Sustainability through simplicity.

For minimalist shoppers, MUJI is the holy grail – an emporium of Japanese-inspired simplicity offering everything from hangers to notebooks to striped cotton tees.

MUJI’s mission is similarly minimalist: “to offer the opportunity of a Pleasant Life to people around the world.” Its products are simple, well-designed, and built to last using streamlined manufacturing processes. Though MUJI doesn’t specifically brand itself as a sustainable company, the sustainable principles of simplicity and self-restraint are a key element of its operations, along with a “no-brand” philosophy that discourages excessive consumerism.

MUJI got its start in 1980 as an in-house brand for the Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu. Initially called Mujirushi Ryōhin, which translated means “no-brand quality goods,” the company specialized in consumer products that were well-made but affordable. Using the tagline “lower priced for a reason,” the company was able to offer cheaper prices to consumers through careful material selection, streamlined manufacturing processes, and simplified packaging, according to the company website.

At that time, Japan enjoyed a prosperous economy, and expensive international brands were all the rage, while at the other end of the spectrum, cheap inferior products hit the market. The MUJI concept was born as a criticism of this state of affairs – a fresh look at quality and price of truly useful quality goods with a no-label philosophy.

Now owned by Ryohin Keikaku Ltd., MUJI produces more than 7,000 products and operates more than 400 retail outlets worldwide. The company has four U.S. stores, all based in New York City, and also sells products through the MoMA Design Store.

The Good

In MUJI’s messaging, social responsibility seems less a marketing stunt than a simple approach to doing business.

The basic principle of MUJI merchandise development is to create products that are fundamental, practical and really necessary in daily life, and to ensure efficient and minimal manufacturing processes.

In true minimalist form, the company outlines just three viewpoints for product development – “problem solving through design, examination of materials and processes, and simplification of packaging” – and three criteria for manufacturing – quality standards, a code of conduct for business partners, and a list of major materials to be eliminated or controlled.

Much of MUJI’s innovation springs from its focus on the traditional Japanese values of simplicity and self-restraint. In a published conversation, MUJI President Masaaki Kanai said that MUJI operates under the principle of “this will suffice” – a concept that he says is vital for consumers to adapt in this rapidly changing world.

Now, the world’s population has risen to a little more than 6.8 billion people, and it is said that the number of people who enjoy the same level of life as we do has increased to approximately 2 billion people. It’s also reported that a further 2 billion are waiting in the wings. If the number of consumers hits 4 billion, the earth’s thin skin will be blown off. When we had this discussion, we thought again about the ‘simplicity’ that had been prized by the late creator Ikko Tanaka, who built the MUJI concept. That is, the way of thinking that says ‘this will suffice.’ Simple is good. Resources should be used as little as possible. It’s not a matter of being resigned to something, but rather of wanting to make things that ‘will suffice’ while being full of self-confidence. Since ancient times, Japanese people have specialized in holding back personally for the sake of their surroundings. This is the ‘this will suffice’ concept.

Putting the concept in practice, MUJI says that it aims to exercise self-restraint at every point in the design and manufacturing process, constantly asking itself: “Is this necessary?” or “Is this going too far?”

Some of the results of this questioning process were recently displayed as part of MUJI’s recent Product Fitness 80 exhibition, which debuted in Tokyo in March and is currently traveling through Asia. The exhibition takes a look at select products and examines the long-term implications of rethinking products to minimize waste. Cotton buds, for instance, “don’t have to be that long,” nor does tape have to be that wide or toilet paper rolls that thick. And credit cards? Simply halving them could have profound impacts on plastic usage if the practice was adopted worldwide.

The Bad

While MUJI incorporates many sustainable principles into its operations, there’s still a long way to go before it can be labeled a truly environment-friendly brand. Its products are composed primarily of unsustainable materials like plastic and polyester, and most of its product manufacturing is done in China, Indonesia and Vietnam, countries with controversial labor practices.

On its website, parent company Ryohin Keikaku outlines a 41-point outline of the corporate social responsibility initiatives it has in place to “create a Pleasant Life,” but many of them strike me as soft.

