Apparel Industry

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Most of the clothes we wear in this nation contain some cotton, the most intensively sprayed field crop in the world. Ten percent of the pesticides used worldwide and 25 percent of the pesticides used in the U.S. are used to grow cotton (Children's Health Environmental Coalition). Not only does this crop require large amounts of pesticides, many gallons of water and tons of herbicides are applied to cotton fields each year.

Polyester, a plastic made from crude oil, is another very common material in clothing. Polyester is non-biodegradable and the manufacturing process uses lots of water for cooling and potentially dangerous lubricants. Nylon, another common material in clothing, is a non-biodegradable synthetic plastic. "Nylon manufacturing creates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide" (Green Choices). The manufacturing of synthetics requires large amounts of energy, usually derived from non-renewable fossil fuel sources.

Rayon, another artificial fiber, is made from cellulose. "Old growth forest is often cleared and/or subsistence farmers are displaced to make way for pulpwood plantations. Often the tree planted is eucalyptus, which draws up phenomenal amounts of water, causing problems in sensitive regions. To make rayon, the wood pulp is treated with hazardous chemicals such as caustic soda and sulphuric acid." (Green Choices)

There are, however, more sustainable clothing options available. Responsible clothing manufacturers are beginning to blend hemp with sustainably produced crops like organic cotton. Growing hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and much less water than fibers like cotton. Check out the new environmentally conscious (and extremely comfortable) fabrics.

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Gap, Inc. (Owns Banana Republic, the Gap, Forth & Towne, and Old Navy)

Products: Clothes for men, women, and children; bags; outdoor apparel; footwear; belts; pins; swimwear; bath products
Unique Programs:
The Gap requires unrestricted access into factories making Gap clothing, including complete access to workers, working and living facilities, and employment records. The working conditions are re-evaluated on an annual basis.
Over 90 full-time employees exclusively focus on monitoring and improving factory conditions, labor practices, and Gap standards.
The company donated $60 million to nonprofit organizations in the last 5 years.
They also have a composting program in Bay Area Cafes.
Gap corporate offices offer special parking areas and locker rooms equipped with showers for employees who ride their bikes to work.
Special parking privileges are reserved for carpoolers and Gap aids employees in carpool matching by compiling helpful databases.
Gap offers shuttles to transport employees from the local mass-transit station to their corporate office. There is also a shuttle running between Gap’s San Bruno, California office and the San Francisco office, eliminating the need for employees to drive individually.
Energy-saving tactics have been employed in U.S. stores including: setting the thermostats to 78° in summer and 66° in winter, installing energy-efficient light fixtures, reducing or removing unnecessary lighting, and installing an automatic shut-off system for conveyors.
The shelves of Gap stores and distribution centers are made of non-formaldehyde wheat board. They use low-VOC adhesives instead of chlorinated adhesives used originally.
Gap has made it a goal to reduce GHG emissions by 11% for every square foot of their company by 2008.
The 901 Cherry building, part of corporate headquarters in San Bruno, incorporates elements of sustainable design, including:

A green roof featuring native grasses insulates to save energy and also absorbs rainwater.
Chilled nighttime air is stored in a ventilation system under the floors and is released during the day for cooling purposes.
Office windows open to allow circulation of fresh air. The plentiful windows also supply natural lighting. A computer senses when this natural daylight begins to fade and gradually adds artificial lighting to compensate. Motion-sensors are employed to shut off lights when the room is not in use.
The majority of the wood used in the building’s interior came from forests certified as "well-managed."
Particleboard used in the building is formaldehyde-free and tile adhesives, carpets, and paints used contain low level of toxins.

The Headquarters in San Francisco recently added a similar building, 2 Folsom Street, built with the same considerations. In addition, the concrete used in the building’s foundation contained fly ash waste from the burning of coal. 1,800 tons of this ash was rerouted from its normal path to the landfills.
Gap encourages its distribution centers to reuse their boxes.
When considering purchases of paper and cardboard for marketing purposes, Gap looks at what type of dye and bleach is used, the amount of post-consumer fiber, and the supplier’s support of sustainable forestry.

L.L. Bean

Products:Clothing for men, women, and children; outdoor apparel; travel accessories; footwear; home décor; bedding; bath products; pet accessories; furniture; sport and fitness equipment
Unique Programs:
L.L. Bean has given $3 million in the last 5 years to organizations in their area promoting conservation and outdoor recreation. They also offer support to organizations through product donations and volunteering.
75% of the paper purchased by L.L. Bean is produced locally (in Maine) and comes from responsibly managed forests.
To increase the availability of (certified) responsibly managed local forest land, L.L. Bean has joined with the State of Maine in the advancement of the Maine Forest Certification Initiative.
In 2003, they recycled 80% of their solid waste stream.
The company uses a bio-diesel blend in their vehicles for fuel.
They are minimizing the use of "undesirable substances" in their products.
L.L. Bean utilizes software to manage catalog circulation and target marketing to reduce excess mailing of catalogs to uninterested parties. Also the L.L. Bean web site and online advertisements reduce the need for paper catalogs. The company continues to research alternative ways to reach their customers.

