INCycle by PUMA is a collection of biodegradable and fully recyclable apparel, footwear and accessories.

Sportswear label PUMA launched its new collection of cradle-to-cradle certified apparel, footwear and accessories last month. Having debuted the collection last fall, the company is glad to announce that the INCycle collection is now available through PUMA’s  online shop, and has already hit several retail stores worldwide.

The C2C philosophy is based on the vision of a world where nothing that is produced releases hazardous materials into the environment, nor ends up in landfills or incinerators. The concept of C2C involves the design and production of goods that can be composted or recycled, alongside production processes that have no environmental impact, and are able to recycle resources. Although several industries are far from this ideal scenario, PUMA is definitely taking a step in this direction and setting a higher standard for large apparel companies.

As part of the PPR Luxury Group, PUMA has become one of the mainstream brands that is actively trying to reduce their negative environmental footprint and increase their positive environmental footprint. Collaboration with C2C experts at the EPEA kickstarted PUMA’s new environmental strategy, which PUMA says, is only the beginning. The INCycle products meet the criteria for the C2C “BASIC” program, but the company aims to develop more sustainable products. As a bonus and motivational message to other brands, the designs of the INCycle collection have actually created profits rather than losses for the company.

The new INCycle collection contains both biodegradable and recyclable items. The fully compostable items include the Basket Tee and Logo T-Shirt, made from organic jersey cotton. The Basket Sneakers are the most interesting item in the collection, with uppers made from a blend of organic cotton and linen, and the soles made from a newly introduced biodegradable plastic called APINATbio. The material is made out of thermoplastic compounds, and is easily shredded into small components and composted or recycled into new items.

The recyclable INCycle products are not as innovative as the Basket Sneaker, but have been launched in conjunction with PUMA’s Bring Me Back program that allows customers to return recyclable items to the manufacturer. Made out of fully recyclable PET plastic, the Track Jacket, Track Pants, Backpack and Sports Bag are designed to be entirely recyclable, with everything down to the zippers made of materials that can be re-used. All of these items can be broken down into polyester granulate for use as raw fiber for new products.

Check out the collection online or visit your closest PUMA store for a first-hand experience. PUMA’s Bring Me Back program has been launched in collaboration with global recycling company I:CO, which has been installing in-store composting and recycling bins to take back unwanted or used INCycle items. In fact, items from any of I:CO’s member companies can be placed in the bins, including the likes of Adidas, Carhartt, H&M, Esprit, Foot Locker and Volcom. As a perk for the recycler, every kilogram of apparel or every pair of shoes returned will earn you a voucher for 10 percent off your next purchase at any of the participating labels!

Images: PUMA

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SeriesPart 5: The fashion industry is emerging from its cocoon post-recession, a changed sector where consumers are more cautious, manufacturers are on their toes and designers are struggling to stay afloat doing business as usual. In this five-part series, we take a hard look at the fashion world, speaking with industry leaders, luminaries and experts. This week we ask: Can we predict the future of fashion?

Futuristic predictions of fashion are as varied as they are improbable. Will we all dress like we’re in Mad Max? Or will the evolution of fashion identity be more subtle, with the significant changes having more to do with technology and production? And no discussion of the future of fashion can ignore the issue of resources. Indeed, with nearly everyone I interviewed for this final chapter in our series, one word came up again and again: Water. (Roughly 20% of the earth’s water pollution comes from the fashion industry.)

The post The Post Recession Fashion Industry: Shut Up and Listen to The Future appeared first on EcoSalon.

Trashion. If you’re green and fashionable, you’ve no doubt noticed it’s everywhere you look these days. And this “creative reuse” in fashion may have finally gone too far. It’s time to question, for the sake of eco fashion’s future viability, the plethora of “trash to treasure” initiatives touted as sustainable fashion genius.

It is time to do more with less, and this includes reducing our predilection for “trash to treasure” designs and stories that glorify less than marketable fashion.

The thing that concerns me as someone who also observes how trash is now utilized in eco-art and gallery installations is the message suggesting that we can increasingly find a tidy place for the trash in our lives. Creative reuse needs to move beyond the glorification of trashion and recycled art projects in order to address long term solutions for waste reduction and sustainable economic development. Our primary focus should be on managing this toxic bloom via critically important economic, environmental, and health initiatives.