For instance, to ensure that outsourced manufacturing partners understand Ryohin Keikaku’s standards, the company says that it includes the “Ryohin Keikaku Environment, Labor and Safety Management” document in contract paperwork and checks on implementation twice a year through questionnaires. Judging from these statements, compliance with ethical standards is enforced through little more than a pamphlet and a questionnaire.

As for the standards themselves, the company says that it has established its own Ryohin Standards that are stricter than current laws, but it fails to mention what those standards are.

To be fair, Ryohin Keikaku also has three separate website sections dedicated to corporate social responsibility that are available exclusively in Japanese: a Laboratory for Discerning Living, which discusses environmental themes and initiatives; an Articles section, with posts from an Environmental Team staff member; and an Environment Atelier, with reports from different partners from around the world, compiled between 2005 and 2010.

The Questionable

It’s often said that in order for true change to occur in the consumer goods sphere, the approach to sustainability needs to be holistic and integrated into every aspect of business. MUJI seems to be a great example of this. By embracing the Japanese value of self-restraint, MUJI exhibits many of the trademarks of a sustainable brand, even though its cotton is unorganic and its plastic unrecycled. Its focus on simplicity naturally leads to less waste. Its focus on quality means that products don’t have to be replaced as much. Its “no-brand” approach to marketing means that less is expended on packaging and advertising – which incidentally leads to greater customer loyalty from people who dislike being marketed to. It’s social responsibility, without all the fuss.

Looking at MUJI also raises the question: if a company designs responsibly and focuses on quality, does that also make it somewhat sustainable? As it stands, customers are often forced to choose between a recycled fair trade wallet with cheap zippers and too many pockets, and a more functional, long-lasting wallet made from high-quality materials that may not be sustainable. When considering the cradle-to-cradle impact of a purchase, it’s unclear which is the better option. Similarly, one has to wonder if MUJI’s pared-down approach to product development and marketing is more impactful than that of brands like Levi’s and Puma, with their highly-publicized, large-scale social responsibility campaigns. In this case, less might be more.

SEE ALSO:

Behind the Label: West Elm Green

Behind the Label: Design Within Reach

Read more Behind the Label here.

Image: Soon Koon

The post Behind The Label: MUJI appeared first on EcoSalon.

Understanding plastic pollution around the world.

Power. When I think of the ocean, that’s the first word that comes to mind.

I’ve been held under by her for what seemed like hours while surfing. I’ve been battered by hurricane force winds sailing across the North Atlantic a few years ago. Right now, on World Oceans Day, I’m reminded of that power again. The non-profit I work for, The 5 Gyres Institute, is hunkered down in our sailing vessel waiting for the first typhoon of the summer season to pass by.

We’re in Yokohama Marina near Tokyo, Japan, preparing to sail into The Japan Tsunami Debris Field, to learn how fast it’s traveling and what the threats to the ocean may be, as well as the implications for North America and Hawaii when the field eventually makes landfall on the other side of the Pacific.

5 Gyres has gone farther than anyone else to demonstrate that the plastic in the ocean is a problem everywhere – not just the North Pacific. We’ve sailed 25,000 miles in all oceans, documenting the human stain of plastic everywhere we’ve traveled. We take crews from all over the world; teachers, students, artists, musicians, activists, basically anyone who has a vested interest in the ocean’s health and can serve as an ambassador for our cause once she returns to land.

Science is a great thing for understanding, but science often tends to stay in academic circles and if we as a global society are going to solve this problem, we need different touchpoints and other onramps for activism. That’s how we make change.

Our latest expedition will give us an alpha point for our research into plastic pollution – plastic and trash enter the ocean everyday, but trying to figure out when it entered the ocean is nearly impossible once you pick it up in the middle. If we can identify objects from the tsunami, we’ll know how long it’s been there, and learn how fast it’s degrading into smaller pieces and how fast it’s being colonized by sea life. We also plan to reunite any keepsakes with their owners in Japan.

