Post: The fourth or There and green again.

This will be a bit lengthy, as it is yet another assignment for my English class, however please feel free to comment, ask questions and creatively dissect it.  This is a rough draft so the more feedback the better. :)

Increasing public awareness of environmental problems has raised public demand for more conscientious business models (Gallarotti. 1995),(CMN. 2005).  Apparel design and production can be a wasteful industry that negatively impacts the environment (Claudio. 2007).  However, by changing a few aspects of the basic business model, we can create a sustainable design firm that is lucrative, has a positive impact on the local environment and minimal negative impact on the greater environment.  The key details are found in the brick and mortar facility, design process and in manufacturing and production.  By implementing the following changes, the business can stand to benefit both from being considered as a green institution, save money by reducing overhead costs and open up for funding by public and private parties looking to fund green operations.

The start of any business is in its facility.  The basic requirements of an apparel production, as found in Table 1.1, rely heavily on electricity and water.  If the structure is built with insulation in mind, it will minimize the amount of electricity needed for heating or cooling.  For the sake of example, a combination single story building built from super adobe or cinder block with turf roof would optimize the amount of natural insulation while preserving the bulk of open ground space. One could hardly deny the marketability of a business operated out of something that looked like a Hobbit house, Image 1.1 (Clark. 2011) and 1.2 (Vigil. 2011).  Second, providing as many sources of natural light as possible minimizes the need for additional lighting during daylight hours.  Using ample skylights and prisms to take advantage of overhead light will further minimize the need for additional lighting.  Additionally, positioning the building so that it receives maximum light, while not receiving direct sun during the hottest times of year, will aid in temperature maintenance and consistent lighting.  Finally, rooms with the majority of natural light should be used as the production rooms while rooms with less light can be reserved for uses such as restrooms, storage, dye processes and others which may be less frequently used Image 1.3.  Third, supplementary power sources should be used to offset the remaining electric burden.  Based on location, wind and solar additions can be installed.  Finally, a gym for a business is often seen as a perk, however creating a gym with cycles hooked to generators and battery packs can act as an additional power supply for the whole operation.  According to Adam Boesel, of Green Microgym, the Human Dynamo prototype “can produce 200 watts to 600 watts of energy an hour” (Glascock. 2008). 

The second aspect is the design process.  In this, there are often many places where materials are wasted, thus impacting both the environment and costs.  The draping and drafting processes can reduce their waste by working with recycled papers and by making greater use of scrap for draping.  Once basic slopers are established, additional creative design can be done via computer to minimize scrap paper production.  Computers are being used more in this process since it is more cost efficient to complete much of the drafting via computer program than by hand.  Programs like CAD allow for grading and truing to be done automatically.  Another practice, becoming more popular for larger firms, though is slower in coming for smaller firms, is to arrange patterns for cut with minimal scrap.  This both minimizes costs and minimizes waste of resources.

Manufacturing and production serve the greatest impact to both cost and the environment.  To start the process, material selection is a key component.  The materials in Table 2.1 have been chosen based on their minimal impact on the environment.  Any product that can be reused will help to reduce waste and, when using services like RecycleMatch, can cost far less than virgin product.  When looking at recycled product, natural fibers have minimal impact, however with polyester only one company has perfected a system of recycling that does not create more negative impact than the production of virgin polyester.  Victor Innovatex has created eco-intelligent polyester which is suitable for some applications, but not necessarily for apparel design yet.  However, Teijin Fibers Inc. has announced its intent to produce what they are calling ECO CIRCLE PlantFiber (Tejin Staff. 2011).   As research continues, recycled polyester may be added to the list, it is not currently environmentally beneficial enough to be considered at this time.   Of the other materials, bamboo is, perhaps the most renewable.  As a grass variety, it is possible to harvest bamboo without removing the root structure or having to replant.  Leather is not a material that can be recycled, as such, however it can be raised in organic conditions and can be upcycled or reclaimed from other applications.  Perhaps most importantly, in the production and manufacture category is the importance of minimizing waste through improper fit or poor quality.  On average, each person in the US throws away 68lbs of clothing and textiles over the course of one year (Claudio. 2007), according to the EPA.  Though much of this is due to consumer mindset, much too can be attributed to clothing wearing out quickly or being ill fitting and unwearable.  By creating a more direct fit to customer approach, much of that wasted production can be eliminated.  The most similar model to this approach would be a traditional tailor’s shop.  Slopers are developed based on a set of core fit models of varying body types.  For example, one hippy shape, one bust heavy shape, one slim and one apple shape.  From these core lines the core styles would be developed.  The end line would contain a full set of looks flattering to each figure and available in a set number of prints or colors.  Instead of the single fit model approach this would maximize fit for a wider audience and minimize garment discard due to ill fit. 

      There are more practices that can be changed to optimize the operation of a green apparel company, but facility, design and production are the largest contributing factors.  Due to the rise in concern for the environment, the US Government (USDA) has allocated $11 million for grants (ProtectingOurEnvironment Staff. 2010).  In addition to private grants, there is more money available than ever for business that operate “Green”.  So, not only does an apparel firm which implements these changes benefit from the peace of mind that goes with a job well done, but they also benefit from minimizing their cost of production and stand to gain funding from sources previously unavailable to them.  It pays to be green.

