Material benefits

(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-02 09:36

H&M plans to increase its organic cotton products stable by 50 percent this year, given consumers' desire to buy sustainable products, says Harsha Vardhan, H&M's global environment coordinator.

"Given that most factories have stopped expanding in the current climate, the credit crunch is actually the best time for factories to embark on cleaner production programs," she says. "The price gap between organic and ordinary cotton has narrowed sharply from a previous 100 percent to 20 to 30 percent due to higher production volume and the growing number of suppliers, making this a much more affordable alternative."

From her small store on First Avenue in downtown Manhattan, Lisa Linhardt sells her environmentally sensitive jewelry: engagement rings with ethical diamonds mined in Canada, rings and necklaces made from wood scraps donated by a furniture company and jewelry made from organic South American tagua seeds.

"Customers are reacting positively to it and they are willing to pay more for it," Linhardt says. "In order to be green, you have to have an environmental conscience and a social conscience."

Loomstate for Target, casual men's and women's apparel made from certified organic cotton, debut at the retailer on April 19. "We continue to do ongoing research about what our guests want and it's obvious to us that more guests are craving eco-friendly products," says a Target spokeswoman. "In general, that's been a trend. There really isn't a department in the store that hasn't been impacted by eco-friendly."

One of the strongest emerging trends in Europe is a move away from throwaway fashion toward more lasting apparel. French consumers are fed up with clothes that don't last. "We are starting to see more people complaining that clothing isn't good quality and falls apart too quickly," says Nathalie Ruelle, professor and sustainable fashion consultant at the Institue Francais de la Mode, referring to an IFM study last October.

"This falls into the slow fashion trend - products that are fashionable but have a longer life span," she says.

"Somewhere along the way, we forgot about making things to last," says David Hieatt, founder of the Welsh sustainable brand Howies. "We convinced ourselves that being different, being new, being quirkier was the thing. Quality was put at the back of the queue."

The company is trying to change course. Hand-me-downs, Howies' latest collection, has prices as high as 400 pounds, or $593, for a classic outdoor tweed-lined jacket, but comes with a 10-year guarantee.

For LVMH's Benard, a product's longevity is a top priority. In fact, LVMH is developing a product life cycle analysis tool that will be used by product design groups across the company's fashion houses. "The goal is that designers take environmental considerations into account at the design stage," she says, "and eventually we won't need the environmental team any more."

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