said.

It’s important to remember the scale of this water savings. In January 2011 Levi’s will put 1.5 million pairs of these out for sale, saving 16 million gallons of water. The company plans to share these water saving techniques with other manufacturers, which will hopefully learn from the example.

Earlier this year we wrote on Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) Plan A program, which aims to transform the retailer into the most sustainable in the world by 2015. One apparently small change they are making is to use fabric from recycled plastic bottles for their clothing labels.

The company has taken a holistic approach to sustainability with Plan A. Marks & Spencer is involving customers, all areas of business and the supply chain, and tackling issues such as waste, raw materials, and climate change.

Continue reading ‘marks & spencer to use recycled plastic care labels’ »

Sustainability and fashion is certainly beginning to pick up steam. And we’re pleased to be invited to join several important events in the coming weeks where the focus is on eco-friendly fashion.

Eco Fashion Week Vancouver

Eco Fashion Week is the premier event in Canada bringing together the fashion and clothing industry, media, buyers, consumers and the worlds of eco practices, style, and sustainability.

Paul Raybin, our chief sustainability and marketing officer, is appearing at two events. At noon on Wednesday, Sept 29, he’s on stage with Mark Trotzuk for a presentation about the lifecycle of fashion. Paul hopes to further the audience’s understanding of life cycle assessment with a focus on water use in the textile industry and offer some suggestions how designers can reduce their water use as they choose textiles, dyes, and decorations.

Then, at 3pm on Thursday, Sept 30, he’s on a panel along with Summer Rayne Oakes and others for a panel discussion and audience Q&A. We’re looking forward to a lively and informative conversation.

Tickets are offered for the runway shows, seminars, and parties. It’s only $10.00 to attend the Lifecycle seminar. We hope to see you there.

Behind the Seams

The week after Vancouver, our Vice President of Textile Division, Bonnie Julian, is on a Behind the Seams panel Sustainability: Business as Usual from 2 to 3:15pm. This all-day affair, put on by Afingo, will be at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The event will be a veritable “how-to” of the fashion industry where attendees will be offered an in-depth look inside all things fashion.

Bonnie will be on stage with other panelist discussing the move towards eco-friendly fashion. Some may wonder if it’s a fad, or what the term even means. Other fashion industry leaders with eco-cred will be on the panel, including Simon Collins, the dean of the School of Fashion, Parsons, and Anthony Lilore, co-founder of Restore Clothing.

You can get tickets for the entire day, or just for the sessions that most interest you. The event is a benefit for Save the Garment Center.

If you’ll be at either event, please say hello.

From the moment we entered the halls of the Salt Palace (the convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah) and saw a giant inflatable mammoth hanging from the ceiling, until the moment we ended our day with a beer courtesy of Teva, we knew this was a different kind of conference. Don’t be fooled though, work is definitely being done at the Outdoor Retailer show. Almost every brand in the industry had a booth at this summer’s event. Retailers as large as REI and as small as Mountain Tools were in attendance, with many buyers making the entire year’s purchase at the show. As this was our first time attending Outdoor Retailer, we wanted to give our overall impressions, highlight trends within the industry, and talk a bit about corporate sustainability.

We’ve written about some of the products earlier in the week. Here’s a recap:

Patagonia finally released the P26 hiking boot it created for the Backpack Magazine Zero Impact challenge. We had a chance to speak with company co-founder and president Demetri “Coup” Coupounas about GoLite’s sustainability efforts, and see the new Tier 1 backpacks made in part from recycled materials. After wandering over to Lafuma/Millet, we saw their recycled packs and eco-friendly un-dyed climbing rope. Then, up on the second level of the Merrell booth, we learned what happened to the company’s NADA concept–we’ll give you a hint, it isn’t gone.

cause no unnecessary harm

What we haven’t yet mentioned is that there were plenty of companies who either had no sustainability initiatives, or did not articulate any to us during our time at Outdoor Retailer. When we spoke with the marketing manager of one prominent outdoor company, we were stunned at how little this representative could tell us about his company’s sustainability efforts. As he was searching for something to talk about, he told us that (and we’re paraphrasing) companies are just expected to be sustainable these days.

Forgive us if we won’t make that assumption. Even among those companies with strong sustainability initiatives, there is doubt about consumer dedication to environmentalism. As Coupounas, told us, “The great mass of consumers does not want to sacrifice performance or pay more for sustainable.”

And that might be the real take-away from Outdoor Retailer: Companies don’t yet feel that the payoff is there to be as sustainable as possible. After all, they are in the business of selling outdoor products, not saving the planet.

Even Patagonia, widely believed by consumers to be one of the most sustainable outdoor companies has a mission statement that acknowledges the fact that the current method of production causes harm to the environment. Patagonia representative Jessica Clayton explained their philosophy, “Make the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement a solution to the environmental crisis.”

In Patagonia’s mission statement the “cause no unnecessary harm” part is present because in order to make a product, some harm has to happen. These are companies that make outdoor products (mostly great products that we enjoy using), and at the end of the day they’re trying to sell you a jacket, or a shoe, or backpack.

