Organic Apparel Trend Setters

My wife and I were sitting in the porch and discussing the definitions of a Fad vs Trend. I stated that while a fad is an infatuation that is relatively short lived, a trend is something that permeates the entire societies very foundation making its way into socia, economical institutions.

One example of a trend that I alluded to is the renewed interest and the growth of organic food, apparel, alternate fuels and natural health products. Although organic food and apparel have been in the market for decades, it has been only recently that there has been a much more renewed interest with almost all major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc., opening up retail spaces for organic food and/or apparel.

Consumer interest in organic goods of all kinds is booming. According to a survey of 67,000 people by the consumer research firm NPD Group, 18% of consumers reported an interest in organic fashion products in 2006, a jump from just 6% in 2004. in the United States alone, sales of organic cotton products increased 55% from 2001 to 2005, according to a report from nonprofit Organic Exchange. Apparel accounts for the largest proportion of merchandise given out in incentive programs every year — 55% of companies reported offering apparel in the most recent Incentive Merchandise Facts Report (April).

Although the mention of organic clothing instills a picture of drab colored boring tees and pants that only your grandparents would wear, that perception is changing with the rise of many designer labelled brands including some by Patagonia and Nike. Indeed, Paul Kiewet, Chairman of Irving, Texas based Promotional Products Association Internation (PPAI) coments: We’re moving away from the old hippie, new age imagery and finally waking up to the fact that we can’t keep damaging the environment.” Adoption of organic apparel and use of reneweable fabrics is on the rise.

One company that is benefitting from this is SOS ( Save our Soil), a texas based company that produces organic apparel. Comments founder Gary Oldman “In the early days, consumers weren’t too aware of what organic cotton was, and it was a real slow marketing process,” says Oldman. “In the past three years, we’ve seen a real increase in the promotional products industry. Maybe [the companies] aren’t even aware of organic cotton, but their customers are asking for it.”

Other companies use other type of renewable resources that are an alternative to organic cotton which is still fairly expensive in the market. Patagonia has successfully marketed fleeces with recycled PET from soda bottles. In addition, recently Patagoria has also announced the expansion of Common Threads Recycling Program, that asks customers to return worn out polar fleece garmets which the company then recycles to make new garments.

Gaiam, another organic trendsetter, is looking into using materials from soy and bamboo. Mill Direct Apparale a Minnesota based company is now distributing polo, long-sleeve and Tees made from Ingeo, a high-performance, reneweable, man-made material that is attracting the attention of many large retailers. Production of Ingeo requires 68 percent less energy than polyester and has the added bonus of being biodegradable.

Companies have been also targetting the baby apparel market. GDiapers is a new bio-degradable diaper that can be flushed down the toilet and is fully organic.

So with all the new interest in going green, is the adoption and growth of organic and renewable products a fad or a trend?

Chandu
Eyezotica.com

Wal-Mart warned of consumer fraud for misleading labelling of organic products

Consumer fraud investigators in the state of Wisconsin released their findings this week after a three-month long investigation into allegations that Wal-Mart stores throughout the state of Wisconsin had misled consumers by misidentifying conventional food items as organic.
In a letter to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection stated they’d found numerous instances of conventional food products improperly labeled as organic by the retail chain.

Specifically, Wisconsin authorities told Wal-Mart’s legal counsel that “use of the term ‘Wal-Mart Organics’ in combination with reference to a specific non-organic product may be considered to be a misrepresentation and therefore a violation” of Wisconsin state statutes.

More on this.

Takeaways from Organic Conference and Trade Show 2007

2006 U.S. organic sales show substantial growth
• U.S. organic food sales totaled nearly $17 billion in 2006, representing about 3 percent of all retail sales of food and beverages
• Sales of organic foods grew by 22.1 percent in 2006 to reach $16.9 billion. Sales in 2005 were $13.831 billion

Products to watch
• Organic women’s apparel sales showed a 28 percent gain in 2006
• Organic baby food is an emerging product, with a 21.5 percent gain in 2006
• Organic personal care items showed an average growth rate of 11 percent in 2006, with organic hair- care products posting about 17 percent growth and organic supplements about 15 percent
• Organic beef sales grew about 13.5 percent


