Author Archives: Mary Hanlon

ECO-STEPS 2009

Title: ECO-STEPS 2009
Location: Tamilnadu, India
Link out: Click here
Description: “The impact of human activity on the environment is assuming increasing significance with every passing day. With specific regard to textiles, awareness about the environment and environment-friendly textile products and processes is on the increase. But there is much to be done yet.

Conferences on the initiatives taken by the textile industry, textile research organisations and quasi-textile organisations and institutions to counter these effects will heighten awareness about eco-friendly textile products and processes, and generate further research activity towards preserving an ecological balance on earth. It is thus that the national-level conference entitled ECO-STEPS 2009 is being organised.

The primary strategy of the conference is thus to facilitate a consolidation of the diverse happenings, findings and developments in this area at a common forum. A variety of textile professionals from the industry and academia alike are expected to converge here to share information, research findings and experiences on a host of aspects pertaining to eco-friendly textile processes and products.

The conference will encompass the following important events:

Keynote presentations on specific topics in both of these areas by eminent speakers in different walks of the textile profession
Research / review papers by technocrats and academia in these areas
An exhibition of eco-friendly processes and products”

Source: Eco-Steps 2009, via Fibre2Fashion.com
Start Date: 2009-08-13
End Date: 2009-08-14

Film Screening of White Gold: the true cost of cotton by the Environmental Justice Foundation

The trailer for the film “White Gold: the true cost of cotton” has been added to the ‘Videos’ section of Social Alterations, so check it out, and make sure to book your free ticket to the screening of the film, here.

Title: Film Screening of White Gold: the true cost of cotton by the Environmental Justice Foundation
Location: London
Link out: Click here
Description: “Uzbekistan is the third biggest exporter of cotton in the world. Its booming cotton industry generates over US$1billion annually, but the industry, which largely supplies the European market, is underpinned by a system of state-sponsored forced labour, particularly of children.”

PANEL

Lucy Siegle, journalist, author and presenter (chair)

Joanna Ewart-James, Anti-Slavery International

Juliette Williams, The Environmental Justice Foundation

Steve Grinter, International Textile, Garment & Leather Workers’ Federation

Source: EJF

Date: 2009-06-09

The University of Delaware’s Sustainable Apparel Initiative (UDSAI)

University of Delaware’s Sustainable Apparel Initiative offers ten policies for apparel brands and retailers to implement into their business practices. Click here to learn more about the policies and the initiative. Although all ten policies are crucial considerations for sustainable practices, “Policy 5: Consider and implement end-of-life strategies (recycle, renew, or reuse) when choosing materials, designing, and producing apparel” pays particular attention to design through suggested best practices in both material and design assembly considerations. In the context of socially responsible fashion design education, how can these policies be integrated into your fashion curriculum? Early next week, Social Alterations will be opening a members based discussion forum for fashion and apparel educators to ask questions and share ideas on how to best approach social and environmental concerns within the industry in their design classrooms. I hope you will join in on the conversation and share your ideas with this community.

Press Release: UD publishes sustainable apparel business guidelines

What does it mean for a clothing or footwear company to be environmentally sustainable? Browsing some brands’ Web sites, you might think a company can lessen its impact on the environment just by using organic cotton in some of its clothing. But it’s not that simple.

The University of Delaware’s Sustainable Apparel Initiative (UDSAI) is demystifying the process of becoming more environmentally sustainable for brands and retailers. Companies seeking this information are invited to read and utilize UDSAI’s recently produced policy guide, “Creating a More Environmentally Sustainable Apparel Business: Policies for Apparel Brands and Retailers.”

“Sustainability is the ‘buzz’ throughout all industries. The problem is there is no clear definition of what this means,” said Rick Horwitch of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services. Bureau Veritas is an international firm that helps clients comply with standards and regulations relating to quality, health and safety, environment and social responsibility.

“I applaud the University of Delaware for taking on this daunting task of trying to put some structure and context around this very important issue. UDSAI will help bring clarity and direction,” Horwitch said.

University of Delaware faculty and students collaborated with industry professionals involved with environmental sustainability to research best practices.

“The apparel industry is predicated on change and planned obsolescence, which often results in overconsumption and waste throughout the value chain,” said Huantian Cao, UD associate professor of fashion and apparel studies and co-director of UDSAI. “UDSAI attempts to provide some simple guidelines that, when followed, will result in a more sustainable company.”

Source: UD News Releases

Sustainable Brands ’09

Update: Can’t make it to Sustainable Brands ’09? Follow Mario Vellandi @mvellandi on twitter as he tweets live from the event! Also, make sure to check out the live twitterboard or search #sb09.

Title: Sustainable Brands ’09
Location: Monterey, Conference Centre, Monterey CA
Link out: Click here
Description: \’The Sustainable Brands Conference is the preeminent event for discussing the rapid rise of sustainability as a driver for revenue growth and brand equity in the 21st Century.\’
\’Downturns form the perfect backdrop for shaking things up, and this one is no different. At SB\’09, you\’ll learn from the leaders as you gain perspective, ideas and best practices for turning sustainable innovation in to revenue growth and brand equity in the years to come.\’

Start Date: 2009-05-31
End Date: 2009-06-04

Designing Out Landfill

Title: Designing Out Landfill
Location: London
Link out: Click here
Description: \”On 15th June 2009 the Technical Textiles and the Materials and Design Exchange sectors of the Materials KTN will host a high profile conference focusing on the innovative solutions that clothing designers & brands have developed in order to reduce landfill waste. This one-day FREE event entitled ‘Designing Out Landfill’ will be held at the The Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining,1 Carlton House Terrace, London,SW1Y 5DB and features speakers from major retailers, brands, manufacturers and product designers […] What will the event cover?