One of the issues preventing companies from implementing greater sustainability initiatives is cost. Many of these companies are publicly held, and are therefore beholden to investors, to meeting margins, and to increasing the share price.

“We’re all in this business because we love the outdoors. The challenge in front of us is how to run a business, and do right by the environment,” said Bill Inman of Merrell when asked why companies in the industry don’t do more to be sustainable.

Together, Inman and Coupounas have captured the general business sentiment on sustainability efforts not only within their own industry, but also in that of the greater business community. Companies feel that the realities of the marketplace are such that they cannot afford to produce completely sustainable products. There are very few brands with customers who are willing and able to pay a premium for, and value, 100 percent green gear.

low hanging fruit: recycled plastics

However, our overall impression is that companies are, by and large, embracing sustainability in both product development and corporate initiatives. Perhaps there is a realization, even if just peripherally, that extracting resources from the earth to produce goods that are quickly consumed then buried in landfills is not a business practice that can continue forever.

We’re encouraged by what seemed to be a widespread use of recycled polyester or nylon in products at many booths. Now that the quality of these recycled materials is equal to that of virgin, many companies are spending the extra money to incorporate them into their offerings. We fully expect this trend to continue, especially as the prices for these recycled materials decreases.

Of course, sustainability isn’t limited to carbon footprints or just about using recycled materials. We keep asking what about the water, what about the pollution from dyeing apparel? Only a few brands are taking this question into consideration. Of course, it’s something all of us in the industry should look at given that the textile industry is a major water user and polluter.

In January when we return to Salt Lake City for the winter iteration of Outdoor Retailer, we hope to sit with many of these same companies to discuss just how to produce the best quality apparel, and minimize its environmental impact. After all, what good is outdoor apparel if there’s nowhere left to use it.

In our third post on the Outdoor Retailer show, we’re highlighting Lafuma Group and its latest products and sustainability efforts. The group oversees a handful of brands, including two on display at the show in Salt Lake City: Lafuma and Millet.

Lafuma is a long-time French producer of multi-purpose outdoor gear for hiking, camping, and miscellaneous other uses. Some years back, the company opened its North American headquarters in Colorado in the hopes of expanding its presence in the U.S. market. Millet is the group’s climbing brand, and it produces equipment, apparel, and accessories. Both companies had new products and initiatives to share with us.

Lisa Koker, marketing manager for Lafuma North America, told us about some of the company’s latest sustainability efforts. Its French headquarters recently added a new solar roof and an “eco-café” serving organic produce to employees. On the product front, the company is using recycled polyester and nylon in many of its new backpacks (a trend among companies we spoke with at Outdoor Retailer). Lafuma has been working on a product rating system called the Pure Leaf project, which is meant to gauge the environmental impact of a product – though it’s a more consumer-oriented initiative than the GoLite Index we wrote about in our last post.

Millet, like its sister brand Lafuma, also has created the Beyond 25 backpack, partially built with recycled material. Although the companies may have shared materials for pack production, Millet was displaying one product not found at the Lafuma booth – partially dyed climbing rope. Given their reduced environmental impact, partially dyed or un-dyed products aren’t as common as one might expect. There was only one other company we spoke with using un-dyed materials (we’ll cover that in our next post). A Millet representative told us the company tested a completely un-dyed version of the climbing rope, but that it had performed poorly in focus groups. The partially dyed rope, however, is still an improvement over a traditional rope, environmentally speaking.

“By not dyeing the rope we save 66 percent of the energy,” said Stephane Arnauld, export manager for Millet.

The company also operates a rope reclamation program in Europe, an initiative Millet may expand to the U.S. So far, 180,000 meters of rope have been collected. In addition, Millet produces three climbing products that are made from industrial waste (though they were not featured at Outdoor Retailer).

Millet representatives told us the company’s approach to sustainability is to focus on “low-impact” rather than on recycling. And while that may be true, we expected a bit more information on sustainability from representatives of a company that supposedly has a long history of environmentalism.

We took the time to review Lafuma Group’s 2009 sustainability report, and there is quite a bit of information about recycling old products and using recycled materials in new products. Under the “industry” section of the report, the company includes a breakdown of its internal carbon footprint assessment. Raw material and finished product purchasing accounted for 85 percent of emissions, while freight only represented 5.9 percent. With the vast majority of its carbon footprint represented by raw materials purchasing, we’re betting the company will increase its use of low-impact and recycled materials in the future. We’ll check back with company representatives in the future to see if that’s the case,

A growing number of big brands are instituting recycling programs, then highlighting those efforts in corporate sustainability reports (CSRs) and to consumers. The programs are important for the environment and for retailers. But they also are important steps toward creating a closed-loop recycling future–where new goods are produced from recycled materials, then recycled again.

