How to Use LCA for Credible Environmental Claims
Customers increasingly want sustainable products. Companies are therefore eager to “put on a green shirt” and market vague sustainability claims- but only some of them are actually changing their behavior. The only way for customers to check which companies are better for the environment is by looking behind the green facade: i.e. asking for environmental […]
CO2 footprint vs. Environmental Footprint of Products: The Main Differences
A product CO2 footprint (or product carbon footprint) tells you how much global warming your product causes throughout its life cycle. But dig deeper – and you find many more environmental crises worth caring about. That’s why next to product CO2 footprints, there are also product environmental footprints. Environmental footprints cover 15+ different impact outcomes […]
Key Learnings From 3 Sustainable Apparel Frontrunners
Sometimes, learning about sustainable apparel is like going to school again. And like in school, there are those straight-A students that blurt out the answers while you still try to understand the question. What answers do MUD jeans, Patagonia, and MATE the label frontrunners have regarding sustainable apparel? Fancy a peek at their homework? In this […]
Beginners Guide: 6 Steps to Create Sustainable Apparel
Extensive water use and- pollution, worker exploitation, microplastic, CO2 emissions… The apparel industry has faced increasing criticism over the past years. Fashion is getting a bad name and customers demand “sustainable” products. But making sustainable apparel products isn’t easy. What criticism should you focus on? What kind of impact do your products actually have on […]
Guide To Sustainable Product Design (2024 Update)
The difference between Ecodesign, sustainable design & circular design for products, is that they approach what ‘sustainability’ in product design means – slightly differently. As sustainability becomes part of business, understanding the different sustainable design approaches is crucial for R&D. How do you deliver the most environmentally friendly products? And proof it? When you finish […]
Life Cycle Assessments & The Fashion Industry: The Good, The Bad, The Potential
With the recent increase in greenwashing claims for big names like H&M, Boohoo, Asos, Asda, Life Cycle Assessments (*LCA for short) as a measurement method for the environmental impact of products – has come under quite a lot of critique. These brands are often accused of showing inaccurate environmental data and untransparent/bad sustainability reporting. Of […]
Primary vs. Secondary Data: What’s The Best In LCA?
To make an LCA of your product(s) you need data. Think of the energy usage for your manufacturing and waste processes, data on your purchased & used raw materials, etc. Much data can be found in your own finance or purchase department. But with supply chain data (e.g. purchased raw materials) it’s trickier. How do you get […]
The Data You Need For a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific method to measure the environmental footprint of a product. The result: 15+ impact outcomes. But before you can measure, you need information on your product. Think of data on your usages & emissions, utilities, transport, materials, etc. That’s why the first step in measuring LCA’s is Data Collection. Data […]
Can safety shoes be produced sustainably? EMMA Footwear Case Study
Sustainable footwear is here, thanks to EMMA! As the global leader in safety footwear for over 90 years, EMMA Safety Footwear understands that the footwear industry accounts for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. They can take the lead to produce sustainable footwear, even for protective safety shoes! They took the first step to replacing […]
How Much Of My Emissions Do I Need To Offset?
**This article was written in collaboration with our offsetting partner ClimateSeed. Let’s do a quick recap on carbon offsetting first. According to IPCC, carbon offsetting is any activity that compensates for the emissions of CO2 or other greenhouse gasses (measured in CO2-eq) by providing an emission reduction elsewhere. Companies can purchase carbon credits* to compensate […]