For sure, timeless design has a transcendent and culturally revealing quality, particularly when it comes to the innovative reuse of materials and cast-off bits. Are we currently aiding or hindering the sustainable fashion movement if we do not make a distinction between designs that measure up as genuine fashion innovation and those that are clever, eye-catching creations that make “trashion” seem fashionable?

Junky Styling’s recycled men’s suit coats: an empowering approach

Creative reuse projects can be large or small. In the case of fashion, several bold designer initiatives have genuinely overhauled the industry’s patterns of waste and excess via the resourceful recycling of textile surplus and unsold stock. Standout labels like From Somewhere, Junky Styling, Goodone, and Reet Aus, to name a few, effectively take yesterday’s unwanted goods and artfully re-shape them into tomorrow’s covetable items. This design strategy is genuinely empowering for the fashion lover who is investing in environmentally sound and fashion-forward design.

From Somewhere‘s upcycling of Speedo’s LZR Racer designs

The recent collaboration of From Somewhere with Speedo to create a capsule collection upcycled from unsold and obsolete Speedo LZR Racer designs might seem like an odd pairing to some. However, an industrial fabric challenge like this clearly demonstrates how unwanted waste can be transformed into eco-luxe couture.

Recycling should and must be an engaging activity, particularly when it comes to labor-intensive DIY projects. Some of the most rewarding fashion moments are definitely those where something useless or outdated takes on new life with imaginative tinkering and whimsy. As Kate Black of Magnifeco recently shared with us:

“When it comes to recycling, we have obviously been doing it for years, in all cultures. Textiles that can no longer be used as garments are incorporated into household items like quilts and pillows and now it’s not just recycled textiles making the news in eco-fashion: candy wrapper handbags, pull-tab accessories are front and center, too.  When recycling or upcycling in fashion falls short, though, I generally find that it is from a taste perspective, not necessarily a design perspective.”

I wholeheartedly support projects that provide fair-trade jobs to artisans who create one-of-a-kind accessories and art-objects out of dumpster and landfill pickings, so I am certainly not attacking these folks for the honest craft and handwork that they do.

Ecoist ‘Botero’ handbag crafted out of candywrappers

I do think, however, that we should exercise caution regarding what is an increasing inclination to sanitize and incorporate trash into art, fashion, and design projects for our own aesthetic amusement. Let’s not forget that this everyday refuse should not exist in the first place, at least not in the volume that we are now grappling with. We need to ensure that we do not become de-sensitized to just how out of control our garbage epidemic is. It is one thing to source from surplus textile stock, recycle trash in the waste stream, and get one’s hands dirty with some gritty DIY projects, but not at the expense of garbage becoming a part of our ongoing design lexicon, much less the focus of our attention.

Via Trendhunter: A condom hat may be great for ginning up clicks, but it’s bad for eco fashion progress.

‘Trash to treasure’ is a dangerous term, and one that might soon need to be upgraded or upcycled within the sustainable fashion glossary. Our long term efforts should continue to be focused on cradle-to-cradle design initiatives, zero-waste garment production, acknowledgment of indigenous technologies and crafts that actually aid specific regions, and sustainable economic development that improves the lives of people everywhere so that they can move beyond having to rely on garbage as a means of livelihood.

Chris Jordan photography

The ready-made object is a surrealist phenomenon. Fashion is about personal expression and the ability to be transported to new layers and states of being. Let’s not allow ourselves to get swept up by “quirky” design projects that demonstrate how clever we can be with Coke tabs, Barbie doll heads, condoms, or heaps of televisions and computer monitors, all in the name of recycling – but in reality only keep our movement one step further from legitimate entree into mainstream fashion or, worse, from being taken seriously by leaders in the fashion world.

‘Household goods’… deceased Estate by Claire Healey and Shaun Cordelro

This is not meant as an attack on the resourceful re-purposing of waste materials for home, fashion, and personal use. Recycling is definitely a significant part of the sustainable fashion story, but recycling without an ability to edit is doing us no good.