Source: Organic Trade Association

Organic eco-friendly shopping: convenience stores

Consumers are purchasing more organic foods in expanding categories. The category with the most growth over the year is "snacks," with 18 percent of infrequent users claiming to purchase organic snacks. New businesses are popping up to serve the exploding demand for organic and natural foods. One example is Full Moon Foodies Inc. located in Portland, Oregon. Full Moon Foodies is a new retail concept poised to capitalize on the current phenomenon in an underserved market segment, the convenience store. By offering friendly knowledgeable staff, upscale store design, multiple community based locations and the extended hours the larger grocers lack this new concept is poised to make living a healthy organic lifestyle a lot easier.

As the number of high density urban centers increases, the need for quick access to organic and environmentally friendly retail follows. The concept focuses on the high density urban market and will feature a clean and modern upscale design with an inviting atmosphere instead of the traditional convenience store starkness. “We’re not trying to re-invent the convenience store or the organic/natural food concept, we’re trying to make it more accessible”, summarizes Ellisa.

According to the Natural Food Merchandiser, American shoppers spent more than $51 billion on natural and organic products in 2005. The market overview article pointed to several trends in the organic and natural food industry, including increased sales of natural products by 9.1 percent across all retail and direct to consumer sales channels. Organic food sales grew 15.7 percent overall, and the fastest growing segment of organic food products is in the organic fresh meat and seafood sales, which grew by more than 67.4 percent in 2005 to $114 million. Additionally, growth of more than 30 percent occurred in the organic nutrition bars, beer and wine and foodservice segments of the market.

This is good news for the organic food industry and organic food shoppers as a whole.

More about this article here.

Companies embrace eco-friendly computing

More prominent computer makers are 'going green'--and schools are seeing more green as a result.

As concerns over the environment mount, a host of computer manufacturers and other hardware providers are rolling out initiatives designed to make their firms appear "environmentally friendly." From free recycling programs to more efficient processors, they say, schools and other customers with a heavy social conscious can rest easier thanks to a new suite of environmentally friendly products.

New developments in the design and manufacturing of computers, printers, and other electronic devices are reducing the use of materials that are harmful to the environment and also saving on energy consumption. These efforts can have a significant impact on the lifecycle costs of the equipment for schools and other consumers.

According to Dell, a classroom with 30 Optiplex 745 computers with Pentium D processors, Energy Smart power management, and 17-inch flat-panel monitors would save about $1,896 a year in energy costs. By replacing the Pentium D with a Core 2 Duo processor, which uses even less energy, this same classroom reportedly would save about $2,082 a year in energy costs.

"We're the first global technology company to offer customers the opportunity to offset the emissions associated with the electricity used to power their computers," said Dell, who also announced that his company would be the first to recycle used computers at no cost to consumers (see side story).

Apple too has completely eliminated cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays from its inventory. Hewlett-Packard Co. says it's the first Tier 1 computer maker to meet the new "80 Plus" performance specification for energy-efficient power supplies. And IBM has unveiled a new program, called Big Green Innovations, intended to help customers look at ways to reduce energy and waste. The program will offer consulting services to help school systems, corporations, and other enterprises design more energy-efficient data centers and otherwise reduce energy consumption, according to the online news source CNET.

With President Bush signing an executive order mandating that all federal agencies must buy EPEAT-certified products, a sign that the federal government is fully embracing and pushing ahead this emerging trend, we can expect more companies to introcude EPEAT-certified computing products.

Read more about this article here.

Home Depot and other American Retailers introduce more green products

Home Depot announced plans Tuesday to offer more environmentally friendly products and make it easier for consumers to find them.

Included are more than 2,500 items ranging from all-natural insect repellents to front-load washing machines. Products that meet the criteria will be tagged Eco Options to make them easier to find.

"We don't have people banging on our doors, saying, 'Give us your green products,' " says Ron Jarvis, Home Depot vice president of environmental innovation. "But it's the right time to educate consumers that their shopping habits can have an impact and that they can make a difference without going out of their way."

The move by the country's second-largest retailer comes after the largest, Wal-Mart, kicked off an environmental initiative last fall that favors suppliers who restrict carbon emissions and embrace sustainability.