The following are examples of recent recycling initiatives:

• Target plans to add recycling centers to all of its 1,740 stores. The centers will accept aluminum, glass, and plastic containers, plus plastic bags, MP3 players, cell phones, and printer ink cartridges. The retailer has faced pressure to match the sustainability efforts of competitor Wal-Mart in an ongoing battle of eco one-upsmanship.
• Electronics giant Best Buy is kicking off a new recycling goal to collect one billion pounds of electronics and appliances. The program, which began April 22 (Earth Day), invites consumers to “Recycle It On.” Best Buy officials believe the company will meet the billion-pound goal over the next few years. The program does have certain restrictions. For instance, only three items can be brought in for recycling per person, per day.
• The three largest U.S. wireless phone companies (Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint) have stepped up their recycling programs for mobile phones.
• Specialty grocer Whole Foods, which already provides customers with standard recycling bins, is expanding its program in many stores to also collect corks and #5 plastics for recycling.
• Marks & Spencer, in its updated Plan A program, unveiled a clothing recycling effort–something not commonly found beyond thrift shops and the Salvation Army.  The company plans to help its customers recycle 20 million garments.

Some of the more ardent green activists believe all products should be either biodegradable or recyclable. They want the government to impose restrictions that would prevent the production and sale of items that cannot be disposed of “properly.” Such draconian measures are unrealistic, but those environmentalists are well-intentioned. They want to see complete recycling of all goods.

We too would like to see all goods recycled in a closed-loop system. As technology and economics pave the way for more extensive recycling, we will move closer to a closed-loop reality. In the meantime, the recent surge in recycling programs could be an indication that we’re heading in that direction.

Companies with new recycling programs have an opportunity to demonstrate to consumers that retail outlets can have dual roles: as recycling collection centers as well as places to buy new goods.

Two reasons companies pursue recycling efforts are:

1. It looks good. Companies can boost their environmental credentials and strengthen their brands by highlighting recycling programs for consumers. Recycling is almost universally recognized and associated with good environmental behavior.
2. It brings people into their stores. Like coupons or loss-leaders, recycling programs can attract customers–something vital to all retailers.

Recycling programs at retail centers will increase the amount of goods that are recycled, but those programs alone will not get us to a closed-loop future. Like those ardent environmentalists, more producers of goods should focus on “end of life” (EOL) disposal strategies. We’ve done that with our ecobanner display product, and many companies are beginning to design products with recyclable materials and EOL in mind. The more ubiquitous recycling becomes, and the more companies focus on designing products for EOL, the closer we’ll move to a closed-loop future.

Which other organizations are implementing recycling programs? Share visions of recycling’s future in our comments below.

Marks & Spencer (M&S), the British retailing giant known for selling up-market foods in addition to clothing, announced last month plans to become a sustainable leader in the retail market. The company has updated its Plan A program (originally launched in 2007) to reflect this new goal.

Sir Stuart Rose, chairman of Marks & Spencer, outlined the company’s long term goal in a recent press release:

We’ve now set ourselves the ambitious target of becoming the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015, so that we lead the way in making a positive contribution to the environment and society across everything we do and everything we sell.

M&S plans to dive deep into its supply chain to alter textile production and sourcing. The company has a stated goal of reducing energy use at these facilities by 10 percent. It plans to accomplish that in part by:

• installing energy efficient lighting
• improving insulation
• optimizing temperature controls

In its Plan A document, M&S identified ways to improve its clothing division. Those include:

• Helping customers increase the number of garments they recycle from 2 to 20 million
• Working with suppliers and factories to reduce waste within the supply chain
• Rigorously managing the raw materials and natural resources used to make products
• Paying workers in developing countries a “living-wage” (although M&S didn’t specify what constitutes a living-wage)

Better water management is another featured goal. The company hopes to be 25 percent more water efficient by 2015, and to increase in-store efficiency by 30 percent. To accomplish this, M&S has brought in partners such as the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) to help better understand its corporate water footprint.

The WWF helped M&S identify four key areas along its supply chain where water use could be improved–cotton production, farming, food manufacturing, and dye-houses. In the case of dye-houses, the company plans to create three “eco” dye-houses, and then replicate the most efficient of those processes throughout its supply base.

Dye-houses and traditional textile manufacturers are a large part of the water waste and pollution problem. Redesigning those facilities and using the best water management practices would hopefully help change the culture of pollution in the developing world’s textile industry – and do so without sacrificing profits. After all, while these initiatives may be kinder to the environment, Plan A also needs to offer an overall improvement in profitability.

So far, it appears M&S is on the right track. The company has saved £50 million this year, and it believes bigger savings will come from further execution of Plan A.

Part of what we found compelling about the company’s Plan A program is that executives are being offered incentives to complete goals. We believe that it’s not enough to declare an environmental goal – companies must also inspire employees to get onboard. Providing rewards is a tried and true method, and one that more companies should implement alongside the incentives traditionally awarded for expanding the business or reducing costs. M&S has a long way to go before becoming the world’s greenest retailer, but Plan A might trigger the thorough supply-chain examination needed to get them there.

photo credit: Marks & Spencer

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