Category Archives: DESIGN

Mark Trotzuk presents ‘Apparel Lifecycle Impacts & Mitigation of Impacts’ // ECO Fashion Week Vancouver

ECO Fashion Week Vancouver, September 29^th, 2010 // Day two: Mark Trotzuk

Mark Trotzuk – Apparel Lifecycle Impacts & Mitigation of Impacts

BIO //

Mark Trotzuk is the founder and CEO of Boardroom Eco Apparel, an audited socially compliant company and fair trade manufacturer that creates custom lifestyle clothing collections for fashion-conscious people who demand style, comfort and increased functional performance from their everyday clothing. Boardroom Eco Apparel is a Bluesign® brand member. In April of 2008, Mark’s passion for the environment brought him the opportunity to train with Al Gore as a presenter for The Climate Project; a Canadian initiative to increase awareness of Global Warming and Climate Change.www.ecoapparel.ca

NOTES //

“Be careful with what you do, it’s very complicated once you start down this path” – MEC buyer on eco claims for his products. If you are going to be responsible for your product, you have to take all risks associated with every step of your product’s life cycle.
So where to start:
- Choose a fiber.
  - Need to know every stage of its lifecycle (ie, later, how much energy will be required to upkeep it)
You need to learn how to measure your impact. This is the most difficult thing to do in committing to eco.
Recycled Polyester can save 40-70% in energy savings over virgin polyester. Even then, great amounts of energy are used in dying, drying and spinning product.
25% of chemicals used worldwide are used for textiles.
Eco Apparel has adopted the Swiss Bluesign standard. Consumer Safety; Conserving Resources; High tech and Comfort. That said, the challenge is that the standard is new and many textiles and supplies haven’t yet been approved.
- The point with a standard is that ultimately you’re going by the word of your supplier and as much as they say it may be one thing, tests may reveal it’s another.
- For example, 200 factories in Bangladesh were visited by Bluesign and found that only 3 of them had wastewater treatment plants. All the other 197 were allowing all chemicals used to just flush out into the water system.
- As for social compliance (ie, working conditions), an audit of the highest integrity is most important.
- To do a proper carbon footprint for your company you should consider:
  - Electricity
  - Heating
  - Transportation
    - Air travel
    - Commuting
    - Other
Misc
- Paper usage
- Materials travel
Amongst other factors
Eco Apparel gives 1% to the planet because some things cannot me mitigated, such as travel for sales…
Examples of material energy dependency:
- Cotton needs to be washed hot and then cycle dried. A study in London suggests that 50% of the products environmental impact comes after the sale of the product
- Polyester on the other hand can be washed cold and air dried.
- Over the garment’s lifetime, polyester actually uses ½ the energy as cotton.
- Approx 3000 recycling companies in North America – for example, collecting and then sending them to third world. 30% of the material is sold as wiping products for auto, cleaning and other industries. Old denim jeans are also being used for home and car insulation.
- Reusing polyester can be closed loop because it can be recycled back into garments. The challenge is that polyester has a long life cycle so doesn’t come back to it’s starting point often.
- The Eco Index: www.ecoindexbeta.org. It’s a new but complicated program that is being pioneered by the outdoor industry as an open source, transparent database to be used by industry and industry partners to help create an eco index. They are setting guidelines, indicators and metrics. They are asking every company to take one item from their portfolio and measure them against these metrics in the hope of coming up with a point system that can help rate “eco-index” for different products.
- To wrap up:
  - There is no solution yet for how to measure a products lifecycle and its impact though it’s getting there.

Carly Stojsic presents ‘Eco as Movement, Not Trend’ // ECO Fashion Week Vancouver

ECO Fashion Week Vancouver, September 28^th, 2010 // Day one: Carly Stojsic, WGSN.

