Eco Fashion World

As the green revolution continues, we search for an established standard to look to, a rule of thumb to measure against, a blue print for green standards. GreenBlue, a nonprofit institute founded in 2002 by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, is currently working to establish those standards, armed with industry specific research and information. The organization is staffed by scientists, engineers, design professionals and business strategists who ask: How can we design, prototype and realize better products and systems?

GreenBlue is currently working to develop a shared, comprehensive Sustainable Textile Standard (STS) for application in all facets of the textile industry. According to the STS, sustainable textiles would be scrutinized and graded for performance, cost, and visual appearance, as well as the following:

• Safety of chemical and material inputs: all materials and process inputs are safe for human and ecological health in all phases of the product life cycle
• Energy efficiency and mix: all energy, material, and process inputs come from renewable sources
• Water efficiency and effluent quality: all materials are capable of returning safely to either natural (biological nutrient) or industrial (technical nutrient) systems
• Recycling and actual reclamation: all stages in the product lifecycle actively support the reuse or recycling of these materials at the highest possible level of quality
• Social equity for workers: all persons involved with the creation of textiles are treated fairly with respect to human rights and given training to increase their mastery of this craft

Within each of the 5 categories listed above there will be a range of performance levels enabling a measurement of progress and easily allowing for companies who are just starting on their path to sustainability to start on a lesser level than more developed green companies. A final version of the Sustainable Textile Standard will be made available for industry review and certification before completion and ultimate publication. For updates on the introduction of the GreenBlue Sustainable Textile Standard, or to sign up for regular email updates, please visit www.greenblue.org/get.html.

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