A product which is made of natural, raw materials that will decompose or rot into the earth without having a negative affect on the environment.

The misconception that eco-friendly products must be ugly or unfashionable.

The use of natural resources in a way that assures their continuing availability to future generations; the wise and intelligent use or protection of natural resources.

Plastic made from corn, also known as PLA (polylactic acid.) Producing corn plastic uses 65% less energy than conventional plastics, generates 68% fewer greenhouse gasses and contains no toxins. PLA is in principle compostable, meaning that it will break down under certain conditions into harmless natural compounds within 90 days.

Nylon made from recycled water bottles and yogurt containers

Consumer products, other items, and packaging used once or a few times and discarded.

Broad term used for products and materials which are made specifically to reduce the negative effects on the environment. Also reducing the use of non renewable resources in sourcing, manufacture, packaging, use and disposal. This term applies to activities and services.

Describes practices, products or lifestyles that work with nature instead of against it, and are intended to ensure that one’s impact on the environment is as minimal (or as positive) as possible.

Grown without chemical pesticides or toxic fertilizers, hemp produces more fiber yield per acre than any other crop. One acre of hemp can produce as much usable fiber as 4 acres of trees or two acres of cotton.

Products or materials which do not come from man-made origins. Examples would be wood, leather, cotton, beeswax.

Incapable of being broken down naturally into substances that will not harm the environment.

A resource that is NOT capable of being naturally restored or replenished; a resource that is exhausted because it has not been replaced (e.g. copper) or because it is used faster than it can be replaced (e.g. oil, coal). Their use as material and energy sources leads to depletion of the Earth’s reserves and are characterized as such as they do not renew in human relevant periods.

Cotton that is grown in certified pesticide-free and herbicide-free soil from plants which are not genetically modified. Traditional Cotton is the second most pesticide-laden crop in the world. Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton in the U.S. (cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite and   trifluralin) are known cancer causing chemicals.It takes approximately 1/3 pound of chemicals to grow enough cotton to make just one t-shirt. Organic cotton farming methods produce healthier fabrics, preserve the quality of our water and prevent toxins from entering the human food chain in the form of cottonseed and other byproducts.

A material made from petroleum capable of being molded, extruded, or cast into various shapes. There are many different kinds of plastic made from different combinations of compounds. Plastics already take up 25 percent of dumps by volume. To learn more about the plastic resin codes #1-#7 and what these plastics are recycled into, check here.

Product or materials which have been recycled or reused from residential and consumer waste. Examples would be plastic bottles which have been recycled into new plastic bottles or other products, converting wastepaper from offices into corrugated boxes or newsprint.

Waste materials generated during the manufacturing process which have been recycled or reused before they have become a consumer product. Examples would be collected PET plastic bottle waste from a factory floor which is put back into the production process to be used to make new plastic bottles, paper scraps off of a paper mill floor going back into the next batch of paper.

See Post-industrial recycled content

The process of changing consumer waste into new materials, products and packaging instead of discarding them. For example aluminum cans can be broken down into their pure form to be made into new aluminum cans, or used plastic water bottles can be recycled into nylon fabric. Recycling helps conserve raw materials as well as the energy that manufacturers would use in producing new products. Recycling reduces the amount of material going into landfills. Recycling also helps reduce the pollution that may result from waste disposal.

The amount of recycled material in a given product, usually expressed as a percentage (e.g., 30% post-consumer content).

To cut down the amount of waste or garbage generated. You can reduce your waste output by choosing reusable products instead of disposables (cloth towels instead of paper towels, a durable metal water bottle filled from your tap instead of buying bottled water.) Another way to reduce waste is to use digital (computer) communication and files instead of paper…such as emailing documents to co-workers instead of printing out copies and distributing them.

Natural raw materials such as timber and grasses, which can be grown or restored over time. Care must be given in the plantation management so that replanting and felling are in harmony. Using natural resources such as water, wind and sun for an ever lasting energy source. Resources which have a much lower negative effect on the environment and do not produce greenhouse gases.

To find a new function for an item that has outgrown its original use; use again (e.g. peanut butter jar for a collection; wash and reuse dishes, using a coffee can to hold nuts and bolts

Energy derived from the sun. Commonly used to power small electronic devices such as calculators, eliminating the need for batteries.

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. When a process is sustainable, it can be carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or impossibly high costs.

This super-fabric is not only ultra-soft and elegant with an incredible drape and versatility, it is also 100% biodegradable, durable, dye-able, and machine washable/dryable. Made of cellulose that is extracted from tree farms planted on land that is unsuitable for food crops or grazing.

Materials that do not contain any recycled content, manufactured with 100% new ingredients.