Archive for the ‘manufacturing’ Category

Communicating Your Sustainability…or Communicating Sustainably?

What should you do during “recessionary times?” Both.

As stated on Twitter earlier this week (find us @studio_22), consumers 18-34 will be driving green trends in the next decade. We also said that when you promote your products to this group, you should do so in a sustainable way.

If you’re a brand that can demonstrate a genuine commitment to responsible practices, tell consumers your sustainability story. Do it authentically. Brands can gain a competitive edge when they engage consumers on issues that they care about. Do it on a hang-tag. Do it in your catalog. Do it on your website. The person buying your product or service will feel good about making the purchase because it supports a belief that they subscribe to. You’ll provide added value – an important quality at the moment.

Now, about those sustainable communications…those hang-tags, brochures, catalogs, reports. There’s more to a sustainable marketing piece than slapping some ink on 30% recycled content paper. We won’t bore you with substrates here, but care must be taken with the imagery and text, colors, sizing, and ink used in producing your communications. Even the firm you choose to work with has an impact on the footprint of your printed materials. Embracing this concept on the back end will push you even further ahead of the competition in the eyes of your customers.

Studio 22 and Naukabout Making Memories

Frederick, MD, November 24, 2008 — Studio 22 is helping Naukabout ask their customers, “Where do you Naukabout?” Naukabout retained the graphic design firm to create the marketing piece introducing the new company’s clothing line.

Naukabout’s tops, made from 100% organic cotton, along with hats, beanies and other accessory items, are meant to be worn while balancing life between work and play. The folded brochure embodies the tagline with strong visuals that represent one’s most memorable moments, places and life adventures.

“We could not have been more pleased with the piece that Studio 22 compiled for us,” stated Adam Conley, Naukabout’s Director of Operations. “Our biggest obstacle was finding a design firm who could embrace and understand our message, and convey that in graphic form. Eryn and her team nailed it on the first try.”

In keeping with both companies’ commitments to conservation and preservation, Studio 22 sourced a sustainable printing solution for the brochure. This included using a Green Certified printing company, FSC-certified 100% recycled (100% post consumer waste) paper, and vegetable-based inks. Taking the process one step further, the carbon emissions for the printing shipment were also offset.

“We’re not only excited to help Naukabout announce the launch of their clothing line, but that we have been able to uphold our common values in the production of the piece,” said Eryn Willard, Studio 22’s founder. “We are proud to be affiliated with Naukabout and are looking forward to their continued success.

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About Studio 22, LLC – Studio 22 is a group of outdoor devotees creating award-winning visual branding, print collateral and web design for clients in the outdoor, environmental and consumer goods industries. Practicing what we preach helps us deliver the best creative solutions to our clients. The firm has been producing sustainable graphic design since 2005. www.studio20two.com

About Naukabout, LLC – Naukabout is a lifestyle apparel company that offers active, casual and outdoor clothing for men, women and children. The company incorporates an ideal that embodies one’s most memorable moments, places and life adventures. The Naukabout brand is committed to creating a community founded on Naukabout moments, encouraging people to answer the question: “Where and how do you Naukabout?” Founded in 2007, Naukabout is a private company headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with its corporate office in Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.naukabout.com.

Press release also available on PRlog.

New Performance Clothing Brand, Atayne

This past Monday, the Sustainable Business Network of Washington hosted a lecture given by the founder of a new performance clothing company called Atayne. They are based here in the D.C. area and are giving their company a great foundation.

A sustainable business, Atayne is creating their sport tops out of…well, trash. They are sourcing recycled polyester (from plastic bottles) and activated carbon (from coconut shells) for the fabric to make their clothing. They also have a take-back program to recycle retired garments, and sponsor running events where they collect trash and recycleables (not necessarily for their garments!).

Some interesting tidbits we took away from the presentation:

  • 25% of all chemicals are used by the textile industry.
  • There is an 85% chance that a garment will end up in a landfill within 1 year.
  • 80% of environmental impact comes from an item’s use.
  • 50% of all clothing is polyester.

It was refreshing not only to listen to a company talk about starting up and the challenges they are facing to maintain their vision, but to learn about a performance apparel company that’s based in the D.C. area!

Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles Site

Call us behind the times, but we recently discovered Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles website. There, the apparel manufacturing company tells the story of specific products’ marks on the environment. The highly interactive site is not only well designed, but truly informative.

“We believe that to avoid complacency, we must constantly examine our internal processes to improve upon the positive and mitigate the negative,” said Casey Sheahan, president and CEO of Patagonia. “The Footprint Chronicles allows us to do this publicly — sort of learning out loud.”

Site users are also able to leave comments relating to each product detail. Pretty brave on Patagonia’s part!

Not every person or company can be perfect, but we can all implement strategies to reduce our impact. Could you do this in some way with your business?

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