But right now, it’s all about witnessing power in the ocean. The Typhoon Mawar – ironically, the Malaysian word for Rose, is bearing down on southern Japan generating winds over 110 mph. Now that’s power.

Earlier in the week we traveled north to Sindai and Fukushima, the hardest hit area by the tsunami, to volunteer for tsunami debris removal. Everywhere here there is unimaginable destruction. Piles of cars, harbors with new topography, thousands of abandoned house foundations where the buildings once stood – and the beach, piled with plastic and every manner of human wares. Haunting.

We worked at a woman named Shakido’s house that was buried in the earthquake which caused the tsunami. We took an all night bus to shovel mud and rock, but the reward was amazing. We felt like we were doing something. Something good. Her house had been left empty for almost a year because of radiation aftermath from the reactor meltdown. Shakido is about 80, and right out in front of her house are destroyed rice patty fields. She watched the tsunami flood the fields and destroy them from her front porch. 60 years ago she watched allied planes bomb the city from the same vantage point.

Time heals wounds, and time changes everything. And power shifts.

What I see in Japan is a resilient people who are overcoming an incredible disaster that left 20,000 of their people dead. What I learn from watching them dig out from this disaster is that destruction can be remedied, that pollution can be eliminated, that life must go on. It’s the same for our oceans.

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a human caused problem. It affects marine life and has implications for the human food chain. But like tsunami recovery in Japan, it’s a solvable problem.

On this World’s Ocean Day, remember this: if you divide the amount of plastic produced for the U.S. markets by the population, you get roughly 300 pounds consumed by every woman, man and child annually. The solution to plastic pollution starts with you. But awareness is half the battle.

Take the 5 Gyres Plastic Promise and learn about five simple ways you can reduce your plastic footprint.

The solution starts with you. Be the sea change you want to see, and be part of the powerful movement that looks to a better tomorrow. As trite as it might sound, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

Read more exclusive reports from previous 5 Gyres expeditions on EcoSalon:

The Eye of the Gyre

Garbage, Saints and Whale Sharks of the South Atlantic

Reflections from a Two-Timer: The Final Chapter in a Voyage Through the Atlantic Gyre

Full archive here.

The post Life from the North Pacific: Waiting Out A Typhoon, Following the Path of A Tsunami appeared first on EcoSalon.

Japanese women seek a disconnect with routine domesticity.

The Japanese proverb “igicho ichi,” which translates to “one encounter at a time,” is a far-fetched concept in the multi-tasking, high achieving world of today. However, that kind of mindfulness and discipline is an essential component of the ancient Japanese practice of chado, or tea ceremonies.

Chado, literally “the way of tea,” had its beginnings in Japan in the 16th century when Zen Buddhist monks began to incorporate tea consumption into their spiritual practice. At its inception, the practice was reserved solely for men, however over time, women have not only become the main conservators of the tradition, but have used it as a way to assert their equality in Japanese culture.

Etsuko Kato, author of The Tea Ceremony and Women’s Empowerment in Modern Japan, explains in her book that older, middle class women and housewives represent more than half of chado practitioners today. Around the start of the 20th century, wealthy women and wives of medical doctors became the first women to begin the study of tea. Then, as economic circumstances improved, more women had access to household appliances and thus the free time necessary to devote to such endeavors.

“The tea ceremony certainly had an association with domesticity, so it became socially considered a ‘desirable hobby’ for young, premarital women,” says Kato. “Housewives after WWII established women’s own space out of the tea ceremony, away from family obligations.”

While its earlier manifestations had more of the feminist ethos, the modern tea ceremony is treated more of a novelty practice, owing to the fact that Japanese women have more options in areas of relationships, careers, overseas travel and education than they once did.

“Especially since after the 1990s, marriage is becoming less and less a social norm, so many women just work, study, and devote themselves to whatever they like, whether they marry or not,” says Kato, “More recently, [I hear] some single, working, economically independent women are learning [the tea ceremony] like they learn yoga or English, as one of self-cultivation.”