Carly Stojsic – Eco as Movement, Not Trend
Photo Credit: Kris Krüg, www.staticphotography, via Flickr.com	BIO // Carly Stojsic is Canada’s Market Editor for Worth Global Style Network and is a freelance trend forecaster for an array of clients. She joined WGSN, the world’s leading online service for global trend analysis, as a Market Editor in December 2007. Her extensive background in sourcing, trend forecasting and as a color specialist greatly augments WGSN’s customized consultancy services in creative intelligence. Click here to read more
NOTES //
WGSN predicts fashion internationally… based on their knowledge, Carly tells us about eco movements. Consumers are moving towards a eco friendly lifestyle – home grown food, sustainable power sources. WGSN think tank sees society having less of an identity now. Detroit is considering turning unused city lots into farmland. The majority of designers target 10% of richest consumers. Revolution is required to reach other 90%. Designers as activists. Zero waste designs cut from fabric using all of it; no waste. Recycled denim can be used as insulation in buildings. 2007 London – dissolvable dress showcased so no landfill destination. Denim dye process traditionally uses toxic chemicals, movement towards natural dyes, less harmful chemicals. Natural indigo and fruit dyes used for other fabrics. Many companies creating their own ‘green star’ system to monitor internal greening. True sustainability may be more about recycling synthetics, not using newly produced organic natural fibres. These wear better, wash easier. Bamboo fibres used in Japan. Decomposes harmlessly. Paper fibres used also for lace, knits, unique pressed fabrics. China will ban plastic bags handed out in stores June 2011. Mattel is producing eco accessories for Barbie. ! Recycling used by artists, interior design, home fittings. Swaparama clothing swap parties popular. Repair also encouraged. Bicycling communities popping up internationally. Underground communities hold repair workshops, portable sound systems for bike parties. George from California kayaks to work after years of traffic jams. WGSN asks, ‘Where does he put his coffee?!’

IXEL MODA + SOURCE EXPO

There are two events in particular that we were sorry to have missed recently: IXEL MODA (Colombia) and the Ethical Fashion Source Expo (UK), held in conjunction with the RITE Conference.

The congress in Colombia, founded by Danilo Cañizares and Erika Rohenes Weber, is unique in its integration of international runways and professional presentations. College of William & Mary Professor, and author of Couture and Consensus, Regina Root serves as President Ad Honorem of Ixel Moda and oversees the academic vision of the congress along with fellow scientific committee members Kathia Castillo (Brazil) and Alex Blanch (Spain). Root’s keynote speech, invited by the founders and the sponsors which included among others the Cartagena Chamber of Commerce, the Colombian Ministry of Education and Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, focused on Latin American heritage in world fashion.

The announced theme for next year’s congress is “Origins of Latin American Fashion”.

The conference also featured speakers such as Marsha Dickson of University of Delaware, author of Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry and editor of Sustainable Fashion- a Handbook for Educators as well as Francesca Granata, editor of Fashion Projects, among other fantastic presenters.

Lucky for us (and you!) Fashion Projects and TED have posts up on their sites to sum up some of the great research and work presented.

Jen Ballie and Matilda Aspinall, two of TED’s PhD students, checked out the EFF Expo, and attended the ‘Innovation’ seminar. If you too missed out on these events, pop on over to TED and Fashion Projects to learn more.

Fashioning the Future 2011 Award // Fashion’s Campaign for Unique

Attention tutors, students, and recent graduates! The Centre for Sustainable Fashion has launched the 2011 Fashioning the Future Award brief.

What kind of world are you designing for?
What is your motivation as a designer?
What is your unique contribution to our collective futures?

To participate, you must register your interest online: www.sustainable-fashion.com from1 October 2010 where you will have access to resources and ideas to stimulate your work.

Here are the submission dates and deadlines:

Round 1 of submission: you will be required to submit your work online by 15 June 2011.

Candidates who are shortlisted from Round 1 will be invited to Round 2!

Round 2 submission deadline: July 2011.

Good luck!

Source: Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion

Cambodian Court Cracksdown on Garment Worker Protest

This guest post was written by Dr. Robert Hanlon, a post-doctorial Research Associate at the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia. He is a former editor at the Asian Human Rights Commission and focuses on corporate social responsibility, corruption and human rights in Asia.

