eco terms

Bamboo

Bamboo is technically a tree-like grass that grows extremely fast, making it among the fastest-growing plants in the world. It is very much like wood, but it's not wood.

 

Cork

Natural cork comes from the bark of cork oak trees. The bark is harvested without harm to the tree, and will renew itself naturally over the period of 10-12 years before being harvested again. A cork oak tree can be harvested twelve times in its lifetime with the first harvest taking place after approximately 25 years. Cork harvesting is done by hand without the aid of machinery. Additionally, cork harvesting can actually aid in combating global warming as each time cork is harvested the tree absorbs more CO2 to aid in the regeneration process. Regularly harvested cork trees store 3-5 times more CO2 than those left unharvested. Portugal is the world’s leader in cork production, while it is also an important forest crop in Italy, Spain, Algeria, France, Tunisia, and Morocco.Cork is a light, wear-resistant, elastic, impermeable, well-insulated natural and biodegradable material. It can be dyed to a variety of colors and comes in a wide range of textures and cuts. They are most commonly sold as square tiles due to the harvesting process providing a varying and limiting dimensions.  (Source: Thechicecologist.com)Cork is one of the most highly renewable and eco-friendly resources on the planet. Given that cork trees can live for up to 400-500 years, one tree can supply cork for many generations. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) “cork oak forests support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats, as well as the highest diversity of plants found anywhere in the world”.   

 

GRS Certified

GRS stands for Global Recycle Standard. The GRS is an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices and chemical restrictions.  

The Global Recycle Standard (GRS) was originally developed by Control Union Certifications in 2008 and ownership was passed to the Textile Exchange on 1 January 2011.

 

Non-Woven Polypropylene (NWPP)

Non-woven PP is made by taking polypropylene polymers and spinning them using heat and air into long fluffy threads, like cotton candy, then pressing the threads together between hot rollers to get a flexible but solid fabric with a weave-like texture similar to canvas.  The texture leaves the fabric breathable, with a look and feel that is generally pleasant.  The color and texture of NWPP can last for years. NWPP are made from recycled materials, are 100% recyclable, are often biodegradable and can burn without toxic contaminants. No PVC coating or water is used in the manufacturing process. They are strong, lightweight, foldable, washable and reusable. At any time, it can be melted down, recycled and made into other items. 

 

OCS Certified

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) refers to OCS 100. The OCS 100 relies on third-party verification to confirm whether a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. OCS allows for transparent, consistent and comprehensive independent evaluation and verification of organic material content claims on products. OCS 100 covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution of a product that contains at least 95 percent certified ‘organic’ materials. It can be used as a business-to-business tool to give companies the means to ensure that they are selling quality and getting what they pay for.  https://certifications.controlunion.com/en/certification-programs/certification-programs/ocs-100-organic-content-standard

 

PET

Polyethylene terephthalate, commonly abbreviated PET, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family. It is most often used in synthetic fibers, as a material for plastic bottles and food containers, in thermoforming applications, and in engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber

 

Post-Consumer Recycled Goods

Once a material or finished product has served its intended use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, it is then considered "post-consumer." Having completed its life as a consumer item, it can then be recycled as such. For example, post consumer recycled plastic is derived from an end product such as a clear water bottle that would have otherwise be disposed of as a solid waste product.

 

Post-Industrial Recycled Content

Pre-consumer or post-industrial recycled content refers to the portion of materials used in a product that have been diverted from the solid waste stream. If those materials are diverted during the manufacturing process, they are referred to as pre-consumer or post-industrial recycled contentExamples of this include planer shavings, sawdust, bagasse, walnut shells, culls, trimmed materials, over issue publications, and obsolete inventories.

 

Recycle/Recycling

Recycling is the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products. Recycling prevents waste of potentially useful materials. It reduces the consumption of raw materials, reduces energy usage, reduces air and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal and has lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to plastic production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy. 

 

Repurposing/Repurposed

Repurposing means to use something for a purpose other than its original intended use. Repurposing an item can be done by modifying it to fit a new use, or by using the item as is in a new way. 

 

RPET

RPET stands for recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or recycled PET. RPET is created by recycling plastics that were previously used as packaging materials. These include plastic bottles, for instance. Once collected, it is sorted and cleaned, after which it is transformed into RPET or rPET, which can then be used for new packaging. This is federally approved and effectively means that you can give each bottle a new lease of life. RPET can be made into such products as blankets, insulation, car parts, shoes and more.

 

Rubber Trees

Rubber trees are cultivated on plantations in the tropics and subtropics, especially in Southeast Asia and western Africa. It replaced the rubber plant in the early 20th century as the chief source of natural rubber. It has soft wood; high, branching limbs; and a large area of bark. The milky liquid (latex) that oozes from any wound to the tree bark contains about 30 percent rubber, which can be coagulated and processed into solid products, such as tires. Latex can also be concentrated for producing dipped goods, such as surgical gloves. (Source: Britannica.com)  Currently, rubber is harvested mainly in the form of the latex from the rubber tree or others. The latex is a sticky, milky colloid drawn off by making incisions in the bark and collecting the fluid in vessels in a process called "tapping". The latex then is refined into rubber ready for commercial processing.Natural rubber is used extensively in many applications and products, either alone or in combination with other materials. In most of its useful forms, it has a large stretch ratio and high resilience, and is extremely waterproof. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/) Rubber trees are considered a renewable resource.

 

Sustainably Made

Sustainably made products are products that provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health and environment over their whole life cycle - from the extraction of raw materials until the final disposal. Sustainability starts with a company’s value system and a principled approach to doing business. According to the United Nations Global Impact Group, there are 17 sustainable development goals designed to help businesses implement sustainable business practices. Click here for an infographic of those goals.

 

Upcycled

To reuse discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

 

Vegan-Friendly

Vegan refers to a food, clothing or makeup item that doesn't include any animal products. Vegan-friendly means that some, if not most, of the product's materials or ingredients are vegan.