References

Clark, M. (2011). Grass roof houses. Wikipedia Commons.            http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grass-roof_houses.jpg

Claudio, L. (2007). Waste couture: Environmental impact of the clothing industry.  Environmental              Health Perspectives.  115:A449-A454. doi:10.1289/ehp.115-a449.             http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2007/115-9/EHP115pa449PDF.PDF

CMN. (2005). Demand for Organic Dairy Products in USA Exceeds Supply.  Sustainable Marketing .com.                  http://www.sustainablemarketing.com/content/view/115/80/

Giulio M. G. (1995). “It Pays to Be Green: The Managerial Incentive Structure and Environmentally Sound             Strategies" Columbia Journal of World Business 34.4 (1995): 38-57.
http://works.bepress.com/giulio_gallarotti/17

Glascock, S. (2008, August). Calories come off and lights come on. Los Angeles Times.                 http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/25/nation/na-gym25

Khalili, N. (2011).  What is Superadobe? Cal-Earth: The California Institute of Earth Art and            Architecture.  http://calearth.org/building-designs/what-is-superadobe.html

Michigan State University. (2006).  What is a green roof?   Green roof research program.

http://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/#What%20is%20a%20green%20roof

Natural-Environment Staff. (2008). Why recycled polyester isn’t necessarily Eco-Friendly. Natural            Environment Blog. http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/01/27/why-recycled-polyester-isnt-necessarily-eco-friendly/

ProtectingOurEnvironment Staff. (2010). Green business grants. Protecting our environment: Wildlife    conservation. Sustainable Travel. Nature Photography. http://protectingourenvironment.com/green-business-grants/

Tejin Staff. (2011). Tejin to launch bio-derived PET fiber in 2012. Tejin: Human chemistry, human               solutions. http://www.teijin.co.jp/english/news/2010/ebd101210.html

Vigil, D. (2011). Earth 1. Earth One gallery. http://calearth.org/galleries/earth-one.html

Post: The third, or The grass is always greener.

As an owner of an environmentally conscious apparel design firm, I would like to shed some light on the problem of greenwashing.  Greenwashing is a practice used by some companies to give the illusion that their products are more environmentally sound than they really are.  It is an unethical practice that confuses consumers and sometimes shakes consumer confidence in truely green products if they find the product purchased is not actually what they paid for.  Currently, greenwashing falls under the heading of false advertising, which can be hard to prove.  Greenwashing is a long standing problem that needs much more attention.

Just what is greenwashing?  There are a number of definitions, but for the sake of reliability, here are two.  The first is from The World Summit "(the) phenomenon of socially and environmentally destructive corporations attempting to preserve and expand their markets by posing as friends of the environment and leaders in the struggle to eradicate poverty." (Linder 2010. p9) and the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image" (Linder 2010. p10).  So, while some definitions are more vague and some are more reactionary, these are the ones I feel are most effective.

Considering these definitions, the act of greenwashing is highly unethical.  Given the hightened awareness of our responsibility to the environment, more consumers are spending more and taking more time to select "green" products.  When the product they buy is not what they have been led to believe, the producer of that product is creating a false image and violating the consumer's trust.  A good example would be British Petroleum.  Over the last few years, BP changed it's logo to a green and yellow sunburst type flower with the letters bp in green above.  Their slogan also changed to "Beyond Petroleum".  Their advertisements focused on the ways they were moving toward greener processes.  However, hot on the heels of an explosion at their refinery in Texas which killed 15, BP's negligence caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that dwarfs that of the Exxon Valdez (Mulkern. 2010).

When consumers are met with cases like BP, or with aisles full of "All Natural" products, they can start to become confused about just what is and is not environmentally friendly.  This, in turn can cause consumers to loose confidence in products that are organic, recycled or otherwise environmentally sound.  How many times have you been comparing two breakfast cereals, one that is certified organic and the other is made from organic ingredients?  What about when you look over and see yet another that says it is made with all natural ingredients?  Two of those terms are defined by the USDA, the third is greenwashing.  Certified Organic means that the product is 100% organic as defined by the USDA.  Products that are 95% organic can use the label Organic.  If the product contains at least 70%, it can use the wording "made with organic ingredients" (Mayo Clinic Staff. 2010).   The terms "all natural", "made with natural ingredients" and others are simply green marketing, but have not legal definition. 

Overall, the only law that greenwashing can run afoul of is false advertising.  False advertising is defined as "Any advertising or promotion that misrepresents the nature, characteristics, qualities or geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities" (Farlex.  2011).  Outside of that, informing the public about greenwashing and prevention of it are in the hands of the citizens.  In the interest of providing the best information available on the process of greenwashing in order to save credibility of those businesses who are providing good, environmentally friendly products, here is my letter.  Hopefully, the next time you are in the grocery store, or in the outdoors gear supplier and reach for the Natural cereal or the recycled polyester coat, you will be able to make a more confident choice that you are getting the product you really want.



Linder, Marcus. (2010?)A critical review of greenwash definitions.  Center for Business Innovation.  Sweden

Mulkern, Anne C.  (2010).  BP's Oil spill bill could dwarf Exxon's Valdez tab.  New York Times.  New York

Mayo Clinic Staff.  (2010) Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255

Natural-Environment.com. (2008). http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/01/27/why-recycled-polyester-isnt-necessarily-eco-friendly/

Farlex.The Free Dictionary.  (2011).  False Advertising. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/False+Advertising