To Be or Not To Be, This is the Question?

I’m sure when Shakespeare wrote the famous phrase from Hamlet “To be or not to be, this is the question”, he wasn’t referring to being sustainable, yet this is the question that corporations must ask themselves.  One of the most important things I learned this weeks are the obstacles that the apparel industry face today.  I almost want to say it is going to be impossible to get this industry to change but I learned that there are companies that are successful in this endeavor.  They are implementing sustainable practices that are helping our environment and making a profit.  As a merchandising student and consumer, I can take this information and do two things with it.  One, look for companies that are using these practices and work for them, buy from them and spread the word to others about the good things that these companies are doing.  Two, I can sit back and continue to live like I have been for the past 19 years of my life and do nothing.  So, it’s not just the corporations that must ask themselves this question.  I must also. To be or not to be, this is the question?  I choose to be! I know that I have only touched the surface of the things I can learn about sustainability.  Next, I want to understand more about how I can help a company implement these standards into their operations and make a difference.  

Are You Ready to Take the Challenge?      

How you ever been to a cornfield maze?  You have to maneuver through and successfully come out the other end but along the way there are many walls that you cannot go through.  You may feel like you will never find your way out.  When you compare the two pictures above, which view would you rather have before you enter the maze?  The first picture.  It does not give you much to work with or the second picture.  It helps you to see the whole view.  You can look at the obstacles and figure your way around the barriers.  Ann Thorpe’s book The Design Atlas for Sustainability explains that there are many barriers that designers face in pursuing sustainable design today but she gives you some strategies to address these issues.  In other words, how to find you way out of the maze. 

This is exactly what I have been trying to do since I started my journey to learn more about sustainability.  My family has two businesses and I have been trying to think about ways I can apply what I’ve learned to them.  One major factor that keeps standing out to me is the bottom line.   How will it affect the profits because I know that will be the first question that my dad will ask me when I propose he change his business philosophy.  Thorpe states that the private sector market is governed by the “bottom-line” of profits. Designers have had an big part in influencing this expansion.  Once mass production was available, designers were changing their product more often in hopes of increasing their sales. Consumers no longer just buy what they need but they buy what they desire.  This has created a society that operates on debt.  Instead of saving the money and buying what we need, we extend ourselves to buy what we want.  My dad calls this instant gratification.  Here is where the problem lies.  The economy must expand or we will not have the means to pay back our debt.  This is the driving force for production design in the private sector (private individuals and companies).  A private company measures its success on how many products it has sold.  To be successful they must sale more.  An example of this is a clothing designer will have new styles for their line all four seasons.  As a whole, this group does not allow human value to interfere with the economic bottom line.  The challenge is getting the private sector to put a value on the environment. There are still obstacles that exist in this group even if a company makes the decision to become sustainable.  It is unlikely that they will share their knowledge with their competitors because they would not want to give the competition an edge.  I was able to find an example of a company that has put a value on the environment and the needs of others.  It is called FEED.  Co-Founded by Lauren Bush, daughter-in-law of Ralph Lauren.  FEEDs mission is to create good products that help FEED the world.  They sale FEED bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories.  They have a set donation built into the cost of each product.  Since FEED was founded in 2007, they have given over 6 million dollars and 60 million meals. Watch this short video that tells about their philanthropy efforts.   

There are two more sectors we must look at when talking about sustainability and the economy.  They are the public and non-profit sectors.  Both of these groups have tried to put a dollar value on the environment.  The pubic sector (government) has tried to accomplish this through regulations.  The governmental agency that regulates the carbon footprint of businesses on the environment is the Environmental Protection Agency also known as the EPA.  Some obstacles that sustainability faces in this sector is not enough inspectors to make sure that companies are following these guidelines.  Also, not every nation has regulations and many companies will do business in these countries for a lower cost.  Non-profit organizations (neither businesses nor government), the third sector has grown dramatically over the past 50 years.  This alone is a sign that the other two sectors, private and public, are not doing their part in addressing society’s concerns.  Designers in this group can work on sustainability issues that are doing things for a good cause. They may concentrate on research and share the information.  As I stated earlier, a corporation may not want to share its knowledge, where a non-profit wants to distribute this information. Another advantage with this sector is the training and education about sustainability issues.  The Excel program offered by Ethical Fashion Forum, a non-profit organization, aims to offer training and resources to support fashion businesses. It puts the spotlight on the businesses that are pioneering in ethical practices alongside great products- and encourage the best new creative minds to tackle sustainability challenges.  Another nonprofit making a difference in our industry is Common Threadz.  This program aims to help orphans and vulnerable children in developing nations to reach their full potential. They accomplish this through the sells of T-shirts, bracelets and shoes.  This companies bottom line is profit but designing for a cause.  One of the projects they fund is purchasing school uniforms.  Children in Africa have been refused schooling for not being able to purchase a uniform. Common Threadz is helping to combat this issue.

