American Apparel, a company well known for sexual harassment suits, scandalous barely legal marketing imagery, and de rigeur retro basics, is quietly known among environmentalists for something different…setting the bar for fair wages in manufacturing and incorporating solid steps towards environmental sustainability.

Now clearly, a manufacturing behemoth is going to have a tough time calling itself “sustainable,” but American Apparel doesn’t even try. They do. Since 2006, 20% of their electricity for their factory in downtown LA is produced by solar energy, there’s recycled content in their shopping bags, and a majority of their manufacturing scraps get reclaimed for the making of their smaller items, like thongs and such. They launched their 100% organic Sustainable Edition in 2003 and now they’re trying to get the rest of their line in check. American Apparel recently announced its purchase of 30,000 lbs. of Cleaner Cotton to incorporate into their non-organic line. “Cleaner Cotton” also called B.A.S.I.C., uses approximately one-third the amount of pesticides of conventional cotton. The Cleaner Cotton Campaign was started by Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP), which is a farmer-based, non-profit organization that reeducates farmers on how to reduce their toxic chemical usage without genetically-modified seeds, while maintaining profitability. An ongoing partnership with American Apparel is certainly a great way to do just that. (more…)

It is with a heavy heart (though FAR from a discouraged one) that I share with you, and I am sure I am not the first, that Nau, Portland based sustainable retailer, announced on Friday, May 2nd, just 14 months after launching the business, that they will be ceasing operations. Read below for more details from the Oregonian.

May 2, 2008:

Portland-based retailer Nau closes after 14 months

“Shortly before noon on Friday, the Portland company posted on its Web site a statement, ‘Goodbye for Nau,’ indicating it was ceasing operations. In near indignant language, company officials blamed its failure not on its ambitious business plan but on tight U.S. credit markets

‘At this time, investors are loath to invest in anything; especially, it appears, a company like Nau that has the audacity to challenge conventional paradigms of what a business should be,’ the statement said.

Industry experts and local venture capitalists said the company also suffered from a flawed business model and possibly missteps along the way. Nau’s plans, mostly rooted in the name of environmental stewardship, ate through lots of cash, required an ambitious rollout of stores and relied on consumers to change their shopping habits, critics said.

Its closure casts a pall on Portland’s drive to be a leader in sustainable business practices, something Nau had come to symbolize nationally.

‘It’s not a good day for Oregon, actually, said Mike Edwards, former CEO of Portland-based apparel retailer Lucy Activewear. ‘Portland is the activewear apparel capital globally. A lot of new companies are moving in to take advantage of that labor pool. We don’t need to scare them.’

In an interview, Nau vice president for marketing Ian Yolles declined to say how much Nau fell short of its fundraising goals. The closure will eventually put 60 people at Nau’s headquarters in the Pearl District out of work. It also employs 35 in its five stores, which include one opened less than two weeks ago in Los Angeles.

‘It doesn’t mean the ideas we’re associated with are unattainable and it doesn’t mean they aren’t important,’ Yolles said. ‘There’s an urgency for businesses to operate in a way that demonstrates leadership to a sustainable future. But it is a very sad day.’

(more…)

This week, US jeans labels the National Jean Company and Earnest Sewn will host a fashion to kick off a five day charity initiative which will result in old denim clothes being recycled into cotton insulation.

The fashion show will take place at Slate Lounge in New York where entry to the show will require the donation of an old pair of jeans. Consumers will also be able to donate denim clothes at the National Jean Company’s New York stores from 8 – 13 April.

Donated jeans will go to the ‘Cotton. From green to blue’ project run by Cotton Inc., which is an environmentally aware initiative where denim is recycled into ‘UltraTouch’ natural cotton fibre insulation and is donated for rebuilding houses in the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region.
(more…)

Year Founded: 2006
Administrative Headquarters: Oakland, CA/Hong Kong
Production Headquarters: Hong Kong
Number of Staff: 5
Design Inspirations: nature, recycling systems, landfills, the materials we use

The other day, I filled in at my friends’ eco-boutique in Los Angeles. The clothes there are made of recycled cashmere, organic cotton, Tencel, and hemp. The shelves, tables, and chairs are bamboo. Even the sales counter is some compressed, repurposed something or other. Everything there is on the sustainable tip- except the hangers. They’re fake black velvet things from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Bummer. I thought to myself, “Well, eventually someone will get around to greening the hanger industry…” As fate would have it, only hours later, I was given…a hanger.

Ditto Hangers are super sturdy, 100% recycled and recycleable, and look pretty cool, as far as hangers go. Ditto already won the 2007 International Design Award in their very first year of production. Apparently the hangers are the first project by the sustainable industrial design team GreenHeart Global. I got so excited about their innovation, that I called CEO Gary Barker…

Why hangers?

