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From Farm to Table:


Recycling, Repurposing Breathe New Life into Old


gAtsKi MetAl R 134


educe, reuse, recycle. During the height of the green marketing trend, there was a deluge of buzzwords like these, and it seems as though the message has seeped in. Today, most consumers look for ways to incorporate


environmentally friendly practices into everyday lives whether that means carrying reusable grocery bags or opting for stainless-steel water bottles over plastic. In response, retailers are warming to products that both


they and their customers can feel good about. In a recent study, market research fi rm Mintel found that 54 percent of consumers have noted a fl urry of new green products at their favorite stores. “Everybody’s awareness is rising,” says Ilene Shaw, founder


of Shaw & Co. Productions, and curator of the SustainAbility display and seminars at the New York International Gift Fair. “Retailers are not just responding to consumer demand. Just like every other citizen, they are looking for sustainable products because they’re aware of climate change and the necessity for making changes.” This heightened eco-awareness also comes on the heels of the economic maelstrom, which has made consumers more


Winter 2012 n GREENRetailer


focused on value. Thanks to unique styling and a built-in narrative, reclaimed, repurposed and recycled gifts appeal to customers on both levels. Goods with these characteristics are especially important


for independent stores as they try to weather an increasingly promotional and price-driven market. “Specialty stores and catalog retailers are getting squeezed by retail below and above them, and they need differentiated product,” says Jim Martin, co-owner of Oshkosh, WI-based Green 3, a sustainable fi ber clothing company. Martin’s wife Sandy launched the brand in 2006 with organic


T-shirts and has since expanded into scarves, mittens, hats and gloves made from the scraps gathered from apparel and furniture factories, which are then recycled into usable yarn.


Tidal shifts in attitudes Though the concept behind the company’s products has been a compelling selling point lately, there was a time when retailers had a degree of skepticism. “Some of our biggest customers now didn’t understand the environmental aspect when they fi rst met us,” Martin says. “Both retailers and consumers have become more knowledgeable.”


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