Sustainable Action Leadership

Levi’s To Phase Out PVC And Other Chemicals

As reported by Eco Textile News: Click here for original post

SAN FRANCISCO – [15.07.08] Levi Strauss has put five new chemicals on its phase-out list as part of a continued effort to improve its commitment to environmental sustainability through its manufacturing supply chain.

The five substances which have been put on the list as part of Levi’s two yearly Restricted Substances List (RSL) update include PVC – often found in screen printing systems. The giant jeanswear company is now encouraging suppliers to use water-based (PVC-free) printing systems instead and also intends to phase out the use of phthalate plasticisers. Phthalates give flexibility to PVC prints on t-shirts and other garments. Phthalate use is already prohibited for children products, but Levi’s is now also encouraging its suppliers to use phthalate-free chemicals for adult products.

Other chemicals on the new phase-out list include alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs), which are often found in detergent, soap or chemical mixtures as surfactant and in wetting agents for scouring (see Ecotextile News, April 2008, p. 35). The company will in future prohibit the use of D4 siloxane which may be found in residual traces in certain silicone softeners along with a chemical called Bisphenol-A which is not likely to be used in the production of textiles but may be found in resins.

“Levi Strauss &Co seeks to reduce the impact of our and our suppliers’ business processes on the environment, and the phase-out list is an important step in realizing this commitment,” said Sean Cady, LS&CO. Director of Environment, Health and Safety. “The RSL is a critical element of LS&CO.’s responsible sourcing program,” Cady continued. “It helps us ensure product quality, protect the health and safety of our consumers and further our environmental objectives.”

Levi Strauss updates its RSL every two years to reflect developments in production methods, legal requirements, scientific understanding and the company’s sustainability priorities.

This chemical phase-out list applies to chemicals used in the manufacture of Levi Strauss products and raw materials. While it says suppliers are encouraged to find alternatives to these five substances it acknowledges “certain challenges may prevent an immediate cessation of use,” adding that it will, “continue to support efforts to identify alternatives to these phase-out chemicals with the goal of prohibiting their use at a future time.” Copyright © 2008 Mowbray Communications Ltd  

Eco-fabrics Featured At G8 Summit

As reported by Eco Textile News: Eco-fabrics featured at G8 summit

TOYAKO – [08.07.08] Heat resistant PLA fabrics and recycled polyester textiles from Teijin Fibers have featured at an eco fashion show as part of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit of world leaders currently taking place in Japan.

Teijin’s latest ‘Biofront’ fibre was used in garments for the ‘Fashion for the Earth in Sapporo’ show, which took place under the auspices of the sponsor organisation and as part of The Environmental Exhibit of 2008 (sponsored by the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Commemorative Summit in the Hokkaido Environmental Exhibition Organising Committee).

All the garments worn at the show were made primarily of ‘green materials’ which included women’s jackets made of Teijin’s heat-resistant poly-lactic acid (PLA)-based fibre ‘Biofront’. Unlike earlier versions of PLA fibre, this new polymer has pushed up the melting point of ordinary PLA fibres to 210oC from 170oC, which has enabled high-temperature and high-pressure dyeing along with moderate-temperature ironing of the fabrics.

Previously it was virtually impossible to iron garments at high temperatures made with PLA without destroying the fibres. There were also issues surrounding the dyeing of deep shade fabrics due to the limitations of PLA when it came to heat resistance during dyeing.

Teijin says that Ms. Masako Oka, chairman of the fashion show‘s executive committee, has been promoting the use of the PLA heat-resistant materials at the event and has worked together with Teijin’s ‘Sustainable Management’ team.

Meanwhile, the huge message flags used for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit events at the Environmental Exhibit 2008 were made from Teijin’s ‘Eco Circle’ recycled polyester fibres which have been certified with an ‘Eco Mark’ seal of approval. This message flag uses roller-screen textile fabrics developed jointly by Teijin Fibers and Tachikawa Corporation. Copyright © 2008 Mowbray Communications Ltd  

Green Product Design; Eco-Apparel Hangers

GreenHeart Global , an Oakland, California company, is a green industrial design company that creates products made from recycled or recyclable material. But they have one major hang-up.

