As the Fashion Industry continues to grow around the world, the Fashion’s Carbon Footprint grows with it. The Fast Fashion industry has been a big contributor of the increase in carbon emissions as low quality and careless products are being manufactured with very low concern in environmental and ethical repercussions.

As a result, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in association with Vogue started a new green venture, Clean by Design, where they partnered up with the National Resources Defense Counsel. In 2012, they launched their initiative involving green experts in the subject to contribute and talk about the fashion’s world current damage to the environment.  Issues like China’s intoxicated rivers with dyes, and immense waste of water during manufacturing processes were one of the key factors that drove this initiative to develop in the first place.

“It takes over 200 tons of water just to produce one single ton of fabric, a figure that’s much more alarming when you consider that our demand for clean, safe drinking water is set to double over the next forty years,” experts hired for the initiative explained.

There are not just environmental issues that arise from the fashion industry, but ethical ones as well. For this initiative, Linda Greer, the director of the NRDC’s health and environment program, travel to Asia to get a closer look at the fashion’s outsource manufacturing processes.

“What we found when we got there,” Greer said, “was that the standard of operation of many, if not most, factories was far below global standards and desperately needed to improve … The era of operating without knowledge of your factories abroad is ending, and the curtain is rising above the sorts of problems and aspirations that we have abroad. It’s really time to get moving and not just figure that ‘It’s halfway around the world and nobody will ever know.’”

It is sad to see the lack of transparency from many fashion corporations and find out of all the damages they are contributing to the world. However, it is definitely nice to see that such powerful associations and corporations like the CFDA and Vogue are working in alliance with the National Resources Defense Counsel to change the future of the Fashion industry. The world cannot afford to continue to manufacture and produce they way it has been doing for the past years and it time to start changing that.

Clean by Design has already gained support from some of the fashion industry’s biggest players including Tory Burch, Mickey Drexler, Zac Posen, Francisco Costa, and the outstanding Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg.

As you all probably already know, I am a big fan of the fashion industry and I am a huge advocator of the environment and a sustainability believer and supporter. Unfortunately many people today still believe that these two areas clash with each other, but I couldn’t disagree more! Even though there are already many initiatives of this sort, there is still so much to be done and I look forward to taking part in that change!

http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-04-21/cfda-and-vogue-launch-a-new-green-initiative-to-curb-fashions-carbon-footprint/

http://fashionista.com/2012/04/cfda-vogue-launch-new-green-initiative-find-most-factories-far-below-global-standards/

One of my favourite sustainable and socially responsible based ad campaigns of all times is The Fun Theory Campaign by Volkswagen.

Volkswagen and its ad agency DDB Stockholm came up with a brilliant, eye-catching and both socially and environmentally positive ad campaign. They started with 2-minute videos recorded in Sweden, which captured fun inspired projects aiming to change the behaviour of people into a more positive one.

The campaign’s vision was based on:

“…The thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.”

One of the campaign’s video ads was the Piano Staircase. The purpose of this ad was “Can we get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do?”

On a subway, they replaced the stairs with piano-looking stairs and built-in a system that triggered the sound of notes when people stepped on the steps. The stairs were beside an electrical escalator and placed hidden cameras to see how many people they could get to take the stairs over the escalator. People were fascinated by the stairs and at the end of the day, 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator.

Here is the video:

Another one of my favourites is The World’s Deepest Bin. The purpose of this ad was “Can we get more people to throw their rubbish in the bin by making it fun to do?”

They placed in a sound system inside a trash bin in a park that detected when trash was thrown in and made a “falling” sound making it seem like the bin was very deep and it took a while for the trash to get to the bottom where it would make a “crashing” sound after a few seconds. People were so intrigued by the sound that they would want to throw their trash in the bin rather than on the floor. They would even pick trash from the floor and throw it in just to hear the noise again. In one day, 72kg of trash was collected in the bin, which was 230% more trash than in a bin nearby.

Here is the video:

It is hard to find attention-grabbing advertisement videos that are catchy and promote a social and/or sustainable vision at the same time. I believe Volkswagen did an remarkable job! The managed to catch the viewers attention with the pure subject of the video and accomplished to successfully make a brand placement in the most subtle way possible without throwing brand on people’s face. The drop a simple logo at the end of the video with the caption “An initiative of Volkswagen” and they let the social media do the rest of the work, as people passed the video around, making it go viral all around the world.

This is brilliant brand campaign that succeeded to associate positive green and social actions with the Volkswagen brand.