Far from being just about the consumption of a traditional beverage, chado is a highly social event that incorporates elements of architecture, flower arranging, dress, calligraphy ceramics, fine utensils, and cuisine. Women who are commonly taught the discipline either in Japanese high schools or by their mothers and grandmothers, must study all these components in their preparation to host tea ceremonies.

The tea itself is generally a powdered green tea known as matcha, first brought to Japan by monks after studying in China in the 8th or 9th century. Guests sip the tea from a singular bowl in a series of ritualized movements. With rigorous procedures and structure, chado is as much about the process of making and serving tea as it is about actually drinking and enjoying it.

Despite its roots in Zen Buddhism, the level of spirituality tied to the practice isn’t the same for everyone, says Kato. However, the emphasis on mindfulness and procedure – which lies in stark contrast to the ways of the modern world – is standard. Making the conscious effort to simply slow down is intended to help participants develop deep harmony and connection with surroundings, senses, nature, and other individuals.

“How deeply one sees spirituality depends on each practitioner,” explains Kato, “but many elements, such as tranquility and discipline of body movement, have a strong association with Zen Buddhism, even today. Even those pracitioners who ‘just like tea and sweets’ are at the same time attracted by the spirituality, even if unconsciously.”

Viewing or participating in the the traditional practice of chado is a privilege for outsiders. Various temples in cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto offer a shortened version for tourists, however a formal tea ceremony lasts up to several hours, includes meals, and can vary in urban versus rural settings.

No matter where they are held, the most important component of the tea ceremony – slowing down – is perhaps best represented by the Japanese character for “busy.” The word is a made up of two symbolic characters: the first meaning “spirit” or “soul,” and the second meaning “to die.” Through chado, one seeks to disconnect from the busy world bring the soul back to life.

Flickr: Nyaa_birdies_perch and Ame Otoko

The post Steeped in Tradition: Japanese Women and the Modern Tea Ceremony appeared first on EcoSalon.

Five new tracks to add to your playlist. 

Trying to keep up with the music scene? You have come to the right place. Every month we round up some of the best independent albums and tracks that you may have missed. From Portugal to Japan, for April, here are our top picks:

1. A Handsome Stranger Called Death – FOE

A Handsome Stranger Called Death by FOE

2. Spark Disco – Future Feelings

Future Feelings – Spark Disco by Future Feelings

3. Turn Groove Sounds On – möscow çlub

4. Lisbon Teeth – Work Drugs

Lisbon Teeth by Work Drugs

5. Myth – Beach House

Beach House – Myth by theartistree.fm

Image: Moscow Club

The post Five Recording Artists You Might Have Missed This Month appeared first on EcoSalon.

10 global events we were all intrinsically part of.

What makes an event memorable? How does a “happening” sear into our collective mindset and take up permanent residence in our hearts and in our souls? Most often, of course, we are not personally there to witness or directly experience occurrences of global importance.

How many of us were in Cairo’s Tahrir square as protests raged earlier this year?

Who among us lost a loved one or ate radioactive food in Japan, or suffered pangs of hunger in East Africa?

In our media-saturated world, memorable events – indeed memories themselves – are delivered to us via an increasingly wide range of words and pictures, bits and bytes, accounts that stream to our attention, some touching us for a moment, some for a lifetime. Here’s a look at our Top 10 (in no particular order), with links to the stories and accounts that made them indelible to us.

1. March of Horrors: Japan’s Suffering

A tsunami generated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of northeast Japan killed nearly 20,000, caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage and triggered a nuclear power plant disaster that unleashed radiation into the environment. Within hours, videos of the unimaginable waves crushing the Japanese shoreline flooded world consciousness via YouTube and other Internet outlets.

2. The Harder They Fall: Arab Spring

Beginning with a small demonstration in Tunisia that grew to topple a regime, flames of unrest spread to Egypt, ousting dictator Hosni Mubarak, and then to Bahrain and Yemen. Eventually Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi would be dead, and even today, Syrian protesters remain caught in a bloody battle with dictator Bashar al-Assad. Did social media enable and perhaps even spark these events?