“There’s nothing we hate more than seeing our products end up in the trash!”, says CEO and founder Gary Barker. “That doesn’t mean we think our products will live on forever. It does mean that once our product’s useful life is over it’s easily recyclable. All our products are made from highly recyclable and recoverable material. This keeps the product, and the material they’re made of, out of landfills and inside the environmental loop--where they belong.”

Their other hang-up is GreenHeart Global’s first line of “intelligently” engineered, environmental products, marketed under the name Ditto Hangers . Ditto Hangers are an award-winning1 line of 100% recyclable garment hangers that replace the old dry cleaner wire hanger and the much maligned plastic and wire hangers found in retail clothing stores.

Ditto Hangers have two lines that are made from two of the planet’s most recycled materials: 100% recycled paper and 100% recyclable PET plastic, the same plastic used to make water bottles.

“We designed our hangers starting at the end of their useful life rather than from the beginning.” says Barker. “That way we know they’ll have value on the secondary, recycling market--unlike the typical ‘invisible’ hanger found in most retail clothing stores”.

Created for retail clothing companies, non-toxic dry cleaners and green hospitality Ditto Hangers are 100% recyclable in the majority of recycling programs at the store level. They are designed to replace the estimated 8-10 billion polystyrene [PS] and polycarbonate [PC] plastic and wire hangers that are produced annually, only 15% of which are typically recycled. The rest go to landfills taking over 1000 years to break down leeching toxic benzene and bisphenyl-A into the ground water. 2

GreenHeart Global recently contracted with a large San Francisco based clothing company for their unique Ditto Paper and Metal Clip hanger for a denim roll-out. They have also been working with such progressive companies as Reebok/Canada on designing hockey equipment hangers and Adidas/Germany designing wide-shoulder paper hangers.

“We’ve found that companies are coming to us to design not only hangers but other products that use sustainable materials and that can be produced in our certified contracted factories” Barker noted. “We see a huge market creating beautiful products that are intelligently designed so that their end-of-life is engineered into the product. We don’t see consumption going down any time soon. That means it’s up to the industrial designer to design products responsibly. I don’t know of any other company out there doing what we do.”

About GreenHeart Global

Ditto Hangers is a division of GreenHeart Global, Inc. GreenHeart Global conceives, designs, manufactures, and markets products to meet the growing demand for goods that are less harmful to the environment. They focus on existing products and/or systems and redesign them so they are compatible with the increasing emphasis for “green” compliance. GreenHeart Global’s highly-designed products incorporate recycled, recyclable, rapidly renewable and/or bio-based materials, and replace toxic and non-sustainable materials with organic or natural alternatives, including inks, dyes, and adhesives. GreenHeart Global, Inc is a California based corporation with headquarters in Oakland, California and offices in Hong Kong.

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GreenBiz; CO2 Comes out of the Closet

Reprinted as published on GreenBiz
By: Coral Rose

This year, humans will generate around 26 billion metric tons of excess carbon dioxide (CO2) -- that's 4.3 tons per person globally. All that extra CO2 precipitates global warming and leads to countless unintended consequences. As the global population explodes, so does the consumer spending base for apparel companies.

How will U.S. apparel companies educate and bring awareness to the millions of consumers about the effects of their individual actions and purchases? We are likely to see, like these snack crisps in the U.K., this trend in carbon footprint labeling spill over to the U.S. clothing sector.

Why? For the simple reason that our need for clothing is responsible for about one ton of CO2 emissions per person.

Over a third of that in the washing and drying of the garment, the rest in growing, the production, manufacturing and transportation of new clothes. That's right: our addiction to consuming -- purchasing more clothing than we probably need -- is also one of the sources of all that excess CO2.

