Green Fatigued?

Green claims are everywhere. You can't open a newspaper or magazine, turn on the TV or open a web page without some "green" message. Have you tuned out yet? Are you feeling helpless? If you haven't tuned out yet, you will soon. Green is a fad. Sustainability is the real issue and it is not purely environmental. Sustainability is a 3 pronged fork - environmental impact, social impact and community impact combine to create an overall picture of sustainability. All three must be addressed to arrive at a truly sustainable future.

Sifting through all the media claims out there is discouraging and exhausting consumers. Advertising claims need to be simplified and easy to verify. According to Jennifer Maxwell-Muir in her Advertising Age article, media needs to make sure they are on point and not adding to the "green" hype. Maxwell-Muir suggest 7 Steps for Mainstream Media to follow when covering "Green" stories to help reduce Eco-Fatigue:

In essence, Maxwell-Muir advises that unless a "green" product truly addresses a consumer want or need on some level, consumers will not be interested. A focus on the solution for the consumer should be the thrust of the story with "green" offering added value. "Green" should be a core value, not a marketing gimmick. Method is a company who does this well. They have created hip product and packaging for their cleaning and bath supplies. The product sells AND they offer "green" as an added value.

Sincere efforts to "green" a company or product should be shouted - loud and proud. Consumers appreciate attention to sustainability issues and will support companies and products that demonstrate attention to these matters. Patagonia, a company who has had "green" as a core value for many years, is often ignored by main stream media. Timberland, discussed last week, is a company who also pays attention to each of the 3 prongs to work in concert for a sustainable business model.

The real stories are in the product or business model striving for sustainability and that is where the media focus should lie. Consumers would get the valuable information they desire without the "green" masking.

Till next week -- Recycle, Restore, Rescue, Renew

Timberland's Green Index

Today I 'd like to focus on Timberland's 'Green Index' label. Timberland has long been a leader in CSR especially on environmental issues, so much so that they have a position for Manager of Environmental Stewardship. As of March 31, 2008 that position was held by Betsy Blaisdell. In an interview with DNR (Daily News Record) published on that date, Blaisdell discusses Timberland's efforts, the efforts of other Fashion companies and Fashion consumers.

According to Blaisdell, change will happen through small initiatives so consumers should support and encourage them. She states that consumers have become more educated about the environment and more critical of green claims so it is important for companies to be transparent and honest to build consumer trust.

Last year, Timberland introduced 'Green Index' labeling in Fall 2007 for about 60 SKUs of footwear. The label provides consumers with a measure of environmental impact for a particular product. 3 major factors are rated on a scale from 0-10 with 0 being lower impact and 10 being higher impact. The 3 categories covered are: Climate Impact (through production), Chemicals Used ( Presence of hazardous substances like PVC and Solvent adhesives), & Resource Consumption ( Reduced by the use of recycled, organic and renewable materials. More information is provided in the shoe box, but the Index allows consumers to see how Timberland is doing at a glance. Consumers can determine where the environmental impact is greatest and armed with this information, they can vote with their purchase power and provide feedback to Timberland about which environmental issues are their greatest concerns.

Blaisdell relates that the label reflects the good work they are doing as well as the hard work they still have to do. Efforts include a distribution center in the Dominican Republic which is powered by wind and solar energy. Unfortunately these renewable energy sources only contribute 1% of the energy needed to support the building. In a California center, they have had more success with 60% of the needed energy supplied by solar panels.

Timberland's goal is to become carbon neutral by 2010 in its owned and leased facilities. This is likely a reasonable goal. Timberland produces about 30,000 tons of carbon per year, but the supply chain produces 300,000 tons of carbon per year. The challenge lies in the supply chain as the issues become more complex at each level, for example, raw material extraction processes may need major investment to reduce their environmental impact.

Timberland's task is to design items which do not require carbon-intensive materials or processes. This must start at the very beginning of the design process to insure success. When this is the mission of design, designers can build in the appropriate criteria in the process and not try to fix a product at the end.

Blaisdell also suggests the development of a common industry standard to measure impacts and improvements.

I would suggest a standard system of consumer labeling as well.