3. European Disunion: Economic Crisis in the E.U.

The global economic downturn wreaked havoc in the European Union where austerity measures in Greece resulted in riots and protest, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was driven from office, and measures taken by Germany and France exacerbated an ongoing fissure between the E.U. and Britain. Meanwhile, disagreement about how to avoid a catastrophic meltdown flared across the Atlantic, as opinions about what to do remained as numerous as there are pundits and stakeholders.

4. Wanted Dead: American Operation Kills Osama Bin Laden

In May, American helicopters bearing a special operations team raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, whose followers carried out the 9/11 attacks. Within hours his body was buried at sea, and images of the corpse suppressed. Instead, a powerful and now-famous image of White House personnel – including president Barack Obama and Secretary of state Hillary Clinton – remotely watching the mission was made public.

5. The Fruit of Invention: The World Mourns Loss of Apple Founder Steve Jobs

The world lost some great minds to cancer and health issues as 2011 wore on, including writer and polemicist Christopher Hitchens and Czech playwright, dissident and politician Vaclav Havel. But, despite the sense that “it was coming,” the loss that seemed to most deeply move our high-tech world was that of innovator, inventor and Apple Founder Steve Jobs. As news of his death spread across the internet in October – in part via millions of his own inventions – biographer Walter Isaccson’s iBio hit the presses, eventually to set new sales records.

6. From Wall Street to Main Street: Occupiers Take a Stand

Beginning with a September protest in a New York City park near Wall Street, what became known as the “Occupy” movement quickly spread to many major American cities and beyond. The “leaderless” protests are said to represent “the 99 percent” against the richest 1 percent of Americans, who benefit from corporate and political corruption and greed at the majority’s expense. In November, images of a campus police officer at the University of California Davis pepper-spraying students went viral over the internet, instantly becoming a rallying point for the movement.

7. Us vs. Them: Obstructionism Paralyzes Washington

Despite being fractured between party traditionalists and Tea Partiers, a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives shackled the hands of Democratic President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Senate. On issues ranging from the economy to the environment, American leaders reached a seemingly endless stream of stalemates. Most notably, the President unveiled a massive jobs bill that was labeled dead-on-arrival by members of both parties. The New York Times commented on the political gamesmanship, and EcoSalon presented the many rifts dividing America.

8. Weather, Weather Everywhere:  Climate Change Marches On

With drought in Texas, killer cyclones in the Philippines, and monster floods in South America and Thailand, 2011 was another year in what seems like an annual escalation of climate change and severe weather. Perhaps the most wrenching weather-related disaster was the return of drought to the Horn of Africa. Data continues to show the impact humans have on the world’s climate, yet deniers continue their war on science. In October, EcoSalon named names.

9. We are the World: All 7 Billion of Us

As the human population reached the 7 billion mark (with 3 billion more projected by the end of the century), debates about resources and birth control reheated. Can our planet sustain such exponential growth? In its inimitable way, National Geographic gave us the story in pictures.

10. Ask and Tell: End of Anti- Gay Military Policy in the American Armed Forces

After 18 years of controversy, the Pentagon repealed its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in September. After encouraging those who have been expelled under the policy to reenlist, President Barack Obama declared: “We are not a nation that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We are a nation that says ‘out of many, we are one.'” An MSNBC story covered a historic kiss.

Images: TenSafeFrogs, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, S a l e e m – H o m s i, PIAZZA del POPOLO, bkusler, lwpkommunikacio, bogieharmond, Alex Barth, kevin dooley, woodleywonderworks, Beverly & Pack

The post The 10 News Stories of 2011 You Shouldn’t Have Missed appeared first on EcoSalon.

If these photos don’t make you wanna quit your job and travel the world, we don’t know what will.

Asia’s diversity never fails to astound. Nowhere on Earth can you find a greater variety of cultures, languages, races, ethnicities, religions, climates, and geography. It’s mind-numbing.

These photos provide just a taste of what Asia has to offer. They’re also an important reminder of the need to protect what makes the world’s largest continent unique. Though the scenes depicted here may seem worlds away, our choices always have an impact wherever we may roam, reminding us to tread lightly.

