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Concern for the environment combined with a demand for special gifts has created the perfect storm for transforming refuse into revenue. Caletha Crawford


unDeR the nile


ResouRCe ReViVAl


WABisABi gReen


Twenty years ago, Rhea Alexander, founder of New York-based DIGS, which offers recycled and repurposed goods from artisans around the world, found it best to keep mum about the company’s ethical practices. “In the beginning, consumers almost frowned on upcycled and recycled goods and thought of it as waste, so we would focus on the beauty of the design and quality of the products,” she says. “As it has become more in the pubic consciousness, we’ve talked about it more.”


Similarly, Heather English, owner of Boulder, CO-based


English Retreads, sometimes received a frosty reception for her repurposed goods when she launched a decade ago. “[Awareness] has come a long way. It was hard at fi rst,” she recalls. “I still remember the buyer who quickly turned and left my booth when I told her my bags were made of inner tubes not leather.” Today, English’s line of handbags and accessories—sourced


from materials recovered at local truck stops—has found a loyal following. Men especially connect with the product’s origins so the company is expanding into more guy-friendly areas to complement the brisk sales of its bi-fold wallet. Up next are 13- and 15-inch laptop sleeves, iPad sleeves as well as a shaving kit.


Wendy Robbins, owner of Erlanger, KY-based It’s a Wrap, credits the younger generations with accelerating the winds of change. “People in their 20s and 30s care more about [eco issues] than I did when I was that age,” she notes. “Today’s consumer is more thoughtful and conscientious, and they care where the goods come from.” In fact, Robbins credits her young staff members with convincing her to give repurposing a try. Until last year, the four-year-old company had been focused on monogrammed goods, but those products have been eclipsed by the success of the brand’s new iPad cases, clutch purses and pillows made from burlap coffee sacks and fabric scraps. With the launch of the repurposed line, the company found its true identity—and a profi table business model. “It was a fi nancially savvy move,” Robbins says. “We lowered our cost of goods, which helps us compete in a market full of Chinese products.”


GREENRetailerMag.com Winter 2012 n GREENRetailer 135


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