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Questions…on the Apparel Industry’s Sustainability Story for Joy
Gruver
As
the west coast business development manager for Dri-release, a
wicking fabric technology that combines polyester with natural and
organic fibers like cotton, merino wool, and even seaweed, Joy
Gruver has witnessed first hand the desire of many outdoor apparel
companies like The North Face and Adidas to build a sustainability
story for their brands. It’s a trend that hasn’t even hit the market
yet, but here, she explains when the recent surge of green interest
began, what it means for not only the apparel industry but all of
Corporate America, and how consumers will have the final say over
whether the trend will continue.
Who are your
typical clients and when did you see the demand for this green
technology begin in earnest? What I do is travel the west coast, meeting with designers and developers at apparel companies who are interested in Dri-release, the fabric technology I represent. So, I’m meeting regularly with outdoor brands like Outdoor Research, Patagonia, Adidas, Nike, and others. Some of them have had a sustainability story built into their company’s roots, but I’ve seen the interest in our technology’s green attributes come about in earnest just this year. Because apparel companies like these are currently building their Spring ’08 lines, that means consumers won’t see these products for almost another year. What do you mean by a sustainability story? Essentially, I mean environmentally friendly practices focused on building products that are sustainable. I say “story” because these brands are looking to use this technology so that they can market their products as green to consumers. Why are we seeing this trend now? That’s what’s really interesting to me because I was working on a polyester woven fabric technology that was environmentally friendly back in the late-’90s and no one would buy it because they thought it was too expensive. Dri-release products will cost more than your basic cotton t-shirt, but now, the interest is higher than I’ve ever seen it. I think you can attribute it in large part to the extensive media coverage of environmental issues. It’s hard to open a magazine or newspaper or go to an online news site and not see a story on the environment every single day now. I think the media has done a pretty good job of bringing these issues to the general public in a compelling manner. Do you think these companies are looking into green technology because they’re socially conscious, simply for the green marketing bonus, or a mix of both? It’s a mix. Many of them have people within their organizations who are now committed to environmental issues so the change is coming about internally. I had an awesome conversation with people from Nordstrom’s who were incredibly committed to making their apparel more environmentally friendly. There are companies who are looking at it solely as a way to take advantage of marketing opportunities, and then there are those who fall into the “me too” marketing category, but that doesn’t mean it’s not all a good thing. “Me too” marketing? Lots of companies are getting into green practices because their competitors are. They see their competitors doing it and figure they need to too in order to keep up. What form will these green marketing opportunities take? They will really have a need to educate consumers because the consumer isn’t going to pay $5 to $10 more for a shirt unless he understands what that shirt is doing for the environment and what it will do for him as a consumer. To make sure consumers really are getting the message, these apparel companies will use lots of display advertising, hangtags, and point-of-purchase promotions. It seems the outdoor industry is a natural sphere for green technology to take hold since such consumers are often out enjoying nature and thus tend to be more concerned about the environment. Have you seen this interest in other sectors too? You’re right, it’s primarily limited to the outdoor retail industry right now because that’s where companies can make a legitimate argument that consumers will be willing to pay more for these green products. I’m working with some of the surf companies but so far, price has really scared them off. The golf industry is notoriously late adopters. And I have medical industry clients, where wicking fabrics are needed to keep burn patients and others constantly dry, but right now, that industry is completely price driven. Is this a part of a bigger shift toward green products? Absolutely. You can see that in almost every industry. Apparel works a year out, but the automotive industry works four to five years out and apparel tends to draw a lot of inspiration from the car industry in terms of trends and colors. Just looking at the success of hybrids suggests that other industries will see similar results from green efforts. So the big question: How do you think consumers will react to these green apparel products when they hit the market next spring? That is the big question mark, isn’t it? It’s impossible to know, but these companies are investing heavily in these technologies with the idea that consumers will respond. And I hope they’re right, because then we’ll see it move beyond the outdoor apparel and it will continue to snowball across all industries – more hybrids, more companies like Whole Foods, and so on. However, we are talking about the American consumer here. What’s the distinction you’re making about the American consumer? Europeans typically tend to spend more for better products because they don’t own and consume as much as we do. When we’re talking about the American consumer, we’re talking about the whole country. Americans shop at Wal-mart and consume lots of inexpensive, mass-produced goods. I’m really interested and hopeful that we’re ready for this – it’s not going to be some massive shift in values, but it could be a slight shift away from that image. |
