In this article Mr. Cristol lays out several useful points about the communication of sustainability and discusses the difference between a brands reality and perception.

We are in the early stages of planning new products for 2013 and as we begin this process I am inspired by how our company is structured and would like to share some highlights.

To give you a brief background, Rethink specializes in garments made from recycled PET (from plastic bottles) and we are best known for our Signature T-shirt as it is the softest product of it’s kind in the market.  We focus on creating high quality yarns, great styling and fabrics that feel and perform better than what currently exists (and it’s made in the most sustainable way possible.)  In reality and perception, we are a sustainable company and focus efforts not only on the environmental aspects of our product but also on the social side of how we conduct ourselves and care for our partners in business.

I am often saying that our product is more than a t-shirt, sure, it’s obviously a t-shirt but the why and how this garment is made is fundamentally different than how garments are typically produced.  The why, we are taking a raw material that is considered waste and turning it in to a high quality, desirable product that people want to wear.  The how, we care about how our product is made and ensure the people who make our product are treated fairly and in a way that makes them happy.  It sounds crazy that a business is in business to make people happy but this is what it all boils down to, we want our suppliers, sellers and buyers to be happy about how our product looks, feels and know that it did not cause harm to the environment or people.

I like to call it a conscious sourcing model, we care very much about our supply chain and through relationships we have been able to maneuver successfully in an industry full of giant players.

What is it that is causing this change in the game?  For me, it simply doesn’t feel good to beat suppliers up in the name of price when we can still offer superior value in a way that is good for everyone.

By // Stacy Flynn

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-20/garbage-fashion-t-shirts-made-from-recycled-bottles

]]> http://rethinkfabrics.com/rethnk-in-business-week-433/feed 0 http://rethinkfabrics.com/eco-index-377 http://rethinkfabrics.com/eco-index-377#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:53:12 +0000 admin http://rethinkfabrics.com/?p=377 Have you heard of the Eco Index?  The Eco Index was created by the Apparel Coalition and has the potential to significantly change what kind of products consumers buy with an intricate rating system. This is the result of over 100 companies working together for one goal. That goal is to give consumers the opportunity to understand the impact certain products have on the environment including everything from the material the product is made from to the end life of the product. In this rating system effects from all seven stages of a product are thoroughly examined, cradle to the grave. The areas of impact are the land use intensity, water, waste, biodiversity, chemistry/toxics – people, chemistry/toxics – environment, and energy use/greenhouse gas emissions. Products will receive numbers on theThis rating system will allow consumers to think twice before they make a buying decision. Check out this project that RETH?NK is involved in that will have a great impact in the near future!

A visual on what the index rates.

Sailing across the ocean on a plastic boat is exactly what a group of inspired young sailors did. Led by British billionaire David de Rothschild, these sailors sailed on a 60 foot catamaran made entirely of plastic bottles (12,500 to be exact) and other recycled PET plastic. The ship also featured many renewable energy systems such as solar panels and wind turbines. The goal of this project was to draw the world’s attention to the giant pollution problem of waste dumping in the ocean, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (5 gyres). The Great Garbage Patch is about the size of Texas and is comprised of nearly 3.5 million tons of trash. Plastiki’s journey began in San Francisco on March 20, 2010; 38 jars of Ragu later the journey ended in Sydney Australia on July 26, 2010. Relatively unknown at the beginning of the trip, Platiki quickly grew a large following. Since the launch in late March Plastiki’s website has been viewed over 1,119,332 times. Why not be the next person to visit Plastiki and help clean our world!

Click here to learn more about the Plastiki expedition

Jay announced the Rethink Circle, a program that Rethink Fabrics will be launching soon to not only use recycled polyester in it’s wholesale products but will close the loop to provide clients a way to recycled the clothing after it’s use as well.

Check out the video below:

Here is the release:

APPAREL INDUSTRY LEADERS LAUNCH SUSTAINABLE APPAREL COALITION
Coalition to set Common Metrics and Standards to Improve Apparel Sustainability

VENTURA, CA – March 1, 2011 – A group of leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic experts, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today launched the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The Coalition will work on a collaborative approach to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products sold around the world by:

Leading the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability built on an industry-wide index for measuring and evaluating apparel and footwear product sustainability; Spotlighting promising technological innovations; and
Identifying opportunities for improving current social and environmental practices throughout the supply chain by collaborating to establish consistent expectations for brands, retailers, and manufacturers.

The goal of the Coalition is to lead the industry toward a shared vision of sustainability built on an industry-wide index for businesses to use to measure and evaluate apparel and footwear product sustainability performance. The tools will be developed with involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, and the metrics will be fully transparent to encourage broad adoption of the index globally. To accomplish this, the Coalition will draw on the work of different efforts to measure and track apparel sustainability including the Outdoor Industry Association “Eco Index” and Nike’s “Environmental Apparel Design” tools. The group has been working together informally since early 2010, and will begin beta-testing the initial version of an apparel and footwear sustainability index in 2011.