Till next week -- Recycle, Restore, Rescue, Renew

A New Meaning for Fashion

What if we adopt a new meaning for Fashion still based on invention and creating something new, but not only in the aesthetic sense of the product? What if we begin to regard Fashion as products that demonstrate invention through their use of innovative materials that are sustainable.

Horst Rechelbacher, Founder of Intelligent Nutrients, Aveda lays out an argument for all materials from fabrics to cosmetics to be sourced from organically grown food substances in his whitepaper, " Tomorrow is the New Now, " Future Fashion White Papers, copyright 2007 Earth Pledge. ISBN 978-0-9675099-2-1.

Organic substances for food could have the same positive effect on Fashion:

1.Protect us from the elements with fewer pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and GMOs heading into the soil, waterways and atmosphere.

2.Protect us by exposing us to less toxins in our drinking water, air, food, clothes and cleansing water.

3.It is easily recognizable because there are regulations and labeling for certified organic foodstuffs (Note: The NYT reported that many certifiers were certifiying items that did not meat the criteria.)

4.It helps slow climate change because organically farmed soil holds more carbon in the soil and releases less carbon into the air, curbing our excessive carbon footprint.

5.It is authentic. Fashion should be about non-toxicity and if it isn't, it should be called pollution.

6. It makes sense to put something that wouldn't harm you if swallowed onto your body.

Now that is what I call Food For Thought;)

Till next week -- Recycle, Restore, Rescue, Renew

The 3rd Piece of the Puzzle

We've talked about Government and Business. Now it's time to discuss the 3rd party in the dance - Consumers. That's me and you and we have power! We can decide where to put our hard earned cash. How we spend, what we buy and from what retailers is based on our perception and motivation. These are things we can control, but it can often be a full time job to research responsible choices.

Let's focus on apparel for a moment. Production often includes environmentally damaging processes. It may include environmentally damaging raw materials as well. Transporting raw materials and finished product adds to pollution. Consumer's travel to purchase products adds to pollution. The plastic and paper bags the garments are put in add to pollution. Cleaning apparel often includes environmentally unfriendly chemicals - most dry cleaning chemicals are not green and many laundry detergents are unfriendly as well. Now consider this in a Fast Fashion world where the consumer wants the hottest new trends and are continuously buying and throwing garments away. It's pretty scary.

The up side is that each of us has the power to make more environmentally friendly choices:

•First, we can choose to purchase only garments made from organic cotton or re-cycled material, and select brand labels that commit to minimum labor standards. This area can be a bit dicey because it is often difficult to determine if the dyes or embellishments on a garment are environmentally friendly. There are issues with organic cotton. And not all companies are transparent about their labor policies.

•Next, we can examine the country of origin and determine how far the products are traveling to reach us. Again there are lots of pitfalls based on labeling laws which we will discuss in a future post.

•We can definitely decide where to buy and how to get there. We can determine how much gas and other energy we are going to use to purchase our products. Public Transportation is often available. Bikes are reasonable in some instances. While it is great to support mom and pop stores, in some locations a trip to a big box retailer may be more energy efficient for the consumer. Weigh the pros and cons of each option available to you for each purchase you make.

•Every one of us can stop using retailer bags - plastic or paper. Many retailers are offering reusable bags. Following the lead of grocery stores, retailers from Target (note the materials used for this bag are durable, but they are not particularly enviro friendly) to Steve Madden are offering options. Europeans have been using string bags for years. My personal tip - keep a string bag in every purse, tote and your car. They are inexpensive, durable and stretch to hold many items. Train yourself to have one with you and then you won't need another bag ever.Get on the DIY band wagon and make your own.

•Check your personal clean clothing obsession. Can you get away with wearing a garment twice before washing? How often do you need to dry clean? Fewer loads of laundry save energy, water and lower the use of harmful chemicals. Change your laundry detergent to an environmentally friendly brand - both Method and Seventh Generation are available in my local stores, Target and Whole Foods respectively, and you can always shop online. Is there an environmentally friendly dry cleaner in your area? In the Philadelphia area there are at least 2 choices: Kim’s Cleaners, 414 South 20th Street (215-546-5595); Green Cleaners, 897 Southwest End Boulevard, Quakertown (215-538-1006).

Training yourself to think before you shop is the first step to changing your personal Fashion Footprint.
Till next week--