Culture is another critical feature in understanding sustainability.  Cultural sustainability is to create and maintain general human well-being.  Design tries to satisfy people needs.  With over 6 billion people living on our planet, it is hard to figure out what is “well-being”. Although we are distinctive, we all have needs.  Methods that satisfy our needs vary widely. Our society has evolved in the last century to having their needs met externally rather than internally.  Can design help people meet there needs more successfully?   Thorpe tells us there are four themes when exploring well being.  First theme is communication.  In the past, we would have communicated through letter writing, church functions or live performance.  This type of communication required some type of personal interaction.  Today we seem to have one-way communication through the media.  This provides little interaction with each other.  Second, we like to acquire more things than we have ever before. Our great grandparents bought material possession out of need not desire.  The third obstacle that sustainability faces today is time.   I want it NOW!   It is all about me and not the community.  

I believe this video is a good illustration of how we are today.  Fourth, We like to live in cities today compared to living in the country enjoying the peacefulness of our surroundings.  So, this is how I picture us today.  I see a TV advertised on TV, that’s kind of funny in its self.  I want it now, but I don’t just want one, which would suffice my needs, I want one for every room in the house.  I bring them home.  Then my family, four of us, all sit in separate rooms watching our favorite shows. No interaction with each other. I sit in my house watching TV all day and do not go outside to enjoy any of the beauty that God created for me.  Are my needs really being met?  I do have a TV for every room in my house, but is that really what I want?  Is that what makes me happy?  I believe that’s what everyone is telling me will make me happy, but yet I’m not.  What can designers do to turns us back to satisfying our needs internally?  Are there ways that designers can get the consumer to be part of the process? Open design is a process in which the user gets involved with the designer.  Getwear is a online website that allow you to be the designer and create the jeans that you want.

If the consumer is involved in the process, maybe the product will mean more to them and they will not want to discard it so quickly.  Another strategy that Thorpe recommends for facing today’s obstacles is cooked verse raw.  A perfect example of this is the Do It Yourself phenomenal that is taking place today.  You can walk into any Lowe’s or Home Depot and find many hands on projects.  Recently, I had the pleasure of doing one of these hands on projects myself.  I had a floor in our home that needed to be sealed.  I could have called someone to do it for me, but I decided that I could do this myself.  It was not hard and every time I look at that floor, I feel a bit of accomplishment that I did it.  I believe this is what Thorpe is referring to your needs being fulfilled internally. 

This week, I was discussing this issue, sustainability, with my dad and he made the comment that has taken us about 2000 years to get to this state we are in.  It will not be fix quickly.  I informed him that it has not taken us this long.  That is has only been the past century that we really have taken a turn for the worst.  As we learned in the beginning of The Atlas it was the Industrial Revolution’s mass production that starting the process of using our resources faster than we could replenish them.  You can see how Thorpe’s book outlines for us ways that we can combat some of the barriers that designers face.  Are you ready to take on the challenge?  I am.

Reflection

I’m continually amazed at how mistaken I was about what sustainability is all about.  Before my research, I would have said it’s about buying something made from organic material.  Now, if you would have asked what that meant, I could not have explained it myself.  The most important thing I learned this week is the Cradle 2 Cradle approach.  I had no idea that you could create a product that would be good for the environment when you are finished with it as the fabric that Roehner produced.  What a great concept, being able to sell their scraps to local gardeners as mulch. Then on the other side, Patagonia using recycled plastic bottles to make their product.  Keeping the closed loop cycle and not ever having waste. I can make a more informed decision about the clothing that I choose to purchase.  I have already starting talking to my family members about what I am learning and hopefully they will be informed consumers.  I love both of these concepts and want to know more companies that are using the Cradle 2 Cradle approach.  I would like to know more about how to get this message out to the general public. Knowledge is power.  