There is a time and a place for trashion and art of this nature, but we have a responsibility to shift away from scenes that mimic the dying “portraits of global mass culture” (a la work of photographer Chris Jordan) as we look to a greener future.

Lead image courtesy of Goodone; Household goods images via The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Much of sustainable design is focused on producing new products in line with the cradle-to-cradle concept but, with so much clothing in landfills, the most compelling applications are those that reclaim and reexamine found materials. San Francisco’s latest eco-fashion launch, Piece x Piece, illustrates how a new response to climate change can be the catalyst for truly smart and innovative design. Created from discarded fabric swatches, the finished limited-edition garments are at once fresh and timeless, a testament to the beauty and possibility inherent in embracing change. We talked to Piece X Piece founder, Elizabeth Brunner, about her new line and what the future holds for responsible fashion lovers.

What are your views on the current state of the eco-fashion movement?

“I think the eco-fashion movement is headed in a good direction in terms of availability and getting more attention. On the West Coast and, in SF in particular, I think more people have eco-fashion in their wardrobes and it’s slowly becoming the norm, which is great. Fast fashion is a hard habit to break because everyone loves a great deal, myself included! But at the same time, I think some people are finding the sparkle of fast fashion fading because it’s generally not original – by any means – and people are craving individuality and want something that’s made well, which usually equates to spending a little more money.”

What about the so-called eco-fashion paradox – when we have so much already, how can buying more create a profound engagement with clothing that can transform and inspire change?

“That’s a tough question but one that I actually thought a lot about when I was studying fashion because I have such a love/hate relationship with the industry. Fashion is a form of expression and it’s really the only way to communicate without saying a word – that’s what I love about it – it’s very creative. It can also be frivolous and superficial but that’s not something you can change peoples minds about. It has to be an observation you make on your own. Then it becomes less about “stuff” and more about substance.”

What do you think the “mantra” of the woman looking to dress more sustainably should be?

“Quality not quantity. If you buy clothes that are well designed, fit you well, and are made well, whether it’s made of organic cotton or not, if it stays in your closet for years over – that’s a form of sustainability that I can get behind.”

Who do you imagine as your customer?

“I hate to give any description of my “customer” because I think it’s very limiting. All I’ll really say is that I make clothes that I love and I hope others love it too.”

Describe your personal style?

“I dress very simply when I’m working because it doesn’t make sense to wear stiletto boots and mini skirts while I’m digging through boxes or cutting out patterns. I have a very easy sense of style and don’t like anything super fussy, so I tend to wear darker tones and accentuate with color. I kick it up a notch or two when I’m out socially, and I hope I’m expressing confidence with ease.”

Tell us about some of your favorite pieces from the line.

“The Cubic Crop is one of my first designs where I knew I was on to something. I created it on one of those days when nothing was coming out the way I wanted it to and I just took a break stepped back and I realized I was trying too hard. I wanted to make something fun and different that was easy to wear and I think I did. I wore this recently with a white tank top underneath, a blazer over it with jeans and boots and I felt really pulled together.”

“The Local Sparrow dress was the first hybrid design in my collection because I use a new fabric on top and pieced the entire bottom. I thought this would make the dress easier to wear but still be eye catching. I love this dress because it’s youthful without being age specific. Pair this dress with some simple black platforms and you’re done!”

“The Skylark wrap is my “pièce de résistance” because it truly was a labor of love to complete the first one! This skirt is completely pieced and is cut on the bias for fullness and to give it a nice drape. Everyone who has seen this skirt in person loves it because you can really appreciate all that went into it. I also hand stitch some of the swatches to make it even more special. It’s a wrap skirt also, with a high waist, which accentuates the smallest part of your figure. It’s a great look for Fall/Winter! I wear this with a simple tank top or v-neck t-shirt. You don’t want anything to compete with this skirt so it’s best to keep it simple.”

Where can we find your pieces?

“They are carried exclusively at Wear Something Rare in San Francisco.”

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The Sustainability Across America Tour is a journey to bring the eco-movement to the people in a grassroots, human kind of way.

