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DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Protecting our environment, and its present and future inhabitants, is the essential and vital goal of sustainability. This large and complex field looks at our marketplace, at the way we grow, make and consume products, and strives to incorporate an awareness of the impact of our choices at every stage of the process. There is no one "right" way to be environmentally responsible, but there are a growing number of intelligent choices and best practices.

The concept of sustainability combines concern for the well-being of our planet with the needs of continued human development. The World Commission on Environment and Development defines it as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". When the design process is informed by this imperative, the central concern is to assess the consequences, both short and long-term, of any transformation of the environment. Design must also aim to eliminate waste, to use renewable energy, to reduce toxic emissions and to leave as light a "footprint" on the environment as possible.

How "green" is my fabric?

There is considerable debate on how best to describe and compare the environmental attributes of one textile versus another. Is the presence of toxic emissions that affect indoor air quality the primary issue? Some people believe that recycled or recyclable content is most important, or that natural fibers from renewable natural resources are best. Others feel strongly that the only thorough way to evaluate a product is to do a "Life Cycle Assessment", or LCA, a comprehensive examination of a product's environmental and economic impact throughout its entire lifetime, beginning with extraction of raw materials.

Whenever possible, the Pollack Studio creates fabrics that do not require additional backings or finishes to enhance performance. Many of our fabrics are woven in Europe, a leader in environmental legislation, where most of the mills maintain a high level of compliance with stringent regulations pertaining to pollution, waste management and noise reduction.

POLLACK

We label a textile "green" if it meets one of the following criteria:

1) It contributes to LEED CI points by having content that is 90% recycled, 90% rapidly renewable or 90% Cradle to Cradle.

2) It meets or exceeds the "Compliant" level (minimum 23 points) of the proposed ACT Standard for Commercial Furnishings Fabric Sustainability Assessment.

1) LEED CI

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry, working to promote buildings that are both environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work. In spring 2000, they launched LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System®, a voluntary national standard for measuring and certifying "green" buildings and for training and professional accreditation of architects, designers and building industry practitioners. The number of LEED accredited professional has risen from 527 in 2001 to over 60,000 today.

Currently available, or under development, are the following LEED rating systems:

Commercial Interiors (CI)
New Construction (NC)
Existing Buildings (EB)
Homes (H)
Core and Shell (CS)
Neighborhood Developments (ND)

Each set of standards evaluates building performance in five areas, such as Indoor Environmental Quality and Materials & Resources, and awards points in each. Specific point totals determine if the project as a whole (not individual products) qualifies for basic certification, or for higher levels of silver, gold or platinum certification. LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED CI) was introduced in 2004 and focuses on interiors. There are a total of 57 points, out of which textiles may contribute a possible 4 points. www.leedbuilding.org, www.usgbc.org

LEED CI awards points as follows:

Materials & Resources (MR)
Credit MR 4.1: Recycled Content - 1 point
The sum of post-consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer recycled content is 10% of total value of materials on project.

Credit MR 4.2: Recycled Content – 1 point
The sum of post-consumer + 1/2 pre-consumer recycled content is 20% of total value of materials on project.

Credit MR 6.0: Rapidly Renewable Materials – 1 point
Materials that are typically harvested within a 10 year or shorter cycle is 5% of total value of materials on the project.

Indoor Environment Quality (EQ)
Credit EQ 4.5: Low-emitting Materials, Systems Furniture and Seating – 1 point
Systems furniture and task/guest seating must be Greenguard certified or ETV tested for VOC emissions.

Innovation & Design Process (ID)
Credit ID 1.1 Innovation in Design – 1 point
Recognizes Cradle to Cradle manufacturing protocols

Eligible material categories:

Recycled

100% Recycled Polyester: These fabrics, without any additional backings or chemical finishes, utilize post-consumer and post-industrial recycled polyester, and are themselves recyclable. The American mills that weave these designs have programs to minimize and recycle selvage waste and shipping materials, assess dye protocols and reduce energy use.

Terratex® is a brand of True, Inc., a US mill, and refers to fabrics that are made of 100% recycled, compostable or bio-based materials that are completely recyclable. True has completed an LCA for Terratex®-classified fabrics that shows them to have significantly less of an impact on the environment than fabrics made with virgin polyester. More recently, they have developed a Dye and Chemical Protocol to evaluate the safety of all the ingredients used in their manufacturing process. Their dedication to the principles of sustainability extends to all their business practices. www.terratex.com

Rapidly Renewable

Materials that are typically harvested within a 10-year or shorter cycle. These natural fibers include cotton, sisal, flax, ramie, hemp, jute, wool, silk, mohair and bamboo.

Cradle to Cradle

Rather than working from the old industrial models of "Take-Make-Waste" or "Cradle to Grave", William McDonough, an American architect, and Michael Braungart, a German chemist, have defined a "new industrial revolution" based on the design principles of nature, where everything is designed to be a nutrient for another life form and where "Waste Equals Food". Their consultancy firm, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), founded in 1995, believes the same can be accomplished in closed loop manufacturing systems. While maintaining that recycling is not enough - it is just "doing less bad" since recycled products still contain toxic chemicals - MBDC asserts that it is possible to design products that can become, at the end of their useful life, biological or technical nutrients in a sustaining "Cradle to Cradle" cycle, nutrients that are completely safe for human health and the environment.

designates a special fabric quality and manufacturing process developed by the Swiss mill Rohner Textil AG, following the principles of MBDC. The fiber content is 60% worsted wool and 40% viscose, a man-made cellulose fiber derived from renewable beech wood, which is integrated with an environmentally compatible flame retardant.