Founding members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition are based in North America, Asia, Europe and the U.K. They include Adidas, Arvind Mills, C&A, Duke University, Environmental Defense Fund, Esprit, Esquel, Gap Inc., H&M, HanesBrands, Intradeco, JC Penney, Lenzing, Levi Strauss & Co., Li & Fung, Marks & Spencer, Mountain Equipment Co-op, New Balance, Nike, Nordstrom, Otto Group, Outdoor Industry Association, Patagonia, Pentland Brands, REI, TAL Apparel, Target, Timberland, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Verité, VF Corp, and Walmart.

“The largest and most influential corporations in apparel and footwear together with leading environmental and social organizations have voluntarily engaged in this collective effort because they recognize the opportunity to get in front of the growing need to measure and manage the environmental and social impacts of their products,” said Rick Ridgeway, Coalition Chair and Vice President of Environmental Programs, Patagonia. “More importantly, they recognize the threat to the planet and its inhabitants by continuing the model of ‘business as usual.’”

Each of the Coalition’s participating companies and organizations see an opportunity to advance their own sustainability goals by collaborating to create more uniform, broadly defined tools for measuring sustainability, and for collective actions to drive innovations in products and manufacturing that will benefit the entire apparel industry and consumers.

Hummel reports “In an exciting cooperation between hummel, the Black Eyed Peas and RETH¿NK, recycled is a contribution to reduce the emission of CO2. An entire collection with footwear, sports and fashion clothes is made from recycled plastic bottles. Not only does hummel love The Black Eyed Peas, one of the biggest bands in the world, but we also love RETH¿NK! Therefore we did not hesitate for a second when presented with the opportunity to support BlackBerry® presents The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D World Tour 2010 Recycling Program.”

Hummel International’s owner Christian Stadil was interviewed by Sportswear International about the collections. Read more….

Black Eyed Peas PSA on hummel from hummel1923 on Vimeo.

Check out the video they produced to launch the collection:

http://www.facebook.com/hummel.International

Celebs such as Ed Begley Jr., Rachelle Carson Begley, Lisa Ling, MTV’s Buried Life Crew, David De Rothchild, Anna Getty, Heroes James Kyson Lee, One Life to Live’s Peter Reckell, Nia Peoples, Ray Charles Jr, Shanica Knowles and more entered on the solar powered green carpet. Planet Green’s Boise Thomas & Darren Moore donated their time as Emcee’s of the event. Music featured The MakePeace Brothers, KCRW’s DJ Valida and Rey Fresco Band.

RETHINK: GREEN Charity Event gathered top companies and tastemakers in the green market to celebrate and raise awareness for green education.  The event was designed to teach attendees in a very entertaining way to ‘Rethink Green’ at home, work and throughout our daily lives. Interactions included: An eco-friendly fine art show with top artists such as Shepard Fairey, Chris Jordan, Tanya Clarke, Jodi Fuchs, organic wine, spirits, beer and food, an eco-inspired silent auction, interactive educational booths, Rise Above Plastics art installation by Otis Design School and more. Over $85,000 was raised for the charity.

The event featured organic and sustainable food provided by Green Truck, Veggie Grill, One World Vegetarian Cuisine, Taste Buds Cupcakes, Maria Elena Horchata and all produce donated by Weiser Family Farms and Jame Farms. Organic and biodynamic wine/beer was provided by Venice Beach Wines, Bottle Rock Wine, Frey Wine and Schlagl Beer. Organic Spirits provided by Organic Nation Vodka and FAIR Trade Spirits Vodka. Drinks were provided by Naked Juice and Izze. On site at the eevent attendees enjoyed the Spa services provided by Aveda and Green Bliss Eco Spa. Also, earth-conscious disposable tableware was provided by Wasara.Rethink Fabrics supplied the event t-shirts worn by the staff and was included in the gift bags as well.

Video coverage by Green T with Tamara:

Read More…

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/an-inside-look-at-las-community-of-visionary-activists.php

http://laist.com/2010/11/01/rethinkgreen_to_celebrate_10_years.php

http://www.examiner.com/la-county-political-buzz-in-los-angeles/environmental-torch-passes-to-new-generation-at-rethink-green-event-slideshow

This is a great time to consider recycled fabrics – recycled polyester. Here’s the facts:

1. Of the synthetic fibers, RPET polyester fabric has almost a 90% lower carbon footprint than nylon

2. RPET polyester fabric has a 75% lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester

3. RPET polyester fabric has a 50% lower carbon footprint than organic cotton

See articles at:

Cotton Prices Rise as Chinese Output Falls Short – A shortfall in China’s cotton production could mean U.S. retailers will have to pay their Chinese suppliers as much as 30 percent more for apparel

Apparel industry mobilizes against cotton rally