Listen to how product designers approach these challenges, Learn how large organisations remain profitable whilst maintaining ethical products and a strong brand image. Hear how to develop new products from landfill. Discuss ways of promoting land-fill products into traditional retail markets and hear about the impact of new initiatives and how to become involved in projects.\”

Source: CSF

Date: 2009-06-15

Design Management Institute Conference: Re-Thinking … Design

Title: Design Management Institute Conference: Re-Thinking … Design
Location: San Francisco
Link out: Click here
Description: \”The breakdowns we are currently experiencing in the world are enough to alarm even the hardiest of souls. Sitting back and watching is simply no longer an option. Re-Thinking … Design is an opportunity for the community of smart designers to collaborate on the leadership role that Design should take to shape our future. We will examine how Design thinking is becoming a change agent for transforming the deep fissures in our cultural and business systems, and creating emerging opportunities to elevate the impact of our contributions.

Re-Thinking … Design will be co-chaired by two key thought leaders of our time, Roger Martin and Darrel Rhea. They will challenge the Design community to re-think Design in both macro and micro applications. At this event you can expect leading edge conversations that inspire. You’ll hear not just contemporary theory, but practical examples of premier business leaders demonstrating how they are changing the economy, healthcare, technology and culture—illuminating how design thinking is making it happen.\”

Source: DMI

Start Date: 2009-06-17
End Date: 2009-06-18

Ethical Fashion Forum Workshop: Certification and Standards Seminar

Title: Ethical Fashion Forum Workshop: Certification and Standards Seminar
Location: London
Link out: Click here
Description: “Certification, standards and labelling for fashion products is an increasingly complex topic. In today’ s climate of conscious consumers and probing press and buyers, high sustainability standards and robust certification systems are essential.

This seminar looks in depth at the range of certification and standards options available for fashion businesses. The seminar will approach the issues from a practitioner’s perspective, assessing different models of production and sizes of business; the most appropriate certification; labelling and standard setting options; and how these can be built into business models.

Alongside this seminar, representatives from certification, labelling, and standard setting bodies will be invited to exhibit and distribute information about the options available.”

Source: EFF

Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2009-06-23

Check out the Events Calendar for more workshops!

Greener By Design 2009 Conference

The second annual Greener By Design 2009 “Greener Products for Leaner Times” conference was held yesterday and today in San Fransisco. William McDonough gave the keynote speech at the conference yesterday. This article, “Greener By Design: Nature’s Rights, Nutrients and Quality Design,” by Jonathan Bardelline sums it up.

Check it out. For more on the conference, live blog posts, and twitter feeds (#gbd09) visit Greener Design

Makower talks Greenwash

TerraChoice: Sin of the Hidden Trade-off

Back in April, TerraChoice released their second report on greenwashing, titled “The Seven Sins of Greenwashing.” The first report, “The Six Sins of Greenwashing,” came out in 2007. The recent report offers new stats and, of course, the added seventh sin. Unfortunately, fashion, textile and apparel products were not included in the TerraChoice research. Don’t let this fool you; greenwashing is rampant in the fashion, textile and apparel industry.

Joel Makower from Greenbiz offers a great commentary on the report, outlining where, and how, it may have fallen short:

“Late last year, TerraChoice repeated the process, though extended its reach: Its researchers were sent into retailers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The track record was slightly better: 25 products found in North American stores were deemed “sin-free,” says TerraChoice. The trends were similar in the other countries.

At first glance, those findings seem dire and depressing. But much like some of the eco-claims themselves, TerraChoice’s report doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. What’s really going on here? Are manufacturers truly that overwhelmingly misleading? Is just about everyone out there pulling the green wool over our collective eyes? Or has TerraChoice set a bar so unreasonably high that even the most well-intentioned companies can’t clear it, and lumped the imperfect claims together with the truly bad ones in order to make its point? In other words, who’s greenwashing who?

Truth is, there’s a little of each going on.

First, honor is due. TerraChoice has performed a public service here, calling attention to the fact that so many companies are making claims that are anything from fuzzy to fraudulent. The groundwork they’ve done here is invaluable, even if the conclusions they’ve drawn from it are, in my opinion, a bit misleading.”

Read the rest of his article here. Make sure you check out the full TerraChoice report.

For more information, listen in on this Greenbiz.com Podcast, “Lies, Damn Lies, and the Seventh Sin of Greenwashing,” where Makower interviews Scot Case, Vice President of TerraChoice on the issue of greenwashing and the 2009 report.

Stay informed!

Source: TerraChoice, Joel Makower, and Greenbiz.com

cradle to cradle

Just added William McDonough’s TED talk on ‘cradle to cradle’ design theory to the videos section. You will also find Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things in the suggested reading section of the site.

“I think we have a design problem.” (William McDonough’s, TED)