These projects circled around the idea that by transforming a bin or stairs into something that gave people a bit of joy, they transformed the experience, and thus changed their attitudes for the better.

To see more of the campaign’s videos, go to the official The Fun Theory website to check out more of their campaign videos:

http://www.thefuntheory.com

http://johnstepper.com/2013/02/02/applying-the-fun-theory-at-work/

I never really though about what a huge impact flipflops could make, both positively and negatively. Flipflops are such a simple and common clothing item, and it is for this same reason that millions of people in the world own a pair, therefore making abandoned flipflops a main contributor of environmental disasters.

Thousands of flipflops are washed into the beaches of Kenya, causing not just visual contamination but clogging waterways, and threatening the ecosystem by killing fish and baby turtles.

Ocean Sole is a flipflop recycling company that was created with the sole purpose of finding a solution to flipflop contamination.

As a response, under the Ocean Sole Company, in 2005, UniqueEco Designs was formed at Marula Studios in Kenya, as a for profit company that launched with the purpose of finding a fresh and fun solution to beach pollution as well as local poverty.

Local artisans use recycled flipflops to build colourful sculptures of animals such as sharks, turtles, whales, elephants, dolphins and more. These sculptures are sold, and 5% of the profit is donated to the Ocean Sole Foundation.

The local workers also make giant sculptures and showcase them in order to raise awareness for the marine life conservation, and to bring support back to the Ocean Sole Foundation, as 25% the giant sculpture’s profits go directly back to the foundation.

The Ocean Sole Foundation is a small foundation that focuses on the conservation of marine life in collaboration with local communities. It currently provides Jobs to 40 local workers. It aims to connect people with the sea, their waste and their own responsibility. They RISE to action and aim to Recycle, Innovate, Sustain and Educate.

“The ocean sole foundation works with communities, scientists, conservationists, artists, governments, industries and other non-profit organizations that are raising awareness and are actively involved in marine conservation. We support actions that recycle, reduce and reuse marine and waterway debris.” (Ocean Sole Company)

Some of Ocean Sole’s Accomplishments include:

In 2006, Ocean Wise created a real life size Minke whale made out of wire mesh and recycled flipflops to raise awareness in Environmental Day in Mombasa, Kenya. As well in 2008, an 18 feet Giraffe was made and shipped to Rome to be displayed and raise awareness during Fashion Week.

In 2008, Ocean Sole was one if the 12 finalists in the BBC World Challenge, were they were recognized as a small business that demonstrates enterprise and innovation.

In 2010, The Swedish Cultural Museum echibited The Flipflop Palm Tree highlighting Kenya’s innovative use of recycled flipflops. As well, Ocean Sole won the Kenya National Award at the Energy Globe Awards for its sustainable development.

In 2012, Ocean Sole was featured on BBc2’s “indian Ocean” series. Also, in 2012, they exhibited their new jewellery collection at the 2012 Ethical Fashion Week in Paris under the Source East Africa Brand.

In 2013, they appeared in Trade Shows in the USA such as the New York International Gift Fair, the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market and the Museum Stores Association Conference and Expo in LA.

Ocean Sole is both a profit company and a aiding foundation. I had never heard of them before until recently and I think that what they are doing is absolutely fantastic and inspiring. They make use of the triple bottom line, achieving social, environmental and economical success! They generate self-supportive jobs for local workers in Kenyan where they educate them to recycle the flipflops and produce beautiful sculptures, while being part of running a business all the same time. On the other hand, they raise awareness for the marine life conservation while helping to save the ecosystem.

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/recycled-flipflops-toys.html

http://www.ocean-sole.com

I had previously heard that hemp is refined and used for many products such as hemp oil, hemp seed foods, wax, rope, cloth, canvas and paper. However, I just recently learned about its amazing properties and ability to make renewable food, fuel and fiber!

Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis plant, which contains fiber, oil and seeds. Due to its tensile strength, it is commonly mixed with other organic fibers such as flax, cotton, or silk and used for the production of durable clothing items. Furthermore, hemp is also commonly used for nutritional foods due to its natural protein and oil content.

What I find the most exciting about hemp is that it has the potential to help “green up” many industries!

A clear example of a company that is using hemp to become a fully sustainable business is Chateau Maris, a biodynamic and organic French winery. It created a 9,000 square foot net-zero energy wine cellar by using organic hemp and lime bricks. The cellar is energy-efficient as well as biodegradable.

Hemp’s properties insulates the building keeping it warm in the winter, and ventilates it in the summer, therefore keeping the temperature a consistent 54 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. This way there is no need to have cooling or heating systems installed, and a manual duct was installed for greater airflow.

