What I am proposing is small and would add to existing programs. Fifty to one hundred million dollars/year added to NSF's budget for training and curriculum development in environmental technologies and life cycle with required industry and/or government participation would make a major difference in the whole fabric of engineering and scientific education throughout the country. NSF should particularly be pushing industry/university interactions on developing, testing and eventually reaching standards on life cycle approaches and uses.

Simply requiring academic participation and a greater focus on environmental technologies and environmentally conscious manufacturing, perhaps even within present budgets for DOE, ARPA and NIST, would also have a major impact on university programs. Universities do research to expand the knowledge they teach. Having access to the latest that is being developed in industry related to these environmental topics would quickly allow universities to bring these ideas back into the classroom. All this would require is that a life cycle component be included along with university participation in any new government, industrial initiative.

ecollection

ESPRIT

General Information Sheet

Esprit Ecollection
A Line of Socially and Environmentally Responsible Clothing

At Esprit Ecollection, we believe the best fashion statement is one that positively affects the world around us: aesthetically, culturally, and environmentally. In 1990, Esprit initiated a company-wide eco audit to incorporate ecological considerations into daily business decisions. This transformation in our thinking prompted us to look beyond the surface of fashion. We've carefully examined every element of clothing manufacturing, from fabrics to dyeing processes to buttons and trims. The result is a finished product that implements the best environmental alternatives currently available, supports rural artisans, and helps preserve endangered cultures. The following are some examples of the extra energy we invest in our Ecollection garments.

• Organically Grown Cotton
We support organic farmers who grow crops without the use of chemical pesticides,
herbicides, or fertilizers. Our purchase of certified organically grown cotton promotes
safe and sustainable farming practices which do not contaminate air or water supplies.

• Naturally Colored Cotton
In order to eliminate the water and energy used in dyeing and prevent excess dyestuffs
from entering the environment, we use naturally colored cotton.

• Low Impact Dyes
When we do apply color, we guarantee that it is the most environmental solution
currently available. Our low impact dye process uses significantly less water and energy
than conventional processes, and the dyes themselves exhibit a 90% fixation rate to the
cloth.

Tencel® Low Impact Cellulosic Fiber Similar to rayon, this material is made from the pulp of sustainably harvested trees, and uses a solvent which is continually recycled and benign in the waste water.

• Handpainted Buttons
Our wooden buttons are handpainted by artisans from the Watermark Cooperative. Based
in an economically depressed region of North Carolina where employment opportunities
for women are few, the Watermark Cooperative provides job training as well as much
needed income, and enables its members to become economically self-sufficient.

Reconstituted Glass Buttons Our reconstituted glass buttons and beads support a traditional craft in Ghana. These are made from old bottles which are ground to a fine powder, mixed with pigments, and refired.

Huichol Indian Beaded Bracelets
In collaboration with the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts,
Esprit's order for handbeaded bracelets helps preserve a threatened culture. Each
bracelet features the Huichol's traditional spiritual and religious symbols.

ecollection

ESPRIT

General release

Wear and Care
Esprit's Fall '93 Ecollection

In 1990, Esprit became the first company to dedicate an entire clothing line to
improving the social and environmental practices of the clothing industry: Ecollection.
The list of companies following Esprit's lead lengthens daily. Ecological responsibility
is becoming an integral part of the clothing industry, not just as a matter of fashion, but
of daily business practices.

"Wear and care," is how Esprit co-founder Susie Tompkins describes the innovative and
commercially successful line. "We create garments which represent the best that can
be done in terms of our impact on the environment and our incorporation of human
values into clothing design. Customers have the best of both worlds: great items that
make a positive contribution to society."

From fiber to finished product, Esprit Ecollection examines every step of the
manufacturing process. Now in its fourth season, the Fall '93 line offers 28 items made
from materials such as certified organic and transitional cotton, recycled wool,
naturally colored wool, a silk/merino wool blend, and Tencel®, a new fiber similar to
rayon. Ecollection has also eliminated a number of harmful chemicals in manufacturing,
and uses natural or low impact dye processes which save water and energy and reduce
pollution related to coloring.

"Clothing is one of our primary mediums of self expression, and in these times, people care about what is going on in our society," Tompkins continues. "It is no longer sufficient to emblazen a social or environmental message across a tee shirt. All products we buy, by the way they are designed and produced, can make a difference in the world."

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