(above) Penang, Malaysia

Bangkok, Thailand

Great Wall, China

Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Hong Kong

Polomok, Philippines

Bali, Indonesia

Maldive Islands

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Lhasa, Tibet

Huashan Mountain, China

Udaipur, India

Cassava farm near Luang Prabang, Laos

Bali, Indonesia

Singapore

Koh Samui, Thailand

Tokyo, Japan

Tainan County, Taiwan

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Seoul, South Korea

Abseron, Azerbaijan

Busan, South Korea

Kampong Thum, Cambodia

Shanghai, China

Himalaya Mountains, Uttarakhand, India

Binh Thuan, Vietnam

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Meizhou, China

Koh Samet, Thailand

Dornogovi Province, Mongolia, from the Trans-Siberian Railway

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ratchaburi, Thailand

Yangon, Myanmar

Eastern Vasayas, Philippines

Makalu Base Camp, Nepal

Kyoto, Japan

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Elephant orphanage between Colombo and Kandy, Sri Lanka

Angkor Wat, Cambodia 

ALSO CHECK OUT:

40 Gorgeous Photos of North America

40 Gorgeous Photos of Latin America

25 Photos of Islands Threatened By Climate Change

40 Gorgeous Photos of Europe

The post 40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia appeared first on EcoSalon.

QuotesDaily quotes at EcoSalon.

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” – Mia Hamm

Congratulations to the Japanese women’s soccer team for winning the 2011 Women’s World Cup. After a tumultuous year overcoming the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear mishap in Japan, it is gratifying to see these first-time winners triumph. The U.S. women’s team, aiming to take home their third World Cup title, played an amazing series. These strong women are an inspiration for girls everywhere.

image:Bleacher Report

The post Triumphant appeared first on EcoSalon.

Shopping ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ isn’t really so patriotic…or is it?

When you look at clothing labels while out shopping, you likely see more Made in Sri Lanka, Made in India, Made in China, and Made in Guatemala than Made in the U.S.A. labels. It seems just about every country in the world produces clothing except America. How can this be? Americans like to buy clothing more than any other nation in the world, so wouldn’t it be suiting that we like to make it, as well?

Unfortunately, American factories have been closing down at a steady rate, with 90% of our garment factories’ production being outsourced since 1955. Skilled and unskilled labor jobs are disappearing at startling rates. And since the 2008 market crash, American fashion companies have been downsizing the staff even in their corporate offices.

“If we’re going to be competitive with the global market, we need to focus on innovation and coming up with new ways of developing and producing product while maintaining and passing down the traditional skills of sewing within this country,” says Erica Wolf, of Save the Garment Center.

While most American fashion companies still hold their design and operations offices here, much of our customer dollars go to the countries that make the clothes; paying their taxes, developing their nations, building their economies. We expect our politicians to solve America’s rising deficit, meanwhile when we go out shopping, we spend our money supporting just about every country but our own. There seems to be a disconnect here. Aren’t there still values and standards that we as Americans believe are worth saving? If you can’t find what you want with a “Made in the USA” label in it, is it wrong to buy it if it is made elsewhere?

There are those who would forgo such non-American purchases; they tend to be the patriotic individuals who post American pride all over everything they own. They proudly sport American-manufactured clothes and equate shopping with the survival and promotion of their values; keeping jobs in America, putting food on the table for their families, looking out for their neighbors, pride, and better-quality clothing.

For over a century, progressive Americans have worked to protect U.S. workers’ rights. Our nation set up some of the first and most effective labor unions, some of the strictest labor rights protection laws and environmental protection standards enacted in the world. These standards have improved over time, and help to prevent more tragedies from happening like the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. Americans fought for their rights, the government responded with appropriate laws, and all the while we never would have suspected our continual raising of the bar would over time lower the amount of jobs available to American workers.

Today, we have some of the most stringent factory standards on the planet. While the job of sewing operator is still no walk in the park, at least American technicians don’t have to work long hours without breaks or overtime pay. Modern day U.S. workers now at the end of the day get to go home to see their families, something that is unfathomable to the workers in the labor camps of China.