The two owners of the wine celery started research five years ago and found that hemp was the best alternative because it is locally grown (low-carbon transport), cheap, doesn’t require irrigation or fertilizers, it creates good soil structure, is very light (two-foot think brick weighs 33 pounds), and when mixed with lime, the hemp is hardened and chemically transformed into limestone carbonate captures that sequesters carbon.

I find this project absolutely fascinating! It is amazing how R&D mixed with innovation can create amazing thing for the environment and for business! Chateau Maris operated through a purely sustainable core! Apart form the hemp bricks, they use LED lighting, capture rainwater, recycle gray water and have future plans to incorporate wind and solar power with the goal of using 100% renewable energy. Their product has been very successful and their sales have been growing exponentially due to the growing demand for organic and sustainable products. Their wine bottles are made of recycled glass and have recycled paper labels. To top it all off, the company donates $1.50 from each bottle they sell to the Jane Goodall Institute, the Rainforest Foundation, or to the International Polar Foundation.

It is entrepreneurs like the owners of the Chateau Maris that truly inspire me and motivate me to help the the corporate world become sustainably driven! But most of all, their innovation, creativity proves that there are so many different alternatives and resources out there to become a better and greener business from the very core!

http://www.hemp.com/what-is-hemp/

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/03/19/winery-hemp-cellar

Most of you are probably familiar with the small frog logo you see on packages of various products. For those of you who aren’t, it is a Rainforest Alliance Certificate that is only awarded to products whose farms meet the rigorous sustainability criteria. The criteria address all of the three pillars of sustainability: environmental protection, social equity, and economic viability. Independent, third party expert auditors evaluate each farm in order to approve the Green Frog Seal.

The Rainforest Alliance started the Leapfrog Campaign in order to promote their work. They are building an ethical economy that benefits some of the most biologically diverse areas of the world by transforming the way the crops are grown, wood is harvested, and benefitting local communities and natural resources.

As part of the Leapfrog Campaign, Max Joseph, who has previously worked with brands such as Nike and Pepsi, wrote and directed this “Follow the Frog” ad in September of 2012.

In a clever way, the campaign’s video encourages consumers to refrain themselves from attempting to travel to the rainforest to save it, and rather to just buy the “follow the frog” campaign products. It reinforces the idea that as a consumer, helping to save the rainforest is not difficult, it just requires consumers to choose rainforest friendly products.

I personally found this ad extremely witty and clever. The power of the consumer is often underestimated, especially when looking at it in a consumer’s individual perspective. Most people believe that their own change in consumption is minimal in proportion to the rest of the world and therefore has no impact on the environment. This idea, however, is slowly changing and with campaigns like “Follow the Frog” consumers are reminded of their ability to influence corporations towards a more sustainable path.

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/leapfrog/multimedia

Marketing has made a clear and drastic change ever since the social media became a part of it. The idea of appealing and speaking to the masses is now possible in ways never imaginable before. Information travels so quickly that word of mouth techniques exponentially fired.

However companies are just very recently starting to take advantage of social media marketing benefits. There are still many corporations that resist jumping on this crazy digital mass marketing world.

“Consumers spend approximately 58 per cent of their time on digital globally, yet media spend within the [consumer packaged goods] industry is misaligned with how consumers spend their time (Mina Cass).”

Just four days after the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014 began; 26 million tweets had already been posted about the Games. The opportunity for the marketers is obvious!

As the digital world rises, power and energy increase a long with it. The amount of electricity that the world is consuming has increased drastically as we depend on it more and more. We are in a point now were we use our cellphone instead of money bills and I am sure this will continue to escalate.

However, even thought the digital media requires an extensive amount of energy, is this worse than the old fashioned way of advertising with billboards and posters?

I believe social media is becoming a part of sustainability and social responsibility. We are able to market goods and services digitally without the need of extensive damages. More importantly, we are becoming fully aware of what is going in the world as citizens and it is becoming very hard for companies to not be transparent about their values, procedures and actions. Corporations are being forced by the media to comply to certain sustainable, ethical and socially responsible measures. Consumers are demanding more and more and marketers are willing to give customers greener and ethical solutions as demanded.

“That kind of organic activity is particularly important for brands because social media has given consumers a platform to make their voices heard on the kind of mass scale that used to be reserved for media outlets or companies with the budgets to advertise widely. Now, the goal is to create something for a brand that people will like enough to share themselves; like word of mouth, but louder. Much louder (MIna Cass) ”.