Rueters Image via The Daily Mail, Batons out: Nine garment workers were injured with riot police in Phnom Penh on July 27th as officials tried to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of garment workers flooded the streets of Phnom Penh demanding the government review a $US 5/month wage increase that was approved earlier this summer. Workers are demanding a further increase to the national minimum wage from US$ 61/month to US$ 93/month. The government and manufactures have rejected the demands saying it would reflect negatively on Cambodia’s competitiveness. With many employees refusing to return to work, a Cambodian court has branded the industrial action illegal and has given the green light for manufactures to fire anyone who continues to strike.

“[…] while the minimum wage law is only legally applicable to a small proportion of the entire workforce, it has far reaching implication throughout Cambodian society“

While minimum wage is a critical step for any government in guaranteeing the well-being of society, the Cambodian law only extends to the garment industry. This accounts to roughly 350,000 workers in the apparel and footwear sectors combined (less than 8 percent of the country’s working-age individuals). While Cambodia positions itself as a competitive garment manufacturer, nearly 70 percent of the country’s total workforce still reside in the rural areas and are not privy to the minimum wage law. Nonetheless, this group is highly dependent on remittance sent home by family members who have migrated to the city looking for work in the garment sector. In this sense, while the minimum wage law is only legally applicable to a small proportion of the entire workforce, it has far reaching implication throughout Cambodian society.

Interestingly, most garment manufacturers (especially those associated with International Labour Organization’s Better Factories Cambodia program) agree that a minimum wage is critical in sustaining a certain quality of life while rightly arguing that workers already earn well-above the current minimum. In fact, the Cambodian Institute of Development Study (CIDS) has found that the average take-home income is $US 86.88/month. While workers may earn this wage, the amount is dependent on significant overtime.

What makes Cambodia exceptional is that the garment manufacturers are right in highlighting the actual take-home is higher than the minimum; however, conveniently disregard the often mandatory overtime requirements placed on workers. Moreover, the ILO estimates that nearly 30 percent of inspected factories do not adhere to the minimum wage requirements while only 8 percent follow the legal requirements governing overtime. When these challenges are factored in, the CIDS estimates garment workers in Cambodia must earn at least $71.99 to sustain their very basic well-being and that of their dependents.

“Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and is still recovering from one of the world’s worst atrocities carried out by the Khmer Rouge. “

With some manufacturers disregarding the law and the government consistently backing industry, it should come as no surprise why Cambodian garment workers are frustrated. The government’s hard-line approach has not only protected local industrialists at the expense of workers, it has also given tacit approval for the courts and police to intimidate and assault those who challenge the system.

Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and is still recovering from one of the world’s worst atrocities carried out by the Khmer Rouge. Nonetheless, it is slowly developing with one of the region’s highest annual growth rates. With the government competing for market-share with countries like China and Bangladesh where costs are low and quality is high, it remains unlikely that plight of Cambodia’s garment workers will be heard anytime soon.

Nonetheless, in a country where 30 percent of the population is still living on less than 50 US cents a day, we may take some solace in witnessing the determination of the Cambodian people to organize and reject the abject poverty inflecting so many of its communities.

TAKE ACTION // labour rights activists at risk of judicial harassment, Cambodia

“The action taken by Cambodian workers does not stand alone. Across Asia, workers are contesting poverty wages and deplorable working conditions.” (CCC)

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), are calling for action, requesting an urgent intervention in Cambodia.

“In recent months, worker stoppage and demonstration are happening in Bangladesh, Burma, China, and Vietnam, which underlines the necessity for brands and retailers to start working on a living wage.” (CCC)

According to their report, Cambodian garment workers went ahead with an organized strike (scheduled and announced to appropriate parties, 2 months in advance) on September 13^th. The strike was called off on the 16th when the government invited unions to a negotiations meeting, schedule for next week (September 27^th).

Unfortunately, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) fears that labour rights activists in Cambodian face judicial threats, calling for the employer association and the Cambodian Government to “cease any interference with, threats against and intimidation of trade unionist.” (CCC)

Research out of the Cambodia Institute for Development Studies shows that a wage increase to US$ 93 is necessary to cover the workers basic needs, concluding the following:

The current effective wage in the garment industry of US$79 per month, which includes overtime and other allowances, is not a living wage (as shown in Figure 9). If we exclude overtime, which is currently being reduced by factories at the moment because of the economic crisis, the average effective wage is US$67 per month. Overtime has played a very important role in enabling workers to cover their basic expenses and maintain a minimum living standard. This practice means that the living standard of garment workers is highly dependent on the economic situation. If the economy is in a good state, they get overtime, and their living standards improve; if the economy is in a bad state, overtime is reduced and the living standards of workers deteriorate even if they are employed. This set up provides no security for a decent living standard, which undermines industrial relations and the stability of the garment industry. To make the environment conducive for both employers and workers, there is an urgency to institutionalize the living wage, which should not be dependent on overtime.