I’m Laura Jones, a writer armed with my curiosity, my laptop and a VW van. I’m traveling around the USA to deliver this movement from the ethereal marketing-wash to the you, the people. This is a mission to connect the dots between the movers and the shakers in this emerging economy and developing philosophy, to share the wisdom of the pioneers and to crowd-source inspiration with the powers of social media.

So far I’ve been lucky to talk to some incredible forces in the movement, to those really working to push the limits of what conventional business and politics thought possible about sustainability. What I’m discovering is a story about the fuel that fires the emergence of a new way of life, of business, and of politics. It’s about compassion, it’s about community and it’s about empowering global citizens to take the reigns and create the world they want to live in.

Check out what Kevin Hagen, the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at REI had to say during an interview, just a couple weeks into this tour.

Kevin Hagen, Director of CSR at REI

“There’s this idea that you don’t know what you don’t know – unconscious incompetence. It’s a great place to be, very comfortable,” Kevin Hagen says with a laugh. Hagen is the Director of CSR for Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI), sometimes considered the “gorilla” of the outdoor industry, although they don’t behave as such.

He’s describing a sort of “state of the union” that is the outdoor industry today as it’s collected and collaborated amongst itself in a myriad of ways, organizing into groups like the Outdoor Industry Association and the Eco Working Group, both of which are working towards a sustainable industry, improving upon everything in the big picture of operations like product life cycle, retail buildings and collective carbon footprint. It’s only been since about 2005 since the industry drew together and decided that the traditional random acts of kindness form of CSR was simply inadequate, and Hagen describes the shift in consciousness that’s evolved since that time.

“The next stage up from unconscious incompetence is that you start to know that there are things that you don’t know, you start to realize that there are things you don’t understand, it’s bigger than a breadbox. That stage, some call the consciously incompetent stage.”

This realization has hit the outdoor industry close to home, and perhaps no other industry is more closely married to the interest of the environment. Still, sustainability encompasses more than just eco-friendly materials and benign product design; it also entails a consciousness around social justice.

These are all things that the industry, perhaps under the lead of REI, has embraced and put into practice. Over the past four years, a collection of brands, businesses, nonprofits and government organizations have collaborated on progressive programs, like setting expectations on fair labor code that operate independent of local government enforcement. They’ve decided to shoulder the weight of product life cycle and the environmental impact of manufacture instead of passing it on to the consumer or off-shoring it to another’s land.

Hagen continues to describe this philosophical shift around sustainability with what I would call naked emotion – there’s no marketing spin to his statements.

“I would say that as a business and as an industry, we’re fully embracing conscious incompetence when it comes to sustainability. I think that that stage is really enlightening on one hand, frightening on the other, and it causes the average individual to have two places to go from there – denial, which is okay, it works for a while, or despair. I think the next step though, because neither of those are very good answers, is that if you’re working on something that works, and you have a good example at hand, you can move forward into a period of hope. And, as soon as you make that shift individually and organizationally, form despair into hope, you can really catch the fire and start to realize that one step at a time can start to make huge differences.”

He spends a little time reflecting on the plight of the retailer who, like many of us, is just trying to make a living. What the collective at REI has begun to realize is that both the public and their employees count the company responsible for the environmental and social impacts of products from Cradle to Cradle, and Hagen says, “I think that’s a hard pill to swallow for most retailers.”

But the revolution in the retail industry has come recently and from what some may deem an unlikely source: Wal-Mart. This July, the company announced that it will develop a sustainable product index, to assist in developing the tools that will enable sustainable consumption on a global scale.

Hagen says, “I think what’s fabulous about that is that now, no retailer on the face of the planet will be able to say, ‘Not my problem, not my job’ because Wal-Mart says its their job. That’s revolutionary.”

So that’s where we stand today, with a wholehearted acceptance that we are consciously incompetent, a battery of positive examples of things that work, and most importantly, a well of hope.

Once conscious companies like Wal-Mart and REI have set the stage, it’s like Hagen says, “We can turn the free market loose on this problem. We’ve always counted on our suppliers to amaze us, so if we give them the right direction, if we can give them the guardrails, they will amaze us again.”

Editor’s note: EcoSalon is an official sponsor of the Sustainability Across America Tour.

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