Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
By: Tara Clark
The goal of the GreenEarth dry cleaner is to provide customers will an exceptional and sustainable service at a fair price. To this end, the GreenEarth system allows operators to deliver an impeccable clean while minimising operating costs, reducing landfill waste and carbon emissions.
GreenEarth cleaners recognise that not all their customer’s garments are the same. Some garments are investments which, if cared for properly will stand the test of time, while others are purchased cheaply, designed only to be worn a few times before being discarded. Of course, the challenge with this approach is that much of this fast fashion ends up in landfills rather than being used over a long useful life. In the U.S. alone, some $250 billion is spent on fashion each year, some 10.5 million tonnes of which is estimated to end up in landfill.
However, many fashion designers and developers are recognising the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry and in 2016, it’s quite a selling point to be able to offer consumers fashions which are recycled, organic or sustainably produced. In fact, it’s hip to be green. From off the rack fashions to haute couture, sustainable fashions are becoming more and more desirable, pointing to a future where green is the new black.
Australian fashion label Gorman, known for their striking prints and bright colours reminiscent of the early 1990s, are just one of many labels with a dedication to sustainable business practises.
Each and every one of their suppliers must comply with all applicable environmental laws if they want to do business with Gorman, and they’re very open about their policy of working with companies who specifically implement policies and practises to minimise their own environmental impact. And it doesn’t stop there.
When it comes to production, they use a variety of organic or sustainably produced materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, tencel, non-mulsed merino, recycled cotton fibre and raw rattan linen. But again, they don’t stop there.
When it comes to fitting out their fabulous stores, they favour recycled timbers, non-toxic paints and LED lighting. Their ‘no bag thanks’ programme plants one tree for every three customers who refuse a bag, and those who do require one will receive one made from unbleached brown paper. They boast a 90% reduction in plastic packaging used in bulk orders – in just a single year! Most of all, their garments are designed and developed with longevity in mind, not landfill, and it’s their desire to see their garments last and last.
New York society event of the year, the Met Gala, brings together the who’s who of film, fashion, music and art. With a theme last year of Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, actress and Gen-Y trend setter Emma Watson turned heads in a gown made entirely from recycled materials. The stunning creation was a collaboration between herself, Calvin Klein and Eco-Age, a company which helps businesses introduce sustainable solutions into their workflow.
And now eco-friendly fashions can be completed with one hundred percent eco-friendly bags.
The Earth Bag by Hamilton Perkins is a travel bag created out of nothing but recycled plastic bottles and vinyl repurposed from billboards, guaranteeing that each bag is not only 100% eco, it’s also 100% unique.
As well as reducing the production of plastic, Hamilton Perkins claim these bags also cut carbon emissions and water usage.
It’s not just dry cleaners who see the benefits of going green. Fashion designers and developers are leading the charge for a more sustainable, environmentally focused fashion industry, reaching consumers at every level of the sartorial ladder. Like minded dry cleaners remain at the forefront of industrial innovation.
If you would like to learn more about the most sustainable way to dry clean, join us in Brisbane this November for GreenClean 2016. More information can be found at www.gecleaning.com/greenclean