Dirty laundry

After researching and analyzing the economic and the cultural point of view of environmental sustainability I concluded that the price of a garment has a deeper value than what the price tag indicates. The most important thing that I learned this week was that fast fashion retailers are offering low prices because they are exploiting their workers by paying them extremely low wages and making them work under harsh conditions. Companies like Forever 21 are playing dirty by taking advantage of the disadvantaged workers in developing countries that will work for any type of income; because by employing low labor cost the company can benefit from higher revenues and competitive advantage. This information helped me connect he dots between cheap prices and trendy clothing. Before being aware of the reasons behind low priced clothes I was innocently attracted to the lowest prices. It is important for me to know that companies support unethical practices because from now on I will put more thought into where I choose to shop. I will no longer go for the cheaper price because I can’t bear with the thought of me supporting inhumane jobs. Also, knowing that companies are practicing unethical production practices will be something that I will keep in mind and further research when I pursue a career as a buyer in order to avoid doing business with companies that do not care for their employees.

Although this was the last week of the Environmental Sustainability course, it will not be the last week that I learn about sustainability issues. I plan on keeping up with the news related to the issue because I know that the importance and relevance of the issue is growing day by day.

Fast Fashion or Ethical Fashion

Mara Hoffman

Summer hairstyle

Trend Alert!

Straight hair is out for the summer.

Use this eco-friendly solution to give your hair some sexy volume! 

via ashressaday

Update your shorts

Be 4th-of-July-ready with this super cute (inexpensive) idea! 

 via ascotfriday

The supplies needed:

1. cut off shorts

2. fabric spray paint

3. felt adhesive stars

4. painters tape

Coco Perez uncovers the truth about

What Happens To Your Old Thrift Store Clothes….

The old clothes that you donate to thrift stores may not be the precious treasures that you think everyone wants!

Oh no, there's a much more selective process as to how your clothes are picked for the thrift store floor and where your castoffs are sent off to.

While "most Americans are thoroughly convinced there is another person in their direct vicinity who truly needs and wants our unwanted clothes," the truth of the matter is that your old rags are being seriously judged!

There's usually a team of critics who meticulously sift through each donation, sorting clothes into various categories. If they make the cut, they're sent to thrift stores across the community. If they don't, well, then, they're shipped off to a rag-cut room where they're turned into blocks of fabric.

Even designer brands end up here!

Harsh!

Once those rags are turned fabric, they are then shrink-wrapped and sent off to vendors in Africa where they become new clothes to be sold to the public, making "used clothing is now the United States' number one export by volume."

So, there you have it! The more you know…

[Image via AP Images.]

From trash to treasure

Who doesn’t like to go shopping on the weekend, or heck, even during the week after a long stressful day at work! For some of us girls and guys, shopping can be a relaxing hobby. As I learned in Cradle to Cradle, people like to buy new things because it makes us feel special. I plead guilty to the fact! But is shopping for new and sometimes-unnecessary materialistic objects good for our ecological environment? Unfortunately it is not. After reading, researching and taking it all in, I found out that the production of new products can be highly detrimental to our environment.

For example, the amount of waste that apparel companies create is unnecessary and is contaminating our living space. This waste is coming from the packaging materials used to transport garments from factories to retail stores. As a fellow classmate brought to my attention, The Buckle (an apparel retail store) individually plastic wraps every garment shipped to its stores, only for it to be removed and tossed into the trash bin. I understand that they are warping the garments for protection purposes, but is the waste really necessary? Companies need to start thinking of innovative ways to conserve materials and reduce waste.

Well-known companies like H&M have been keeping up with sustainability issues since 1997! The company knows that sustainable practices are an issue that should be addressed because it matters to its customers. And by responding to their customer demands they are also sustaining their business with them. As customers we have the ultimate power of purchase.

And as customers we also have the right to know how our products are being made. Through the interaction with my peers I learned that dangerous chemicals like PBBs are added to our products. Such chemicals like PBBs and other chemicals found in cloth dye have been linked to cause serious health issues. Hence, the U.S. government responds by restricting the production of these harmful chemicals in the U.S.  However, as Thorpe mentioned in the Designer’s Atlas to Sustainability, there are some companies that have been found guilty for leading illegal practices in “developing” countries and then importing their finished product back into the “developed” country without claiming these harmful practices. This was one of the most important issues that caught my attention because one of my future career goals is to work internationally. Knowing that this issue is an ongoing problem and that it could impact my future goals, I plan to conduct further research on the restrictions and laws for importing products produced abroad.