According to our survey and calculations, the living wage of garment workers should range from at least US$90 per month to US$120 per month.

(Source: Cambodia Institute for Development Studies)

The International Federation for Human Rights is calling for action: click here for details.

Yves Bèhar // 1st Puma.Safe Sustainability Lecture, London

If you find yourself in London near the end of October (the 24^th @ 4:00pm), be sure to check out the first Puma.Safe Sustainability lecture at the Design Museum, where Yves Bèhar will delve into his design practice.

Yves Bèhar is the founder of design studio fuseproject and the winner of Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2008 for the One Laptop Per Child.

Tickets £15 / £7.50 Members: Includes entry to all current exhibitions before the talk.
T 020 7904 8783
E tickets@designmuseum.org
W Ticketweb (booking fee applies)

Listen in on a three part series on the designer (back in 2008) via Designing Minds:

Source: Design Museum, and Sustainable Futures

READ // ECO Fashion, Sass Brown

Well, a new semester is underway! What better way to pump your fashion design/marketing students up on responsible practices in the apparel industry than with a new resource? Check out ECO Fashion by Sass Brown, Resident Director for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s study abroad program in Florence.

Here is the abstract and contents, via Laurence King Publishing:

One of the strongest trends in fashion is the expression of ecological, social and community consciousness through for-profit fashion design corporations, which most recently have moved upscale from organic cotton T-shirts and hippy-ish drawstring pants to high fashion. There is now a wide range of companies offering well designed merchandise, from one-off art, recycled and redesigned clothing, organic and sustainable textiles and garment production, to a range of community and indigenous support cooperatives bridging the gap between traditional craft and high fashion.

This book shows the range of companies making a difference in the area of sustainable design in fashion, exploding the myth that sustainable design is bad design, or at best basic design, by highlighting the range of companies producing desirable and well-designed apparel and accessories with a conscience. It not only demonstrates the range of products available around the globe, but explains the stories behind them and the communities they support, as well as showing how and where they make a difference.

Contents

1 Community and Fair Trade
Alabama Chanin / Amana / El Naturalista / Elena Garcia / Leila Hafzi / Les Fees de Bengale / ModaFusion / Mona Mohanna / Noir / Royah / sense-organics / Shoto Banerji / Taller Flora / Van Markoviec

2 Ecological and Slow Design
Alexandra Faro / Camila Norrback / Celine Faizant / Christine Birkle / Ciel / Emily Katz / Enamore / FIN / Francoise Hoffmann / Linda Loudermilk / Magdalena Schaffrin / RoyalBLUSH / Samant Chauhan / U Roads / YOJ

3 Recycle Reuse
Angela Johnson / Costumisee par Liza / Demano / E2 / Frau Wagner / From Somewhere / Geoffrey B Small / Josh Jakus / Preloved / Rebound Designs / Riedizioni / Stephan Hann / Suitcase / TRAIDremade

4 New Models
aforest-design / Andrea Zittel / Bless / Collection of Hope / Holly McQuillan / Mark Liu
Nau / Rebecca Earley & Kate Goldsworthy / Redesign the World

5 Design Initiatives
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada / Barney’s New York / H&M and DAA – Designers Against Aids / Katharine Hamnett / Zara / Miguel Adrover / Philippe Starck / Salvatore Ferragamo / Vivienne Westwood / Yeohlee Teng / Yves Saint Laurent

Source: Laurence King Publishing

ECO Fashion Week Vancouver // Seminars, Sept. 29-30

We mentioned a while back that SA is a supporting partner of ECO Fashion Week Vancouver, coordinating the conference to promote education. Well, the conference schedule is set, and we are so excited!