It’s a neglected and ignored product. No one sees them, but the waste is astounding. We estimated that 8 billion hangers are landfilled every year. That’s enough to fill all 102 floors of the Empire State Building 4.6 times…every year. We estimate that 85% of the hangers produced are landfilled.

Where do you source your recycled paper and plastic?

Our paper is sourced in China (where most US paper is sent for recycling). The content is certified to contain no heavy metals and no chlorine. Our PET plastic is produced in Tennessee. Our recycled PET is from the factory where we make the hangers.

Why have you chosen to use recycled petroleum-based plastic over biodegradable corn plastic?

Corn plastic is only bio-degradable in municipal composting facilities, very few of which exist nationwide. It can foul entire batches of oil-based plastic recycling if it gets in the batch. That means in most parts of the country the only place for bio-plastics are landfills, where in an anaerobic environment make them as stable as oil-based plastics, lasting over 1000 years. We estimated that 85-90% of our hangers would end up in landfills if we made our products out of bio-plastic. (more…)

Photo, left to right: Heather Schibli, Wendy Trass

Passenger Pigeon has been a Greenloop favorite for many seasons now, with their hand printed patterns and unique, vintage inspired cuts. In fact, we just received a fresh crop of fantastic spring frocks that are simply irresistible. With that said, we are happy to share more about the ladies ‘behind the label’. Victoria Everman, writing for Green Living Magazine Online recently spoke with Heather and Wendy about their brand.
(more…)

GRACE AND CELLO

I should have written about these guys long ago, because they’ve been around since the dawning of the green age, and their clothes feel like… like… like really nice clothes, and their designs are conservative but cheeky. I really love this brand, and I’m sorry I pretended I didn’t know it when I saw it across the food court at the mall- I was just embarrassed to be seen with my friends wearing clothes made by children in a sweatshop in China. But I’m still totally into you, Grace and Cello, and I’ll totally go to the dance with you if you’ll still have me. I’ll wear something you made- something organic, sweatshop free and lovely.

And if I had a real job, I would have a closet full of businessy clothes from you, since you’re so good at making cute work clothes that stand out without making you a target for corporate treachery, and your prices are reasonable, so I wouldn’t be making money just to buy more clothes so I could go to work to make more money to buy more clothes for work.

www.graceandcello.com

(from www.thegreenset.com)

BOLL ORGANIC

Finally, guys can be slaves to the corporate man while secretly sticking it to that very same corporate man by wearing one of these 100% organic dress shirts from Boll Organic. Again, I really appreciate an eco-brand that works to keep its prices reasonable, in order to offer a viable alternative to non-organic products.

And these shirts are foxy.

Get the Boll rolling:

www.bollorganic.com

(original post at www.thegreenset.com)

Born and Raised: Ridgewood, NJ
Founded Line: 1997
Studio Location: San Diego, CA
Number of Staff: 7
Design Heroes: hate knock-off artists, love original design concepts

Surfers are at the mercy of two of nature’s greatest forces: wind and water. Cliff Drill,”El Presidente” of Splaff Flopps, is at the mercy of very little, sans his supply of recycled foam and old drag racing tires. This Jersey native has transplanted himself to San Diego, one of the world’s most consistently gorgeous climates, in order to ride waves, hang with his homies, and make the most righteous eco-conscious flip-flops. Period.

What materials exactly make up the Splaff Flopp? Are they really 100% recycled?

Splaff Flopps are constructed from recycled car tires, recycled bicycle inner tubes, and natural hemp fabrics. They are approx 95% recycled content.

Tell us about the moment that you decided to turn an old race car tires into shoes?

I was on a surf trip with some friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We drove by a Huaracheria, a place where they make traditional mexican sandals called huaraches. Huaraches use recycled car tires for the soles and leather for the uppers. I asked my friends to pull over. I had always been obsessed with the concept of making the soles of shoes from old tires. I asked the owner of the shop, Jose, if he would teach me how to make tire shoes. He agreed and I apprenticed for him for 3 weeks…the rest is history.

Where and how do you source the tires?

All of our tires are recycled in the USA. We try to source our recycled tires locally. I try to keep lines out with all the local sources of recycled tires. Every year we use different tires. This year we are using old drag racing tires.

How has surfing inspired your design choices?

The surfing life style is what inspired me to make flip flops, instead of dress shoes, boots, high heels, running shoes, etc. For surfers, flip flops are the only viable form of footwear. I wanted to make very modest but durable flip flops for true hard core surfers….no flash….no big brand names….just a solid product. (more…)