 McDonough is working with corporations to make products and materials--from sneakers to tires--safer for the environment. First up: environmentally friendly textiles. He and his partner, German chemist Michael Braungart, 44, have joined with several textile manufacturers to develop fabrics, mainly for carpets and furniture, that can be recycled or composted and are free of potentially harmful chemicals. Don't underestimate the demand for such products: America is full of people who think that landfills are immoral and synthetic dyes will kill you.
McDonough has a "seal of approval" that manufacturers will stamp on their products as a marketing tool.
Convincing the textile industry to embrace the environment would seem akin to asking a dying man to dress nicer. Last year 116 U.S. mills closed, and even firms serving the commercial interior and office furniture market are hurting in the weak economy. They've got other things on their mind. "Environmentally intelligent" textile design accounted for less than 1% of all sales last year. But pioneers in eco-manufacturing argue that when costs are roughly the same--as they sometimes are--buyers will be eager to select the environmentally safe item.
To view the full version of this execellent article
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/0415/110_print.htmlLabels: corporate responsibility, environment |