What Not to Wear

Last week, I bought a new flatiron for my hair.  As I checked out, I never thought about where it would end up once it had served its purpose.  Ann Thorpe author of The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability uses an illustration of a toaster in the middle of a field to remind the reader where that toaster will spend most of its time here on earth. 

Designers today only think about the object itself. They must expand their thinking to include the whole life cycle of products, and have a concept of the procedures necessary to eliminate waste.  If designers would use the earth and its ecosystem as an example, then we could create products that would become nutrients; products that give back instead of take away, when they decompose.  In other words, Waste=Food.  This is the concept that McDonough & Braungart in Cradle to Cradle want designers to follow.  A perfect example of this concept was the collaboration the two men had with DesignTex and Rohner, a Swiss textile mill, to design a compostable fabric.  They determined which dyes could be used that were not harmful to the environment, and used this knowledge to produce a fabric.  Not only did they produce the material initially desired, but they also discovered several unexpected side effects.   The factory trimmings that had once been considered hazardous waste were now clean and could be sold as mulch to local gardeners.  The needs for regulations were eliminated, and the use of gloves and masks were no longer needed by employees and the DesignTex and Rohner saw financial gains.  The partnership had created a product that eliminated waste.  It had a nutrient that was biodegradable and became food for the biological cycle.

What made this product unique is that the fabric was developed to be sustainable from the beginning, but what do we do with products that are filling up our landfills today?   Recycle, a word I’m sure you have heard before but may not understand its true meaning.  It is taking a product and repurposing it as something of greater utilization and fundamental value in its second life.  This process is also known as up cycling.  No, that doesn’t mean riding your bicycle up a hill.  One company, Patagonia, has made tremendous advances in the process of up cycling. They ask customers to bring their worn out garments to the store, and these garments are then placed back into their supply chain.  The garments are shipped to Japan where they are then broken down to its molecular structure, and reformed into new polyester to be made into another product.  Once again, Waste=Food except this is known as a technical nutrient, which stays in a closed loop cycle, so that it does not contaminate the biological cycle.  

My aunt, an environmental geologist, and I were discussing last night at dinner what I have been learning. I was sharing with her Patagonia’s process for recycling and she asked a great question.   What is the negative impact to our environment from the fuel consumption and air emissions when they send the material to Japan to be processed?  Wouldn’t it be better if they could have that process done closer to their headquarters in California?  I have just found a company, SustainU, that is working hard to do all the above. They are using 100 percent sustainable fabrics, creating jobs here at home and by doing so they have reduced the fuel and emissions created by the shipping process.  From start to finish, their products take less than a 200-mile radius of transport to create yarn, knit the fabric, and cut and sew the clothes. Watch their video on how they are creating jobs here in America. 

New Old Jobs from sustainU on Vimeo.

The AAFA, American Apparel & Footwear Association, is making it easier for companies to know what chemicals are considered harmful to the environment.  It released a list of all chemical and other substances that are restricted by a government regulation or law. It is the Restricted Substance List (RSL). Hanes Brand Inc. helped to lead the way in the development of the RSL, which is updated every six months.  Companies must have a transparent supply chain to allow them to successfully trace the supply of fibers, such as organic cotton, back to the farm where they were grown.  An example of a company doing this is NAU pronounced “now”.  They independently test all their products against the RSL of chemicals.  While many chemicals are inexpensive many of them are toxic to the environment.  Chemicals such as arylamines, which has been linked to bladder cancer, are found on the list.  Other chemicals that made the list are:  solvents, pesticides and asbestos.  These substances range from ozone depletion, overexposure can cause death and is linked to certain forms of cancer.  Nike is another company forging ahead in this endeavor to produce a more sustainable product.  You can find the RSL on their website that suppliers must follow. 