In the past two years, many retailers have started going greener in the way they build stores, use direct mail and package their products.

"What's new is that they are moving to thinking about what they are offering in terms of environmentally friendly products and what they expect from consumers," says Madison Riley, retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates. He cites Ikea's recent move to charge customers for plastic bags.

Among other retailers who are seeing the benefits of being green:
Kroger: The grocery chain is using skylights and innovative lighting systems to save energy.

Target. It became a certified organic produce retailer in 2006 and now offers more than 500 choices of organic certified food. Pat Perry, senior group manager of environmental services, says Target also reduces waste through food-donation programs, giving away about 7 million pounds of food last year. Target also has four buildings in California that use solar energy.

Timberland. The outdoor company recently introduced Green Index tags on a number of its products. The tags rate products on issues such as use of greenhouse gas emissions, solvents and organic materials. Timberland plans by 2010 to become "carbon neutral," which means that the business will not negatively affect the climate. Among other things, it is increasing investments in solar panels and wind turbines.

Read more about this article here.

More on Eco-friendly products

The most fashionable color in makeup this spring may just be green.

Cosmetics companies are increasingly jumping on the eco-chic bandwagon, finding botanical ingredients to replace chemical-based ones and focusing on improving packaging practices.

Here's a look at some of the latest products claiming environmental friendliness:
* Aveda's Light the Way Earth Month Candle is packaged in leftovers, called make-readies, from the company's other printing runs that used to be discarded; the outer carton is printed with soy ink on 55 percent post-consumer recycled paper. All proceeds of the candle go to Global Greengrants for water-related projects.

The soy wax candle burns cleanly and completely, sits in a glass container made of 95 percent post-consumer recycled glass and is scented with organic Bulgarian lavender oil.
Aveda offsets about 7 million pounds of carbon emissions a year by purchasing wind energy for its manufacturing and distribution hub in Minnesota, said Mary T'Kach, Aveda's director of environmental sustainability.

* Lancome's Primordiale Cell Defense Double Performance Cell Defense and Skin Perfecting Serum. The product, which targets the symptoms of environmental stresses on the skin combines natural ingredients and those perfected in a lab.

After the serum hits the market in June, Lancome will plant a tree for each of the first 10,000 bottles sold. The company also has done a paperless press launch, creating a Web site for public relations purposes instead of using hundreds of mailers.

* Cargo's PlantLove lipstick is contained in a tube made not of plastic but of a corn-based polymer called PLA. One ear of corn will make 12 lipstick cases, according to the company, and each case biodegrades in as little as 47 days if composted.

The lipsticks themselves use an environmentally friendly recipe: meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba and shea butter and no mineral oils or petroleums. The outer packaging of the lipstick box is embedded with seeds, so if you plant the paper you can grow wildflowers.

Patagonia: Blueprint for green business

"There is no business to be done on a dead planet."

These words, a quotation from the legendary Sierra Club executive director David Brower, are the first thing you see when you walk into Patagonia headquarters in Ventura, Calif., and really, you can't miss them, given that they're etched into the front door.

Although he once stated that "This company is an experiment," Patagonia has punched above its weight - helped create a whole outdoor lifestyle, in fact. And decades before recycling became common practice, Patagonia was reusing materials. It was one of the first companies in America to provide onsite day care, both maternity and paternity leave and flextime. It used its lushly designed mail-order catalog to speak out about issues like genetically modified food and overfishing, proving that a company can benefit from having a voice and a moral compass, and that a clothing-company owner who quotes Thoreau ("Beware of any enterprises that require a new set of clothes") isn't necessarily a paradox.

Corporate America can very well take clues from Patagonia and drive towards an ecofriendly business environment.

Read more about Patagonia quest for an outdoor green lifestyle here.

Patagonia: Blueprint for green business

"There is no business to be done on a dead planet."

These words, a quotation from the legendary Sierra Club executive director David Brower, are the first thing you see when you walk into Patagonia headquarters in Ventura, Calif., and really, you can't miss them, given that they're etched into the front door.