My learning experience this week has impacted my perspective on buying new things. From now on, instead of buying new products I will make an effort to reuse anything that I can to avoid creating waste. With the DIY trend going on in Pinterest I will be able to find fun and creative ideas that will help me give my old products a new life!

  

Eco-trend fashion haul

 Hey guys! So today we are doing sustainability! As complex as it sounds, sustainability is simply a word used to describe getting the most use out of a product as possible. Shopping for recycled or reused products is very important because in today’s society there is a quick end life to the products, instead of a continuing circle.

Who knew that shopping for sustainable products could be so trendy!

Check out the super cute things that I found!

So this first product is this Marisa Haskell jewelry piece.

This super edgy accessory was hand crafted with recycled metal scraps that have been melted together and then reprocessed into this beautiful “Zion” necklace. Creating this piece form old, unusable or worthless metals is beneficial to the environment because it prevents the waste of materials that are sill useful. (Nickel does not qualify for this process because for health purposes the AAFA restricts the use of this metal in items where there is direct contact with the skin.) As mentioned in Cradle-to-Cradle this type of recycling is referred to as “upcycling” because this new product was made from old metals scraps and is worth as much or more than the old metals. With this concept already in her company, Marissa Haskell could start an “upcyclying” program like that of Patagonia. This could be a step forward into benefiting the environment because this necklace is a technical nutrient that could be kept in a closed loop, and has the benefit of being able to be continually recycled within the industry (Thorpe, 2007). Through this program the company could still use toxic chemicals needed to melt the metals because they are contained in a completely closed loop cycle that does not contaminate the biological cycle. This program is an advantage to the environment because it is keeping unnecessary materials from the landfill.

My second find is a sweater skirt.

Does the pattern on this skirt look familiar? Yes, it looks like an old Bill Cosby sweater! That is because this vintage sweater skirt was made from an old sweater. The L.A. based designer reused a vintage sweater by cutting it and then sewing it back together into an amazing skirt! How clever! And the best part, the brand is highly inspired by nature elements. Hence, the designer stresses the use of fabrics that have been made without toxics because he wants to make sure that his products are future biological nutrients. The designer looks for all natural, biodegradable materials so that at the end of their life they can go back into their biological environment to support new life (McDonough and Braungart, 2002). This trendy product is also the product of “upcycyling” because the designer is preventing waste by giving an old sweater a new life as skirt. Wouldn’t you love to wear this vintage skirt knowing that you saved a sweaters life!

As unlikely as it sounds, this next find I was able to score at Buffalo Exchange.

This super casual Loomstate 321 organic t was hanging at the second hand store waiting for me to go in there and rescue it! By purchasing second hand items you will be doing your part of saving the world from waste because reusing items saves them from sitting in a landfill without a purpose. Also, and most importantly, this super comfy piece is USDA organic certified because it was made with 100% organic cotton and was not made with the use of any toxic chemicals. As a benefit, at the end of its life cycle this t-shirt could be safely used as a biological nutrient.

***

When correlating this haul to businesses and how the fashion industry run, so much today is wasted, which is why we must recycle and reuse more often! The current crisis we are in consists of the growing demands of greedy consumers who want material possessions at an exponential rate with no concern to deforestation, emitting toxic emissions into the air, or polluting our fresh water with harmful chemicals. Written in Cradle to Cradle, “The design intention behind the current industrial infrastructure is to make an attractive product that is affordable, meets regulations, preforms well enough, and lasts long enough to meet market expectations”.

As of today, daily life in America, for the most part, goes on without a hitch, but that is only because the determinants done daily are difficult to measure. If we only knew the amount of damage, we would then be quick to make a change in not only daily tasks, but industries would also change the structure of product life cycles. 

I personally think that sustainability has no quick fix, but yet, it is an ongoing process. Businesses need to imitate nature in the ways that products must follow a never-ending life cycle instead of a life and death.

Products must create no waste.

Synergy

Honey bees going extinct, toxics polluting our environment, bazar working conditions that scar the life of many- this is just a brief list of factors currently related to the production practices of the fashion industry. But what can we do to solve these problems and live happily ever after (in a sustainable environment). How can we produce for a sustainable environment? What defines sustainable products?

