10 Green Brands You Should Know

caleb — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:26:33 +0000

(PART 1)

Welcome to the first round of our reflections upon some of the lesser-known brands in the sustainability realm. We’ve outlined a bit of an introduction to some brands who have caught our attention and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.

1. Alchemy Goods

The products of this small Seattle-based company tell a great story: durable, attractive handmade messenger bags and shoulder bags (and now totes, wallets, zipper pulls and more) all made from an abundant waste product: bicycle inner tubes. Many sustainability advocates will gleefully place the bicycle at the forefront of an urban greening agenda and it simply couldn’t be done without the reliable old bike tube. Founder Eli Reich gives these ubiquitous, formerly landfill-bound products a new life, recognizing that a tube’s best qualities (durability, flexibility, waterproofness) are also central features to a good bag. The innovative eye is turned to even the smallest details, with the shoulder strap coming from repurposed seatbelts and using old (Schrader) tube valves as zipper pulls. Not only do I love the name (clever, simple, and oh so accurate), I love the spirit of innovation that is imbued in each product. And you can’t argue with the impact–38,933 punctured bike inner tubes and 8,775 used car seat belts diverted from landfills in the past year alone¹.

¹Source: Alchemy Goods Blog

2. GoLite

GoLite is extremely popular among ultralight hikers but less prominent in the minds and closets of the rest of us. I hope this changes. GoLite’s founders, Kim and Demetri Coupounas, have been influential drivers of two important trends in the outdoors industry: more sustainable sourcing and lighter gear. On a hike in the 90’s (it was their honeymoon, if I recall correctly) they had an ‘a-ha!’ moment: lightening up. By using less material you’re making a lighter product that, likewise, calls on fewer raw material inputs. Unsatisfied with simply using less ‘bad’ stuff, the Coupounas’ put their Ivy League minds to good use and have now managed to spec lots of recycled content in much of their product line. This all means that a GoLite jacket (or pack, tent, etc.) is not only lighter on your back, it’s lighter on the earth, using less ‘less-bad’ material. It’s worth remembering, of course, that less-bad still doesn’t mean good but this point is certainly not lost on GoLite and one of their hallmarks has been an impressive drive to always take things as far as possible. These are principles that the outdoors industry has really taken to and the Coupounas’ have been leading voices, from the sessions of Outdoors Industry Association to the design studio and ultimately the trail. As with Nau, the fine folks at GoLite are really keen on working it out, in all senses of the phrase: they know what needs to be improved upon and they make no attempts at hiding that need for improvement; they also are terrifically responsive as a consumer goods company: their website has a live chat customer service option (that isn’t tucked away in five pages of FAQs) and they not only have a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects (a common concern among lightweight gear purchasers) but they also guarantee that you’ll be happy with it.

3. Matt and Nat

I’ve only recently come across Matt and Nat’s (it’s not my fault—Scott doesn’t let me leave the office too often) line of mostly recycled—and entirely resourceful—bags. Sharp, simple and functional, these products are meeting important demand in the mid- to high-end bag briefcase/purse/shoulder bag arena. While many companies and small designers will use recycled goods for products that, well, look like they followed the ‘form follows function’ idiom far down the road and a little past the proverbial bend, Matt and Nat are more likely to be strutting their aesthetic wares straight down the runway. It just makes sense—buying a “sustainable” product is pointless if you refuse to be seen with it in public.

4. Held

This idealistic and ideological design group is (like us) based out of Portland and, while they now have their own shop on NE Alberta Avenue, it wasn’t too long ago that their belts and bracelets were sold one by one on ETSY and at street fairs throughout the city. Held’s products are vegan, entirely recycled (more accurately, ‘reclaimed’) and ridiculously durable. Fashioned from decommissioned conveyor belts, Held’s line is billed as the world’s strongest belts. Their proceeds go to animal rescue and permaculture products which seem like mighty noble causes, considering the fact they’ve already done us a service by keeping more waste out of the landfill and avoiding the need to make more new stuff! As far as brand and customer experience goes, they really get it–they exhibit an air of irreverent edginess, resourcefulness, fun and distinctly Portland personality. Case in point: The first time I walked into their new shop I was greeted by the fellow who was working behind the counter at the back of the shop; we briefly joked about the weather and he offered to help if I needed anything. About 30 seconds later, from across the shop, he pulled out a megaphone and said that he was making himself some tea and wondered if we wanted any. Again, they get it: fun, edgy, unique. You’ll never find a “regular” store that not only offers you some of their personal tea, but extends the offer via megaphone. That was months ago and I still remember it with a smile.

5. Nau

Alright, I’ll admit that Nau is not exactly an unknown company, but while they’re known by many they’re not exactly on the tips of everyone’s tongues—yet. This small Portland-based designer of outdoors-chic has many remarkable qualities that make its brand so noteworthy—and its advocates so resolute—that I couldn’t resist covering them. A few reasons:

1. Their clothes are durable. (I’ve got a bike crash, many hikes, myriad commutes, plenty of nights on the town and a couple years of rock climbing in Nau gear that all attest to this.)

2. They aim to design clothes (and use colors) that aren’t the flavor of the month, needing to be replaced every season.

3. Nearly every outdoors brand uses synthetics—Nau’s synthetics are almost 100% recycled material (Teijin EcoCircle, which, I believe, Nau helped pioneer). Heck, they have one jacket that’s even recycled wool. Which brings me to: wool—it’s a great material and they use it to tremendous effect.

4. While they produce their garments in China they go to great lengths to ensure their facilities are on the up & up, holding third-party inspections several times per year.

5. 2% of their sales go to your choice of one of many nonprofits they call their “partners for change.” (I’d like to give a shout out to a couple of them: Mercy Corps and Kiva—keep changing the world, guys!). 6. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is one important thing that Nau doesn’t do: bullshit. They don’t make crummy clothes and they don’t make crummy claims. They acknowledge their weaknesses and are the first ones to make them known. When there are grey zones with imperfect solutions (hint: in real life, there are LOTS), they don’t try to repackage it or gloss it over; Nau sheds a light upon it and invites you to join them in their quest to do it better. I think that last point—they know what they aren’t doing perfectly and they want to talk with you about it—is pretty important. As has been often said, there is no such thing as a sustainable business or person, only sustainable systems. Since none of us are perfectly “sustainable” it seems crucial, then, that we take an unflinching self-examination of our faults and opportunities and, swallowing our pride, we take it public, inviting moving conversation and adaptive solutions.

To be continued…

-Caleb