David Riley of americansworking.com has a theory that large companies have figured out how to operate business as usual regardless of the U.S. protection laws we enact: If they can’t do it here, they will do it somewhere else.

“We have outsourced all of our pollution and human suffering. America has made so many laws protecting the environment, the people, and our company trademarks here, that we can’t do business competitively in our own market. We are making American workers and our factories compete with those in countries who have none of the laws or standards that we must uphold,” says Riley. “We would never allow a factory in China to operate here. But we allow them to sell in our market, so in a sense we are allowing them to operate here anyway. We would never be able to compete.”

But amidst our fiercely competitive and, at times, cannibalistic business culture, our values continue to play a powerful role in the world of good. In 2006, American businesses and individuals were reported to have given more than 4.5 times what all of Europe, Australia, and Japan combined in private donations to charities and philanthropic causes that gave aid to developing nations. Granted, our donations are tax-deductible, but if we can afford to help others, why can’t we spring to support our own – at least with our shopping habits?

The majority of American fashion businesses default to China for production, claiming the cost of labor here is generally much more expensive than what American consumers are willing to pay for.

But according to Erica Wolf, of Save the Garment Center, this is not entirely true.

“With prices shifting, and China becoming more expensive it would benefit a big retailer to have their production department, at the very least, examine the prices at domestic factories. On certain garments the pricing is now comparable if not less domestically. And of course this additional business to local factories would help support American jobs,” she says.

Instead, businesses have learned to take advantage of the world market by outsourcing production to countries with cheap, exploitable labor to cut costs while keeping the prices of their goods low. The truth of the matter is that if a brand can’t dictate to us what we want through advertising, then they are forced to listen to what the consumers demand, and if we look for, request, and buy clothes that are Made in America, more companies will make clothes here.

However, for the average American consumer, fashion is frivolous, and has little to do with values or morals. It is less about the quality or where it is made and much more about the brand name on the label.

Riley says, “So much money goes into and comes from the marketing of high fashion brands; the image of high fashion is where they invest. The money spent there has to come out of something else, and I think that something is the cost of labor and product quality. They’re replacing the dollars for production and spending it on branding and marketing instead.”

With most American consumers so heavily influenced by the intoxicating spell of fashion advertising, most of our consumer drive comes from what we see in the media, rather than from the desire to choose items that represent our traditions or values.

Of course, there is one little company that challenged the standard formula and decided to go completely against the grain. In its 22 years of business, American Apparel has been surprisingly successful at building an American-produced fashion business using a vertical integration model that allows them to do nearly everything from design, to advertising, to production all, more or less, under one roof. Here is a brand that has taken great strides to give “American made” a new image.

If you can get past their ads, the company is all-American; proudly promoting their sweatshop-free, Union Made, U.S.A. produced, vertically integrated business, their charitable donations to natural disaster victims, and their political support of civil rights.

American Apparel isn’t the only contender willing to take on the global market while maintaining American production. There seems to be a new revival on the “Made in the U.S.A.”  fashion front. As Wolf notes, “There are designers doing production in the United States. For example, Nanette Lepore does 80% of her production in America.”

And quite recently, the American menswear company Brooks Brothers has made great efforts to bring it back home, complete with a luxe denim collaboration with American classic, Levi Strauss, and a heavily publicized marketing campaign to help equate “Made in America” with the luxury and quality that their brand stands for.

The Olsen Twins’ incredibly successful line, The Row, is yet another high fashion line that is primarily produced in the country. These brands have the marketing muscle and savvy and the will to bring the fashion-minded consumers once again back to getting behind American-made clothes, providing high end fashion that Americans can be proud of.

Image: Chevroletpedia, nycgo.com, America in the World, China Digital Times, Chicagomag.com, fashiongearlive.com

The post Made in the U.S.A. Isn’t Cause for Patriotism (Or Is It?) appeared first on EcoSalon.

SeriesEnvironmental cleanup in the wake of Japan’s twin disasters. Part 4 in a special series.