Here are the details, plus some abstracts, session learning objectives and recommended reading!

Carly Stojsic // ECO as Movement, not Trend

2:00 pm — Tuesday, September 28^th

Join industry expert Carly Stojsic at EFW as she presents key insights and research into ecofashion, forecasting trends for 2011-2012. Ecofashion has grown to encompass a movement within the fashion industry; emphasising the importance of environmental consideration, ecofashion supports a shift in conventional practice. Stojsic is Canada’s Market Editor at Worth Global Style Network (WGSN), and at EFW, she will showcase ecofashion as you’ve never seen it before. Eco as Movement, not Trend will secure the place of ecofashion within the industry

Click here for tickets!

Dr. Andrew Weaver // Global Warming: The Scale of the Problem, the Path to the Solution

10:00 am — Wednesday, September 29^th

The foundations of the science of global warming will be presented and a discussion of our present climate will be framed within a historical perspective of the Earth’s climate over the last 800,000 years. The range of projections of climate change over the next century will be summarized and the public confusion arising from the media portrayal of the science and its entry into the political arena will be discussed. Finally, how various international policy options fit within the framework of necessary actions required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be reviewed.

This talk will be based on the book: Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World.

Learning Objectives:

1) How the media affects public perception of global warming science.

2) Future greenhouse gas emissions need to reduce to zero if we wish to deal with global warming.

3) Dealing with global warming is empowering. Everyone is part of the problem; everyone is part of the solution.

Recommended reading

Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World, Andrew Weaver

Click here for tickets!

Mark Trotzuk and Paul Raybin // Lifecycles in Fashion

12:00 pm — Wednesday, September 29^th

1. Mark Trotzuk: Apparel Lifecycle Impacts & Mitigation of Impacts

The Lifecycle Stages are discreet intervals along the life of a finished product—and the materials which make up the product—where environmental impacts are realized. These stages include the processes of raw materials, manufacturing, delivering, using and managing the end of life for products. It is important to consider different ways of mitigating these impacts.

Learning Objectives:

1) Stages of the lifecycle of an apparel item

2) Impacts of the lifecycle of an apparel item

3) Mitigating the impacts during the lifecycle of an apparel item.

2. Paul Raybin: Lifecycle Assessments – Water & Textiles

Discussion on water use in the textile industry: creating awareness and helping people understand impact of the textile industry on water use and pollution. Paul will explain the various points where water use and pollution are factors in the lifecycle of a garment and opportunities for water-saving technologies and practices.

Learning Objectives:

1) Further the understanding of life cycled assessment with particular assessment of water use in the textile industry.

2) Provide designer options on how to reduce water use into their choices of textile, dye, and decoration.

Recommended reading

When the Rivers Run Dry: Water–The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century, Fred Pearce

No Impact Man, Colin Beavan

Click here for tickets!

Summer Rayne Oakes // Eco-Trends: The Art & Science of Sourcing Sustainably

10:00 am — Thursday, September 30^th

Eco-Trends: The Art & Science of Sourcing Sustainably

A bird’s eye view on defining sustainability; international industry metrics; and the latest technologies to help designers and retail sourcing specialists source more sustainably. Talk includes a look into the source4style.com, a new B2B online marketplace that allows designers and retail sourcing specialists to search, compare and purchase more sustainable materials and services from a network of global suppliers – as well as some of the exciting sustainable trends that are surfacing.

Learning Objectives:

1) How to locate and source more sustainable materials for your collections

2) What current industry metrics are available to aid designers and brands in assessing their environmental and social impact

3) What we can learn and predict from crowdsourcing a sustainable sourcing community

4) Upcoming trends in sustainable materials, sourcing and style.

Recommended reading

Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion & Beauty, Summer Rayne Oakes

Click here for tickets!

PANEL DISCUSSION [ @Tradeshow] // Digging Deeper: Audience Q&A

3:00 pm — Thursday, September 30^th

Digging Deeper is an opportunity for tradeshow attendees to speak directly with key panel members and address any questions or concerns they might have coming out of the conference. Panel members will take questions from the audience to expand upon ideas presented throughout the conference and continue the conversation, investigating how these ideas are translated on the ground.