Eco360 TRUST is a campaign of the nonprofit Institute for Sustainable Communication (ISC), which helps companies keep their sustainability messages and practices consistent. Basically, Eco360 TRUST raises money to provide college scholarships to low-income students by producing apparel made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles. Development Director Mark Elis explained Eco360 TRUST's unique campaign and its multiple benefits to the environment, as well as college students.
Tell us a little more about your campaign and what its name means.
The ISC teaches sustainability issues and strategies for communications professionals. Most large corporations have sustainability policies. In fact, these policies are often posted on the home page of their company websites. The ISC helps companies keep their sustainability messages consistent with the way their practices are communicated. We help these companies practice what they preach.
The ISC offers seminars, workshops and consulting on sustainability and environmental topics. We also have interns and we are approached by promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds who want to learn environmentalism. The Eco360 TRUST campaign helps educate these college students so they can become the next generation of practitioners of the green economy. Eco360 TRUST helps pay their college tuition by producing a sustainable product that matches their demographics and tastes, and is made through a sustainable supply chain. In fact, our carbon footprint is right on our home page.
The name Eco360 means that environmental actions affect everything we do across the globe, 24 hours a day. Like our atmosphere that covers the earth, the environment and the global economy are interconnected, whether we like it or not. Sustainability cannot be single actions, they have to be complete ways of thinking and acting. The "TRUST" means that we are holding this world in TRUST for the next generation, and they TRUST us to leave them with a livable environment.
Why is it better to wear a t-shirt made from discarded plastic bottles than, say, a 100% cotton t-shirt? How do sustainable t-shirts benefit the environment and people?
Our "e360t" shirts are customized performance apparel. These are high end promotional garments for corporate branding. The "e360t" shirts have five distinct benefits to society and the environment, which make them preferable to the cheap cotton T shirts that many companies buy.
First, the shirts are made out of 100% recycled PET, which is the same plastic found in water and soda bottles. Each e360t shirt prevents at least three plastic bottles from being dumped in a landfill. Americans generate over 10 million tons of plastic waste a year, but recycle less than 2% of it. Much of that plastic waste ends up in landfills and the ocean. Nearly every piece of plastic ever made is still around, so we recycle as much as we can.
Second, the e360t shirts save fresh water. The shirts are printed with digital technology, so no fresh water at all is used to dye the fabric. Each e360t shirt we produce saves 8 gallons of fresh water from being polluted with the dyes and chemicals that are used to grow and dye cotton. The e360ts are "zero impact" shirts.
Because of our printing process, the shirts are colorfast and durable. Many shirts have both sharp and muted colors, and the colors will not run, crack or fade. Also, there is less waste, since we use fewer materials and require less time to make the shirts. There is no color separation, silk screening or set up charges, and fewer things can go wrong.
The third benefit is that e360t shirts create U.S. jobs. The sewing is done in small American factories that pay a living wage and give workers opportunities for upward mobility. Respect for human rights and safe working conditions are central to our mission. The true cost of most cotton t-shirts is significantly higher than the actual price, due to sweatshop labor and starvation wages.
The fourth benefit of e360t shirts is they fund education for low-income students. Each shirt is a tax deductible contribution, and all our net proceeds help pay for micro scholarships for high achieving but economically disadvantaged college students. Our students get coursework, internships and mentoring. Many of our students are first generation Americans and the first in their families to attend college.
Lastly, the e360t shirts help companies improve their credibility by putting their sustainability commitment into practice. The shirts are an inexpensive way for companies to keep their brand messages consistent with their sustainability policies. Companies can help green their operations with e360t shirts and stay under the radar screen of budgetary politics. The payout in PR and green marketing significantly outweighs the initial expense.
What do the e360t shirts look like?
The e360t shirts are customized with different designs by client companies, non-profits or student groups. Our website displays some of the campaign shirts, but the overwhelming majority of our shirts are done by and for clients, so their appearance depends on the design uploaded.
The e360t shirts have a lightweight, silky texture like high end sports apparel. They are designed to wick away moisture, so they can be used for sports or casual attire. College students sometimes go a long time between washing, so the shirts are durable and don't need much care. They can be washed in cold or warm water.