A surreal and compelling mix of headlines (read: Royal weddings, Osama bin Laden) may be dominating this week’s news, but the unfolding events in Japan after the March earthquake and tsunami – compounded further by nuclear plant instability – continue. Among the many significant issues: all that garbage.

Nothing illustrates the growing glut of plastic in the ocean from land-based sources like a natural disaster. All of those bleach bottles, all of those candy wrappers, all ending up somewhere. Whether littered or properly disposed of, it doesn’t actually matter when natural forces manifesting in the ocean overcome the borders of sea and land. And rather than death by a thousands cuts (plastic litter and watershed trash from land), Japan’s tsunami unleashed a vast amount of debris virtually overnight into the Pacific. (To see how the theoretical path of the debris works over time, click on this link to view an animation.)

This figure exhibits the projected pathway of flotsam that entered the ocean after waves hit Japan on March 11, 2011.  The model is based on historical data from drift buoys pinging GPS locations in The North Pacific over several years. Image Credit: Nikolai Maximenko, International Pacific Research Center.

The garbage is coming.

Within about a year, garbage will start hitting Hawaii’s shores and the coast of California within three, before circulating back out again to Hawaii and adding to The North Pacific Garbage Patch where it will circulate in the gyre.

Initially, it is difficult to determine how much we’re talking about, but think of it this way: Imagine taking all the plastic for a couple of miles or more from several cities situated on a coastline, and sucking it into the ocean. Think about taking thousands of grocery stores full of plastic products, all those single-use yogurt cups and half and half containers, lifting them all at once, and throwing them into the ocean. Think about all the dumpsters. The reycling bins. The storage facilities. The freight containers. Interesting, if disheartening, California beach-combing is on the way.

University of Hawaii at Manoa‘s Nikolai Maximenko and Jan Hafner created the model. (Full disclosure: Maximenko advises the non-profit I work for on our gyre expeditions to search for plastic pollution.) Modeling, as a science, is still a very difficult enterprise as so many vectors affect how flotsam will actually travel when at sea. But judging by the vast amounts of debris pulled out to sea by Japan’s tsunami, the ultimate impact will be significant.

Finding remnants of the waste three to five years from now, after it has traveled thousands and thousands of miles at sea, will remind us as a society that although the 24/7 news cycle might forget past tragedies, plastic is forever. And it will remind us of the legacy of our culture. 24/7.

Editor’s note: This is part 4 in a special series on plastic. Read part 3, part 2 and part 1.

Images: Official U.S. Navy photographs

The post Plastic Surgery: Where Will Japan’s Tsunami Garbage Go? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Shop and 10% of proceeds will go to the Japan relief effort.

From where you sit and read this, the devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan on March 11th have claimed over 10,000 lives and caused ongoing dangers to at least three nuclear power plants. It’s been one horrifying headline after another, and a barrage of images that make your heart sink.

According to Stephanie Rogers of EcoSalon, “Analysts say that recovery costs could reach $180 billion, and so far, donations to Japan have been a lot lower than those to other countries faced with recent natural disasters. The Japanese people need our help.”

VivaTerra, EcoSalon’s green retail sister company, is ready to assist in the ongoing, worldwide relief efforts by donating 10% of all sales from the VivaTerra site all day today, Saturday, March 26. Proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Fund.

Co-founder Bonnie Trust Dahan says: “The graceful elegance and respect for natural beauty that defines Japanese design have inspired the aesthetic of VivaTerra since its founding. Over the past seven years we’ve been proud to offer numerous Japanese items from ceramic Imari bowls to Kosui teacups and Kuskai puff towels. Time and again we’ve come to trust and learn from that culture’s love of nature in all of its leafy and blossoming grandeur.

We want to contribute, even in a small way, to help the thousands of people in Japan who have suffered immeasurably in the wake of the country’s national catastrophe. We ask you to join VivaTerra as part of the global community donating to Japan’s recovery. Ten percent of all purchases on our web site on Friday and Saturday will be contributed directly to that cause. Please join us in giving back, with gratitude and deep appreciation for all that Japan has given to us.”

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