I really believe marketing is changing for the better. Today consumers have a voice louder than ever and it is up to them to speak up and point big corporations on the right track to sustainable marketing.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/fresh-baked-tweets-from-the-oven/article17012472/

“On Sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies” by Damien Cave

In this article, the author states how consumerism is destroying us as productive individuals, aiming to take over our authenticity and individualism. Cave claims “shopping has become a whole day event, a way to spend time (in line) rather than reading, having conversations or expanding culture.”

A few years ago, I would’ve partly disagreed with this article, as even though I would have recognized Cave’s well-formulated argument to have a lot of truth to it, I would have found it over exaggerated. Most consumers are completely aware of Old Navy’s or Ikea’s low quality products, yet decide to shop there after all. Ikea, for example, is not just selling the product; it is also selling efficacy, convenience, and availability. As Cave states, brands are “selling you an idea or lifestyle” which I don’t believe that is necessarily a negative thing. The fact that people are getting what they need in just ONE place saves them a lot of time and effort.

However, now I recognize that the problem of overconsumption relies on much more than the deterioration of consumer’s individualism, it has now become clearer that overconsumption has become a critical green issue. Fast fashion has grown progressively though the past decade encouraging consumers to continuously buy cheap products with a death sentence attached to them. They last half the time they normally should and consumers are therefore forced to replace these items constantly, allowing for branded companies to dramatically increase their sales.

“The idea behind this “theater for the brand” architecture is to commodify the products, to make them ‘as easy to buy as a gallon of milk,’ Klein says.”

“People think they’re getting ‘authenticity on the cheap,’ says David Lewis, author of “The Soul of the New Consumer.” But the truth may be that they’re simply purchasing the perception of quality and authenticity. ‘Because [Ikea and Old Navy] create these self-enclosed lifestyles,’ Klein explains, ‘you overlook the fact that the products are pretty crappy and fall apart.’ Adds Jennings, “Things may be cheaper, but you keep going back to replace the faulty merchandise.”

Here is where the environment is greatly affected. Producing items with a short life span knowingly creating them to last only a few years, creates an enormous amount of waste that is exponentially increasing due to the consumer’s “necessity” to buy the newest products.

Until what point should companies market their products as a commodity, but still maintain a sense of the environment by promoting the reduction of waste and the development of sustainability?

http://www.salon.com/2000/11/22/old_navy/

Working in a team has always been my preference when it comes to completing assignments; not because we delegate and share the tasks with others, but because I learn the most from each experience. Working in a team requires communication, patience, determination, involvement and sacrifice. All of these characteristics are very important to develop and further practice in a business and personal career and I definitely did throug the process of completing the marketing assignments.

While working in Assignment #3 and finally putting together all the research, analysis and work we had done on the company for the previous two assignements, I realized how well we had worked together as a group. Not only we managed to interact effectively in a proffesional way, but we all got along very well. We were able to share what we had all individually gained from the class and further apply it to the assignment. We used all of the tools and resources we learned in class in order to analyze Lululemon and further look for a place of improvement with a specific target market. We analyzed each of the companies 4Ps in depth and made logical and smart recommendations by applying what we learned in class.

I had an amazing time during this course and working on the assignments. It was extreemly interesting to be leraning something that seemed so theorical in the book, to then relating it to something more realistic in class and lastly applying it to a real-life company simulating a hands-on experience. I learned that marketing is not just about promoting and advertising but it is about transmitting an image while developing a sustainable brand in the market.

The definition of branding according to the business dictionary is “the process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers‘ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.”

Branding is a way to ensure sustainable marketing. It is promoting to an extent that a product is remembered above and beyond its uses and offerings. After reading Nicholas Tan’s Article Magical Marketing Lessons From Disney World, I agree with what he says about how Disney World uses interaction to reinforce its brand. As he says in his article, “Disneyland doesn’t just provide rides and attractions; they provide an interactive theatre experience. It is an escape into an fairy-tale world. Their ride planners are called ‘Imagineers’ and their staff are ‘Cast Members’. Disneyland doesn’t have ‘bad days’. They make every day feel special with parades, special characters and full ride service.”

Disney World is selling much more than a sevice, it is selling experiences and memories. They have developed and enhanced their marketing mix, emphasizing on each of the 4P’s specifically to such extent that their image can be hardly harmed.

http://www.rohitbhargava.com/2013/02/7-magical-marketing-lessons-from-disney-world.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/branding.html#ixzz2Q0c6qZVB