Although he once stated that "This company is an experiment," Patagonia has punched above its weight - helped create a whole outdoor lifestyle, in fact. And decades before recycling became common practice, Patagonia was reusing materials. It was one of the first companies in America to provide onsite day care, both maternity and paternity leave and flextime. It used its lushly designed mail-order catalog to speak out about issues like genetically modified food and overfishing, proving that a company can benefit from having a voice and a moral compass, and that a clothing-company owner who quotes Thoreau ("Beware of any enterprises that require a new set of clothes") isn't necessarily a paradox.

Corporate America can very well take clues from Patagonia and drive towards an ecofriendly business environment.

Read more about Patagonia quest for an outdoor green lifestyle here.

Organic Trends

Organic purchases are among the hot trends noted by industry watchers.* Results from a national survey released by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine showed 44 percent of respondents purchased organic fruits and vegetables in a six-month period, versus 38 percent a year earlier. In addition, 30 percent purchased organic milk or other dairy products (up from 23 percent), 29 percent purchased organic cereals, breads or pasta (up from 25 percent), 24 percent purchased organic meats or poultry (versus 17 percent) and organic packed goods (up from 21 percent), 21 percent purchased organic eggs (up from 18 percent), and 16 percent purchased organic soups and sauces (up from 12 percent). The chief motivation cited for buying organic foods was perceived nutritional value, followed by long-term health effects. Just over half of respondents listed the environmental impact of growing or producing these foods.

The Shopping for Health 2006: Making Healthy Eating Easier telephone survey conducted in July 2006 included more than 1,000 adults.* A Dec. 28, 2006, article by Marilynn Marter in the Philadelphia Inquirer listed organic foods among the top food trends and buzzwords for 2007.

Other news & trends

Organic To Go, a fast-casual café certified as an organic retailer, surpassed $10 million in sales during 2006, finishing the year with 11 retail stores and 10 wholesale locations at office buildings, universities, hospitals and airports in Southern California and Western Washington state. In January, it was available in 13 new locations, including Cal State Northridge, the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena, CA, seven new locations on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA, two new locations at UCLA, and two new Organic To Go stores in Seattle, WA, and Century City, CA.

Market for Organic Clothes

Although quite small in comparison to synthethic clothing apparel market, the organic clothes market has been experiencing a 20-25% growth every year. However, with total sales of $240 million globally —about the size of a single mid-level apparel business — and organic cotton representing just .25 percent of the world supply of cotton, organic is still clearly in its infancy with plenty of room to grow.

Rebecca Calahan Klein, president of the Organic Exchange, notes that the number of brands using organic cotton is rising rapidly, from 100 in 2002 to more than 250 in the United States today — well on its way to achieving its goal of converting 10 percent of the world’s demand for cotton to organic cotton by 2013. Holly Givens, communication director of the OTA, reports projections from an OTA manufacturer’s survey that sales of organic apparel will increase by approximately 15.5 percent each year over the next three years, but industry experts expect the figure to more than double that.

Besides a small group of boutique and niche companies in this space, a number of brand name companies have been introducing more and more organic apparel. These companies include include Nike, Patagonia and Timberland.

Organic farming has been particularly advantageous in developing countries for a number of reasons. Organic farming encourages the use of labor, which is in abundant and inexpensive supply in these countries. The conversion to organic farming is also easier because farms in these countries are typically using fewer pesticides to begin with, and the shift away from pesticides, fertilizers and genetically modified seed provides a great financial boost because the costs of these inputs are proportionately much greater for farmers in developing countries than they are for U.S. farmers. Also, the rapid rise of organic food farming in places such as Turkey has encouraged the growing of organic cotton, because organic farming of any sort requires crop rotation.

As one industry analyst puts it: “Organic food has been growing at a rate of 20 percent per year for at least the past 13 years,” she says. “If organic apparel is on the same path, it has a lot of room to grow.”

Read more about the market in the article "Organic Clothing: It's Not Just for Tree Huggers Anymore" by JORDAN K. SPEER

A Greener Apple

Apple Inc, unveiled plans on wednesday to make the company greener than most of its competitors. In a message titled, "A Greener Apple," posted on the company's Web site, Jobs gave details for the first time of what the company was doing to remove toxic chemicals from its new products and more aggressively recycle old products.

Among the initiatives are Apple's plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays, and stop using polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants in its products by the end of 2008.

Read more about this article at Greener Apple.