GOTS certification is another way a company can show the public their effort to be sustainable. GOTS is an acronym for Global Organic Textile Standard.  To earn this certification, the fabric must contain a minimum of 70% organic fibers while prohibiting the use of toxic finishing agents. Forum for the Future talked about the difficulty in following the supply chain.  This certificate helps ease the minds of the designer and the consumer to know that the product has undergone inspection and fits the criteria set by GOTS.  You might ask yourself, how do I trust this certification.  Their inspectors are making sure that certain chemicals are not being used in these fabrics such as heavy metals.  Heavy metals in small amounts are essential in the operation of our bodies but too much can be harmful to us.  The purchase of GOTS products assures the consumer that it is free of these harmful chemicals.  Harmony Art is a company that has just received its GOTS certification.  The chart below helps to ease the mind of their customer that there are no toxins in their fabrics.

Organic Cotton Plus recently received it certification from GOTS and proudly displays it on their website.  Due to the interest in their GOTS-certified fabrics, they will be increasing their organic fabric offerings by 50% this year. 

Who would have ever thought you would have to consider so much before you purchased a product?  We are a society that trusts the people in charge. As patients, we trust the doctors.  As students, we trust our professors. As Americans, we trust our Government.  As consumers, we trust the designers.   I would pose the question, should we?  I’m not saying to not trust anyone but it is up to us, the consumer, to make ourselves aware of what it being used in the products we purchase.  A smart consumer is an informed consumer.  As you look into your closet today, instead of considering what to wear, you might want to consider What Not to Wear!

Reflection

This week has been very informative.  I needed a book entitled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sustainability for Dummies because I knew little about sustainability. One of the most important things I have learned during the course is that awareness of the effects of hazardous materials is key to understanding how to go about stopping their use.  Until now, I had not paid much attention to how the products I buy effect the environment, or what others are doing around me to combat the problem.   This past Sunday, I walked into my church and saw a box for Clothing Drive, and I believe if it had been there two weeks ago I might not have even noticed it.  My blinders have come off.  I now plan on starting to make a conscious effort to be informed and inform others of the problems that face the apparel industry.  I, along with others, can encourage or even demand that designer products are sustainable.  This is what Armstrong & LeHew referred to as a paradigm shift. What was useful and relevant to me about this article is two fold.  First, as a consumer, I want to be more conscientious about the garments that I purchase.  There are several companies such as Puma, J Crew, Patagonia, Nike and Levi that are doing their part to better our environment and these are the types of stores that I would like to support.  Second, as an apparel student, and one that would like to pursue a career in buying, it informed me of the companies that I would like to work for, or even ones that I might be able to change.  As I continue my pursuit of knowledge on this subject, I would like to learn more about how the corporate level can become more sustainable.  

 Sustainapparel

               Environmental conservation and sustainability in any industry are some of the most important topics of my generation. For this reason, it is my opinion that we be educated in these topics and be ready to face the challenges they present. While important in all industries, these issues are especially significant in fashion and design. Designers throughout the apparel industry must decide for themselves whether or not to be sustainable. There are two basic schools of thought. The first school of thought advocates the “all or nothing ” approach, which The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability by Ann Thorpe calls the purist approach.   Another is, “the quick fix” which Thorpe refers to this as the impure approach.  I believe we can learn from both sides and begin to make progress towards a better environment for future generations.  For the Apparel Industry to improve the sustainability of its products there must be compromise amongst the key players such as: designers, manufacturers, government, distributors and consumers.  Our industry currently is unsustainable due to many years of bad practices, and I do not believe we will be able to solve this problem quickly. 

              We learn in Shifting the New Dominant Social Paradigm in the Apparel Industry:  Acknowledging the Pink Elephant by Armstrong and LeHew that the downward spiral toward unsustainability began with the industrial revolution, and the resultant mass-production of products.  Products became much more readily available, which led to a general decrease in pricing and ultimately causing consumer demand to dramatically increase.  This elevated demand created a higher need for the supplies used in the manufacturing of consumer products, which led to an overuse and reduced availability of our natural resources.  A consumer culture was created as a result of the advances in production, which led to consumers quickly disposing of products because they wanted the newer, better model or version.  We are now disposing of products at a faster pace than we can replenish them.  This process then repeats and builds upon itself creating a continuous cycle of destruction to the environment.  Something needs to be done but the question is How? Who? What?