Maggie's Organics

Products: Socks; scarves; tights; loungewear; legwarmers; tees; baby clothes; and tops
Unique Programs:
Maggie’s Organics uses certified organic fibers in every product and uphold commitments to working with business partners that provide sustainable working conditions for all of their employees.
They design garments that are thoughtful and made to last.
They work diligently to develop long-lasting partnerships with all of their producers in the U.S. and abroad. Maggie’s makes sure that the producers provide clean, healthy working conditions and promote independence to their workers.
To help decrease the impact of product transportation, Maggie's uses supply chains as close to Ypsilanti as possible.
The company uses minimal packaging.
Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Norm Thompson

Products: Clothing for men and women; footwear; travel accessories; bedding; food
Unique Programs:
Norm Thompson donates 5% of pre-tax profits to the community and organizations around the world.
When choosing suppliers, Norm Thompson looks for those with minimum-impact, or mills which consume minimum amounts of resources. They also look at the social operations of their suppliers, especially at the community level. Norm Thompson uses a Sustainability Scorecard to choose vendors and make product purchasing decisions. The scorecard ranks products based on the life cycle impact of materials used in their manufacturing processes.
Norm Thompson is researching packaging alternatives that are recyclable, biodegradable and manufactured with recycled content.
The company ships fabric scraps to ABLE, Inc., a nonprofit organization that manufactures goods from recycled materials.
They have an on-site organic garden.
Norm Thompson matches employee volunteer hours.
For employees who typically carpool, utilize public transportation, walk, or bike but may need the use of a vehicle during the day, the company provides a FlexcarTM. A shuttle service is offered to the local train station, and light rail and bus passes are offered to employees free of charge.
Norm Thompson’s buyers scout out products that are sustainable and reflect indigenous culture and craftsmanship.
At corporate headquarters, food scraps are composted and all cleaning products are non-toxic and biodegradable. The building was made from recycled materials and sustainably harvested wood.
Norm Thompson invests in wind power.
The company is promoting the development of a non-wood fiber market, in particular those fibers that are waste products of sustainable farming.
They also provide funding for researchers who identify and fight for protection of endangered forests of the regions from which Norm Thompson procures its materials.

North Face

Products: Outdoor apparel; clothing for men, women and children; footwear; bags/packs; camping supplies
Unique Programs:
In 2003, North Face helped fund a full youth group sponsorship for Girls Inc.
For every 1000 feet climbed by North Face athletes, the company gives $100 to the country where the climbing took place.
They helped form the Conservation Alliance, "an organization dedicated to supporting grassroots citizen-action groups and their efforts to protect outdoor areas."
The North Face has partnered with the not-for-profit Leave No Trace: Center for Outdoor Ethics, which strives to "promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation" by educating people about the negative effects that recreational activities have on the natural world and how to reduce them.

Patagonia

Products: Outdoor apparel for men, women, and kids; sport & fitness equipment; bags/packs
Unique Programs:
Through the Enviro-Internship Program, Patagonia employees can leave their jobs for up to two months (paid) to work full-time for the environmental group of their choice.
Since 1985 Patagonia has committed 10% of pre-tax profits to grassroots environmental groups or at least 1% of sales, whichever is more. Patagonia has given more than $20 million to more than 1,000 organizations.
In 1996, the company converted their entire sportswear line to 100% organically grown cotton.
Since 1993, Patagonia has manufactured select fleece products from post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles and currently use PCR® fleece in 31 products. They also have recently added PCR® filament yarn to some products, which contains post-consumer and post-industrial feedstock.
For Capilene® base layers, the company offers a Common Threads Garment Recycling Program using the ECOCIRCLE™ recycling system from Teijin. Consumers simply send clean base layers back to Patagonia and they will make new clothing from the worn out garments!
Recently, Patagonia has been incorporating hemp in a mix with recycled polyester in some of their goods. A supplier innovation makes this recycled polyester available from resources other than the usual plastic bottles.
Patagonia is working toward a future where customers can send back their used polyester garments for reprocessing.
The Denver store is completely powered by wind energy.
Half of Patagonia’s power comes from wind, and the company plans to increase this amount. Twelve percent of their energy is provided by 360 solar panels delivering 66kW. These solar panels will last for 30 years.
During the expansion of the Reno, Nevada distribution center, Patagonia followed LEED standards.
Each year, Patagonia takes on an environmental campaign to educate the public on an issue important to the company. For 2006-07, Patagonia has committed to "teach ourselves and our customers just how close the connection is between the vitality of human life and the marine environment."
In 1989, Patagonia co-founded "The Conservation Alliance", a group of 70 companies in the outdoor industry who give grants to grassroots environmental groups since the founding. The grant money comes from annual membership dues.

Sahalie

Products: Outdoor apparel; Clothing for men and women; footwear; jewelry; bags/packs; pet accessories; travel accessories; home décor; lawn and garden
Unique Programs:
Sahalie donates 5% of pre-tax profits to social and environmental groups in their community and throughout the world.
The company ships fabric scraps to a company who uses them to manufacture products.
They use the Natural Step system to guide their transition to sustainability, which assesses environmental and social issues in a scientific framework.
Sahalie has an on-site organic garden.
They have a focus on efficiency and high recycled content in manufacturing.
Sahalie is in the process of converting all traditional cotton garments to organic cotton.
They also have a goal of removing all PVC from their products.
Sahalie is behind an Oregon Trout initiative known as "100,000 Trees on the Deschutes" which is working voluntarily to restore the banks of the Deschutes river by planting trees to provide soil stability and protection from the sun, especially in known breeding grounds for trout, salmon, and steelhead.
The company funds a yearly sponsorship for one lucky employee to participate in an Earthwatch expedition. The employee provides voluntary aid to Earthwatch researchers striving to conserve regions with cultural and ecological value.
Sahalie has a matching program for employee volunteer hours.
As an incentive to promote sustainable thinking in the workplace, Sahalie awards employees who come up with and incorporate sustainable solutions into their jobs.

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