Climatex® fabrics are completely biodegradable and can therefore be returned to the earth as compost rather than landfill. To get to this end, every part of the manufacturing process has gone through a rigorous environmental protocol. With the cooperation of Ciba-Geigy, one of Europe's leading chemical companies, Rohner analyzed over 4,500 of their dye formulas; only the 16 that passed the MBDC protocol, with run-off safe enough to drink and to enter the water system, are used for these fabrics. Additionally, selvages and waste yarn are developed into secondary products, such as felt liners and insulation material, which take advantage of their inherent flame retardant benefits. www.climatex.com, www.mbdc.com

2) ACT Standard - NSF 336 Commercial Furnishings Fabric Sustainability Assessment

ACT (Association for Contract Textiles) is working with NSF (National Safety Foundation) in developing an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard for assessing sustainability in commercial furnishings fabrics. This standard measures what a product is made of and how it is made, by analyzing the following factors:

Fiber Sourcing
Safety of Material
Water Conservation
Water Quality
Energy
Air Quality
Reduction, recycling, and reuse in manufacturing and end use
Social Accountability

The goal is to give the designer a clear way to compare products, and make selections based on the environmental criteria that are most important to them. The scope of the proposed standard is quite extensive, and requires the full participation and commitment of the contract textile industry and our manufacturing partners, the mills, dyers and spinners. The proposed standard is going through the vetting process now and may be ready for adoption in 2009.

An extensive GREEN GLOSSARY is available at www.contracttextiles.org.

Aberdeen 9109/01 chalk	Apparition 9073/01 spirit	Astrakhan 3016/02 amber	Bamboo Crepe 4141/05 tea	Bedazzled 9113/01 silver	Bergamo 7501/05 bark
Brushstroke Velvet 5074/03 woodgrain	Bukhara 6039/02 steppe	Bull's Eye 2225/10 black gold	Cabochon 5060/01 yellow diamond	Cameo 2330/03 rope	Charmed Circle 9065/01 white gold
Chockablock 5030/07 steel	Colorific 5048/11 straw	Contextural 4097/04 sapling	Cotton Silk Canvas 6053/04 clay	Curly 2243/02 palm	Disc-o 2303/03 willow
Downstream 4132/05 green tea	Edo 6036/06 soy	Embassy 5063/12 madder	Embellushed Plush 5046/03 incense	Enchantment 6012/04 cinnamon	Estate 6055/02 chardonnay
Etched Silk 6028/02 ice	Fez 7504/02 soapstone	Flanders 5064/11 spice market	Flaxen Satin 4142/03 linen	Flaximum 4114/03 glow	Formal Wear 9062/01 white tie
Gift of Gab 4084/03 gilt	Glamour 9161/04 smoked pearl	Gleam 4108/08 meringue	Harmony 2197/01 buttercream	Heartstring 6042/06 hot and heavy	Heathered Flannel 3021/09 silver blue
Hedgerow 5066/05 curry	High Jinks 2300/07 froth	Highland Challis 9037/02 afternoon	Horizon 6004/01 tussah	Hullabahue 5043/18 stallion	Inscription 2319/06 sepia
Interlace 5056/03 candlelight	Kaleidoscope 6046/03 solar flare	Linen Boucle 4140/05 sterling	Linen Veil 9121/03 dove	Lodge 3018/06 peat	Longitude 1040/06 menswear
Lush Plush 5041/05 soy sauce	Maestro 5017/04 lizard	Maze 2258/01 khaki	Monarch Mohair 5007/04 weimaraner	Moonstruck 9005/02 taupe	Mumbai 6029/03 gold
Musco 7517/14 carbon	Natural Selection 2289/01 sugar	Nest 2329/06 twig	Oasis 4127/06 swimming hole	Odda 7509/02 pussy willow and cameo	Odense 7510/04 ebony
Oracle 5053/02 lagoon	Osaka 5059/01 sea salt	Pebbly 4109/06 candied ginger	Persuasion 5049/01 caramel	Powder Puff 9132/01 domino	Pressed Leaves 6031/02 silver leaf
Pressed Linen 5038/05 butternut	Primavera 2217/03 desert	Primavera Stripe 2218/02 surf	Rebound 4131/03 sprouts	Reflection 2270/02 menthol	Rewrite 2304/04 marker
Rose Matelasse 2340/01 pearl	Sailing Stripe 4095/08 crystal	Savoir-Vivre 6008/07 taupe	Secret Garden 2104/02 ivy	Serendipity 6045/02 canyon	Silk Route 6047/14 fish pond
Silken Plush 5008/06 cardinal	Snap 2328/09 ol' blue eyes	Starbeam 6032/04 kiwi	Starlight Velvet 5061/02 gold dust	Stellar 9125/04 dusk	Sumatra 2291/04 oasis
Texturecise 4090/03 tiger's eye	Toulouse 7514/01 eggshell	Tranquility 6023/04 sesame seed	Traveler 3020/01 parchment	Viceroy Velvet 5022/09 midnight	Vignette 9028/01 white lace
Vinery Finery 9061/01 vellum	Watermark 9078/02 tortoise shell	Wellfleet 4129/07 bay	Wool Homespun 3022/03 raw silk