This week I learned that in order to make a change we must first get educated about the subject. This does not mean that we should become experts on sustainability, but knowing the basic terminology could really make a difference. As consumers we have the right to make educated purchases that will not only satisfy our needs, but also will in someway benefit the world we live in. Whether it benefits society by helping those in need, or simply making purchases that will benefit the environment in the long run.

After conducting research and interacting with my peers, something that caught my attention was the false conception that every “natural” product is sustainable. For instance cotton, the fact that Mother Nature gives us the cotton plant does not mean that its fibers are not as damaging as man-made fibers. In fact, it has been found that the cultivation of cotton can be extremely harmful to the environment. From the massive waste of water used to grow the plant, to the toxic pesticides used to increase production, cotton can be identified as a pollutant. This thought me that both “natural” and “synthetic” fibers have their pros and cons on the environment. Knowing this will have a huge influence in any of my future purchases. 

So how can we achieve sustainability? One solution in particular that fascinated me is the idea of different professional fields collaborating together and synergizing their knowledge. For example, a person in the fashion industry might be a brilliant designer but might not know a single thing about chemistry or the composition of fabrics. However, if a designer and a chemist partner together and share ideas, they might be able to come up with a genius product design. This concept really interests me, and I plan to conduct further research on it because I agree that by working together we can produce a result not independently obtainable.  

A new lifestyle

The ecological crisis has been a long debate over the past few years. There are a number of issues that have evolved including global warming, gas emissions, deforestation and high use of oil. All of these factors play a key role in shaping our planets future and ultimately affecting our lives. Change has to be implemented immediately in order to prevent our ecosystem from suffering.

One of these harmful issues is instituted in the construction practice of products. In the Designer's Atlas of Sustainability, Ann Thorpe claims that designs that are made from materials that require natural resources directly affect the environment by depleting the resource, as well as later on in its life cycle. It is important to analyze this issue closely and think about the choices we make on a daily basis. The way products are being made impact our environment, but we can surely alternate the materials being used to better improve our planet’s future. We can also review a products contents and reputation prior to considering the purchase of the product. If a product is made with natural resources that are exposing our planet to waste and is not resourceful, we can make the decision as to weather or not we want to purchase such product. As consumers we have the right to make these decisions that will make an impact in the long run.

A designer that designs a product using wasteful materials does not care about the environment and the planets future. As Armstrong and LeHew mention: a caring designer will “slow design” products tailored around the social and environmental impact of a product and will care more about those two elements than his/her economic well-being. With this method designer will tailor their designs around the well being of society and the planet, therefore creating sustainable designs. Making these kinds of products available for the consumers comes to show that the designer is taking charge and is willing to make a difference in the planet. Essentially, consumer behavior is what drives retail business and it is up to the business owners to instill environmentally-friendly practices from the start of any production process in order to service there customers completely. 

Consumption heavily relies on what is important to the customer and the way they view quality of life. Forum of the Fashion states that a high quality product is one that benefits both the consumer and the planet. This supports the idea that consumers are looking past the brands, prices and company popularity, and are digging deeper to find out business practices and product manufacturing practices. Other trends in consumer behavior include the convenience of shopping and the fact that although consumers may be price-conscious, they still want high quality, durable products (Engebretson, J). Consumers do not want to drive for miles to purchase a simple product, especially with our fast paced society where everyone is always in a hurry. One-stop shops are becoming more and more popular and stores are opening longer during holiday seasons to accommodate more busy schedules. Internet shopping is also extremely convenient, especially when consumers have access to the Internet from their phones where they can purchase certain products. Online shopping has become increasingly popular in order to satisfy consumer demand for fast fashion. Most of the times, consumers rely on the Internet to find the best deals or simply for the convenience of it. Sustainable designers can use this trending retail channel to easily reach customers.  

Our economy has slowed down some retail business, but customers are still looking for certain products and turning to sustainable companies. With the ecological crisis, some individuals are becoming more aware about the small changes we can make to build a better future for our planet and for ourselves. It is important to instill these changes in everything we do. The clothes we wear, the car we drive, the house we live in, the energy we use, and the overall waste we produce; all contribute to the ecological crisis but by making not one, but rather many changes to our lifestyles, we can surely lead the way to a greener, healthier, more sustainable future!

Engebretson, J. (1997). Beyond internet access.
Fashion finds ways for sustainability. (2008). Turkish Daily News. 
http://www.ecofashionworld.com/
http://www.theecologist.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/style/index.html