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.
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.
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.
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
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 9109/03 citrine |
![]() Apparition 9073/01 spirit |
![]() Astrakhan 3016/05 cocoa |
![]() Bamboo Crepe 4141/08 sea |
![]() Bedazzled 9113/01 silver |
![]() Bergamo 7501/04 gravel |
![]() Brushstroke Velvet 5074/04 dark taupe |
![]() Bukhara 6039/03 oasis |
![]() Bull's Eye 2225/06 endive |
![]() Cabochon 5060/05 carnelian |
![]() Cameo 2330/02 white gold |
![]() Charmed Circle 9065/03 black gold |
![]() Chockablock 5030/08 prune |
![]() Colorific 5048/24 crystal |
![]() Contextural 4097/03 marzipan |
![]() Cotton Silk Canvas 6053/06 celadon |
![]() Curly 2243/07 tortoiseshell |
![]() Disc-o 2303/09 mulberry |
![]() Downstream 4132/03 wheatfield |
![]() Dragon 9915/01 Puff |
![]() Edo 6036/06 soy |
![]() Embassy 5063/06 icy |
![]() Embellushed Plush 5046/01 raffia |
![]() Enchantment 6012/02 mica |
![]() Estate 6055/04 pewter |
![]() Etched Silk 6028/07 topaz |
![]() Fez 7504/07 strawberry |
![]() Flanders 5064/09 hollandaise |
![]() Flaxen Satin 4142/04 wood |
![]() Flaximum 4114/03 glow |
![]() Formal Wear 9062/03 pewter and brass |
![]() Gift of Gab 4084/07 seal |
![]() Glamour 9161/03 patina |
![]() Gleam 4108/10 zinnia |
![]() Harmony 2197/05 chocolate mints |
![]() Heartstring 6042/04 true blue |
![]() Heathered Flannel 3021/02 linen |
![]() Hedgerow 5066/03 leather |
![]() High Jinks 2300/05 gerbera |
![]() Highland Challis 9037/02 afternoon |
![]() Horizon 6004/01 tussah |
![]() Hullabahue 5043/22 wisteria |
![]() Inscription 2319/02 dusk |
![]() Interlace 5056/06 black walnut |
![]() Kaleidoscope 6046/02 skyscraper |
![]() Linen Boucle 4140/04 taupe |
![]() Linen Hopsack 4144/02 chablis |
![]() Linen Sailcloth 9164/02 shell |
![]() Linen Veil 9121/04 cornflower |
![]() Linen Velour 5073/05 alpaca |
![]() Lodge 3018/06 peat |
![]() Longitude 1040/06 menswear |
![]() Lush Plush 5041/02 pecan |
![]() Luxury 5080/04 lake |
![]() Maze 2258/05 pool |
![]() Monarch Mohair 5007/01 wheat |
![]() Moonstruck 9005/02 taupe |
![]() Mumbai 6029/04 ash |
![]() Musco 7517/11 cardinal |
![]() Natural Selection 2289/03 wild rice |
![]() Nest 2329/01 down |
![]() Oasis 4127/01 salt lick |
![]() Odda 7509/01 cameo and cream |
![]() Odense 7510/02 cameo |
![]() Oracle 5053/01 lunar |
![]() Osaka 5059/06 reflecting pool |
![]() Pebbly 4109/03 gravel |
![]() Persuasion 5049/03 steel |
![]() Powder Puff 9132/01 domino |
![]() Pressed Leaves 6031/03 turquoise |
![]() Pressed Linen 5038/02 flax |
![]() Primavera 2217/01 sand |
![]() Primavera Stripe 2218/02 surf |
![]() Rebound 4131/03 sprouts |
![]() Reflection 2270/03 dandelion |
![]() Rewrite 2304/06 sepia ink |
![]() Rose Matelasse 2340/01 pearl |
![]() Sailing Stripe 4095/01 cream |
![]() Savoir-Vivre 6008/11 coral |
![]() Secret Garden 2104/02 ivy |
![]() Serendipity 6045/02 canyon |
![]() Silk Grille 6057/04 ice |
![]() Silk Pleats 9167/01 pearl |
![]() Silk Route 6047/14 fish pond |
![]() Silken Plush 5008/02 honey |
![]() Snap 2328/08 turquoise and amethyst |
![]() Starbeam 6032/02 cashmere |
![]() Starlight Velvet 5061/02 gold dust |
![]() Stellar 9125/02 dawn |
![]() Sumatra 2291/05 palm |
![]() Sway 2344/04 limousine |
![]() Texturecise 4090/07 cinnabar |
![]() Toulouse 7514/05 lead |
![]() Tranquility 6023/06 still waters |
![]() Traveler 3020/05 rye |
![]() Viceroy Velvet 5022/04 brown sugar |
![]() Vignette 9028/01 white lace |
![]() Watermark 9078/02 tortoise shell |
![]() Wellfleet 4129/05 clamshell |
![]() Wool Homespun 3022/01 fleece |
![]() Wool Loops 3024/01 pearl |
![]() Wool Veil 9166/03 honey |
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