How did you come up with this innovative campaign idea?
Using recycled PET is not new, but using one PET shirt to achieve multiple social benefits at the corporate and student level is innovative. Nike got positive press when they made this summer's World Cup shirts out of recycled plastic bottles for all nine of their sponsored teams. The Cleveland Indians baseball team gave out baseball caps made from recycled PET.
Our goal is raise awareness and build capacity for the sustainable use of print and digital media. To provide an appropriate example for our students, we chose the t-shirt as the medium to redesign. T-shirts are a universal way to communicate and promote everything from rock bands to financial services. Even in the age of Facebook, t-shirts are a social media since most of the world wears t-shirts and many of these Ts have messages.
The e360t shirts were a hands-on project that is meaningful to our students and teaches them about sustainability. Our students design shirts and learn about supply chains. The e360t shirts are also meaningful for corporations who are trying to establish green reputations and implement fully sustainable practices.
Ethical clothing is the gold standard for corporate premiums. The very idea of cheap t-shirts is being challenged by socially responsible consumers and investors. More people make purchasing decisions based on fair trade, humane working conditions and environmental respect. We tapped into this sentiment to benefit our students and companies eager to improve their supply chains and communication media.
How have you done with the t-shirts so far?
We partnered with the Ogilvy Earth in support of the United Nations on last year's climate change conference in Copenhagen. Sustainability is a complicated topic, so the conferees wanted to a simple universal message. Within a short time frame we produced the "Hopenhagen" shirts and distributed them at the conference.
Since then we have provided e360t shirts to large companies and other green enterprises for trade shows, employee engagement programs, community relations initiatives, commemorative days and volunteer events. We recently made arrangements to supply restaurant and health care workers with e360t shirts.
If any progressive organization or company wants to show their commitment to the environment, the American worker and education advancement, we can collaborate with them to do so in style.
How has the scholarship program worked so far and what is your goal?
Even though the ISC is eight years old, the Eco360 Campaign is relatively new. Our goal for 2010 is to fund college scholarships for 100 students. Based on the response so far we want to fund 500 scholarships in 2011. The students come to us through an academic referral network, and the scholarships are determined by a needs basis after each candidate is interviewed by ISC's all volunteer board. The students get academic and practical training in media, communications, supply chains and technology. We hope that each successful student inspires more of their peers.
What are your other missions besides helping low-income kids afford college?
Without education all other problems get worse, so helping low income students afford college is a primary goal. But sustainability must be a holistic approach to work, so our missions overlap and reinforce each other. For example, the global fresh water shortage is an emerging crisis in the developing world. Not surprisingly, water pollution from textile dyes and pesticides and the enormous amount of water required to grow cotton has exacerbated this environmental crisis in Asia. Entire bodies of fresh water, like the Aral Sea which straddles Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, have been poisoned and shrunk dramatically.
American workers have lost apparel and other manufacturing jobs to overseas producers that often use sweatshops with starvation wages and unsafe working conditions. The domestic companies that source products like T shirts from these suppliers are contradicting the very policies that they promote so prominently. So our missions of recycling, saving water, creating American jobs, funding education and bolstering corporate responsibility are mutually reinforcing in a consistent and holistic manner. We try to practice what we preach and help others do the same.
There are many environmental problems that need solving. How did Eco360 TRUST come to choose to work with plastic water bottles?
Our environmental problems are intertwined, so the solutions have to be holistic in order to work. Nobody would limit their car repairs to checking the tires and nothing else. The recycled plastic bottles are one part of the supply chain, which also conserves water and creates American jobs. We teach and consult on sustainability practices, so education assistance for our students and corporate consistency in their green practices are also critical pieces.
How do companies and individuals order your t-shirts?
Companies or individuals can order e360t shirts right from our web site, www.eco360.me. Most companies upload their own design, but we like to speak with a company first to introduce ourselves and guide them through the process. Once they begin ordering shirts, we set up a seamless link and template and design upload instructions. Everything is digital so there are no surprises. Individuals can order from our gift center (http://eco360.me/giftcenter). Anybody is welcome to email us at info@eco360.me or call us at 718-705-4907.
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