At 17,000 square feet, the Echoview Fiber Mill, which opened in April of 2012, is an unexpected find in quiet Weaverville, NC. It took two years to build, a process that was made a bit longer due to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification process. The building attained the first Gold LEED certification for a manufacturing mill …
Upcycling Plastic Ocean Trash into Fashion
A while back I wrote an article about a collaboration between Adidas and Parley to create a shoe out of abandoned fishing nets appropriately named the Adidas Recycled Ocean Waste Shoe. I was happy to see that this turned out to be more than just a concept and that you can actually purchase Adidas shoes made from recycled plastic. Even …
5 Eco Friendly Denim Brands Pushing Fashion and Sustainability
What makes denim eco-friendly? Since the definition can be very broad, we want to be as transparent with our choices as possible. This is how we determine how eco-friendly and sustainable: Materials Cotton can be very intensive to produce, and some alternative fibers are finding their way into denim. The various materials used have a direct environmental impact through farming …
Waste from Shoes and Shoes from Waste
It’s estimated that 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually, with roughly 300 million pairs ending up in landfills after they have been worn. The Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which usually makes up the midsole of most running shoes, can last for as long as 1,000 years in a landfill. There are a few organizations out there trying to reduce …
tonlé – Waste Free Ethical Fashion
You may not realize it, but a lot of clothes these days are made in Cambodia. Take a look at your clothing tags, and I’m sure you will find quite a few naming this South East Asian country. With all of those textile factories in such a small country, you are probably wondering what’s the deal? The perfect storm of …
DaDa and Quarterly Underwear Club
DaDa is a men’s underwear brand based in Scotland using sustainable materials to develop comfortable underwear. Fabrics such as organic cotton, bamboo rayon, seaweed, coconut shells and even coffee grinds have been developed and combined with stylish patterns and fits. Their first collection has focused on developing three distinct styles, which can be found as a part of their Kickstarter …
Eco Friendly Bamboo Clothing and Fabrics, or is it?
Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials available today, but does that sustainability and eco-friendly label extend to bamboo clothes? The sad truth is, mostly no. The process to transform bamboo into clothing involves quite a bit of energy and produces chemical waste with environmental and health concerns. Bamboo is turned into yarn by cooking the bamboo plant in …
Tomi Otee – Organic Golf Clothes
Thomas over at Tomi Otee was kind enough to send me some new organic polo shirts for my golfing. I found them to be not only comfortable, but also really like their modern cut and sturdy feel. The tee holders designed into the sleeves are a great functional focus piece and set them apart from your common polo shirt. Tomi …
Fair Trade Designs – Jewelry
I am a big fan of Fair Trade products, and Stephanie over at Fair Trade Designs was kind enough to send me some of their products to review. One thing I really like is the stories about each of the artisans, so you really get to know the people behind the products you are purchasing. Fair Trade Designs jewelry is …
The Story Behind Ethical Diamonds
Even today, many people still don’t know about the contentious issues that surround diamond production. Most people’s first experience of buying a diamond is when they plan to get married, and when caught up in all the excitement that brings, unless you have prior knowledge of the blood diamond issue, it may not be something that’s on your agenda. Blood …