             According to Fashioning Sustainability: Forum of the Future, there are many factors that make it difficult for the fashion industry to change. This includes a cascade of procedures and steps that must be performed in order to attempt to initiate any sort of change in regards to sustainability. It is also extremely difficult to monitor and ensure that sustainable practices are being maintained, but it is vital that we in the fashion industry be willing to step up and be willing to make necessary sacrifices in order to initiate change. The initial reforms must begin with the design itself. The Design Atlas says that today’s definition of a good design is any design that sells.  This does not take into account any environmental or social issues.  A sustainable designer must consider how their design affects the environment from start to finish with questions such as:  What materials they will use and how will the consumer care for them?  Will the farmer use harmful pesticides that could harm himself or his workers?  How is the product dyed?  Will the production line have ‘sweatshops’ where the workforce is underpaid, work excessive hours in dangerous conditions or employ children?  This just scratches the surface of the things one should consider to create a sustainable product.  Fashioning Sustainability explains how the supply chain is difficult to follow and that transparency of operations is key to uncovering the hazardous practices that can occur. For example, PUMA is a company that has launched a long-term sustainable program and they have just introduced new packaging for their shoes.  Check out this video to see how this one decision is positively affecting our environment.  

              Another important factor that needs to be considered is consumerism.  As stated earlier, the consumer has been taught the more you have the better you are.  With this kind of thinking, it is difficult to apply the concept of sustainability.  According to Armstrong and LeHew, a paradigm shift has to happen in the apparel industry for significant change to happen.  Changing consumer habits will not be easy.  I am the consumer that needs to shift my behavior and I know how I love to buy new clothes, but I do believe it is not an impossible task.  Designer Katharine Hamnett used this t-shirt design to bring attention to the plight of cotton farmers in the hopes of inspiring the public to change its buying habits.

                                                                                 

http://www.ejfoundation.org/page676.html

Here is another example of how a major company is trying to encourage change in consumer behavior.  The Disney channel has decided not to advertise any junk food on its commercials during their morning cartoons.  I believe that pressure from consumer groups to fight childhood obesity has had an influence on this decision.  I know this doesn’t affect our industry but we can learn from their lead.  What if Macy’s, a large retailer, decided to only advertise with companies that used organic cotton, what would the result be?

                                                                      

    

 Link to article on Disney: 

http://health.heraldtribune.com/2012/06/06/disneys-      

 new-diet-for-children-no-more-junk-food 

              

             The apparel industry has had many years to establish the hazardous conditions that we see today and there may not be a quick fix to this extensive problem, but there does seem to shift in the way the fashion industry does business and changes are beginning to be made. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.  The industry must now move toward the deeper problems. We must now become conscious of the underlying issues that are not visible from the surface including our habits, practices and behaviors as consumers and pursue further changes to better obtain a more sustainable industry.  This is an achievable goal.  No one would have believed 50 years ago that smoking in restaurants or the work place would be taboo, but they are due to a paradigm shift. The old adage of knowledge is power is extremely applicable in this situation. It is crucial for this topic to get out to the general public. We not only as members of the apparel industry but also as consumers have a responsibility to better understand the importance of sustainability. As we become more knowledgeable about the issues at hand, we will ultimately become better equipped to resolve the challenges with which we are faced.

Here are websites that show you companies that are already trying make a difference:


Patagonia

http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=68400

http://www.patagonia.com/us/footprint/


Nike’s adopted waterless dyeing techniques

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/02/07/color-it-green-nike-adopt-waterless-textile-dyeing


Levi's Latest Bid for a Greener Pair of Jeans

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/11/04/levis-latest-bid-greener-pair-jeans

4 Ways Timberland Will Halve Its Carbon Footprint by 2015

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/10/20/4-ways-timberland-will-halve-its-carbon-footprint-2015

North Face's First CSR Report Reveals Green Goals, Early Progress

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/29/north-faces-first-csr-report-reveals-green-goals-early-progress

http://www.nordicfashionassociation.com/28236/

Target Hits a Bullseye Introducing Sustainability to a Mass Market

http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/04/target-bullseye-view-sustainability-mass-market/

Kohl’s Green Scene  

http://www.kohlsgreenscene.com/