This includes emissions from the processes used to manufacture, transport the apparel throughout the supply chain, to emissions from water heating and appliances used in cleaning, drying and pressing clothes to the end of the products life cycle.

The most significant of these impacts are conventional cotton farming practices; the reliance on petro-chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as the reliance on chemical processes to manufacture and finish the garments. And don't forget to include the distance that most textiles travel to the U.S.: the majority of textile manufacturing is in South East Asia, China and India. Of course, the environmental impact of farming practices vary regionally around the world. The U.S. has, in some cases, has made improvements in utilizing ecologically safe Integrated Pest Management practices.

Our carbon footprints, both individually and as a business, an industry or a country, take all these factors into account. One side of the equation is our primary footprint, or the direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation, but it also includes our secondary footprint, which is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use -- those products' manufacture and eventual breakdown.

Smart apparel eco-innovators have realized that addressing this issue is a way to add major value to their products, and a way to gain competitive advantage. Several major retailers are already taking action.

Over the coming months, Marks and Spencer will re-label almost three quarters of its clothing ranges to include the words 'Think Climate -- Wash at 30°C' on the garment care labels. Advice will also be provided through in-store leaflets and décor, advertising and on MarksandSpencer.com. The company has also worked with the World Wildlife Fund to develop a carbon footprint calculator to raise awareness of how individual habits can affect the environment.

Timberland analyzed the CO2 footprint of the of their apparel and footwear, on the journey from Asia to the U.S. In 2006, ocean freight CO2 measured at almost 17,000 tons. Last fall, Timberland included a "nutrition label" with its footwear, detailing the energy used in making the shoes, the portion that is renewable, and the factory's labor record, they also are introducing their new green index-metrics measuring program for products.

The lessons learned, and the forthcoming lessons to be learned, can be summed up in a series of Eco-Smart tips for apparel companies in considering your products carbon footprint.

1.) Know your product's life cycle. The most comprehensive carbon footprint denotes the total amount of CO2 emitted throughout a process or in a product's lifetime -- from sourcing raw materials to production, delivery, consumption and disposal. For example, the carbon footprint of a T-shirt might be defined as emissions used for U.S. distribution. But if the whole process -- from growing cotton in India, to mass production in China and delivery to U.S. retailers to the end of the products life cycle -- is included, the footprint rises significantly.

2.) Choose organic and sustainable fibers. Choosing organic cotton and cotton that has been sustainably grown is one big way of reducing the CO2 impact of your wardrobe. With approximately half of all textiles being made from cotton, this action alone will make a difference. Don't forget to consider organic hemp and organic linen.

3.) Educate your consumers. Label your products, about 90 percent of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water, wash your clothes in cold water. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut a load's energy use in half. Take a look at Marks and Spencer: they got it right.

4.) Utilize more recycled fibers. The environmental impact of recycling worn-out polyester into new polyester fiber, for instance, is significantly lower than making that same fiber anew. CO2 savings can be as high as 71 percent in the case of Patagonia's recycled Capilene base layers. Keep an eye on Patagonia,, they always 'do the right thing' and consequently get it right most the time.

5.) Encourage your customers to recycle. The average U.S. consumer throws out 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per year. Encourage your customers to donate used, unwanted clothing and shoes instead of throwing them away. This averts the CO2 emissions that come from incinerating them or sending them to a landfill.

6.) Keep your eye on the future. Should consumers opt to buy fewer new clothes, and start buying vintage or used clothes, how will this effect your business model?

What does the future look like? Will consumers demand apparel companies label items with clothes miles, as they've begun doing for food miles? What would be the business proposition and the value add of apparel produced here in the U.S.A? I say that apparel produced in the U.S. would have added premium value and that would surely be good for business as well as good for the environment.

Coral Rose is the founder of Eco-Innovations Sustainable Textile Services, and is a widely recognized agent of change with over twenty years experience, including senior management positions in merchandising and product development and sustainable textile product development for major retail corporations.

 

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