Category: Shopping_CN

As a Costco member, I have long appreciated the variety, value and quality of Costco’s clothing. So, it didn’t surprise me to learn there’s a lot happening behind the scenes, long before our favorite garments land on the tables and in our shopping carts. Here’s a “behind the seams” look.Planning ahead
Costco’s apparel buying teams work far in advance, 12 to 18 months, before a particular clothing item arrives at the warehouses. They follow these items from the planning and idea stage up until they hit Costco warehouses and Costco.com, and even beyond. They collaborate and follow trends, assess and analyze market research, plan and purchase, all while working with suppliers and quality assurance teams to ensure members get the highest-quality items at the best possible price.

What are essential oils and Why do they Matter? Essential oils, as defined by the journal Essential Oil Research, are “highly concentrated materials extracted from leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, roots, fruit rinds, resins, or barks.” They are used not only in beauty products and cosmetics, but in foods as “natural” flavor components; in household products for “natural” scents; and for “natural” homeopathic medicine.

See how Martex Fiber helps manufacturers close the loop to create value from their waste by recycling it into useable products.

Packaging is a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. Almost everything we purchase, consume and use comes in a box, packing material, or container of some kind – from food and beverages to household goods and personal care products. But even as today’s consumers enthusiastically buy and order packaged goods from near and far, ever-growing concerns about climate change are making them increasingly cognizant of the environmental impact of their purchases. This is motivating more and more shoppers to choose products that come in eco-conscious packaging. In fact, a recent survey found that 86% of Americans are more likely to purchase a brand if the packaging is considered sustainable.[1] And for some, it can even be a make-or-break factor. In a separate survey, 44% of consumers said they won’t even consider buying products that come in packaging that is harmful to the environment.[2]

More and more city officials and urban planners are designing bikeable cities and turning to bike sharing programs. That’s because bicycles are a convenient and fun way to exercise, run errands, or commute. They’re also a carbon-free way to travel, which is great for the environment.

This week, Californians got a reminder of one of the most vexing paradoxes of global warming. With temperatures well over 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some regions on Tuesday night, hundreds of thousands of the state’s residents received beeping text alerts to notify them that the power grid, straining under the weight of millions of air-conditioning units, was about to collapse. Save power now, the text warned, or face rolling blackouts.

Per the U.S. Bureau Labor and Statistics, we spend a little over an hour each day eating, but unless you live in one of those “special” places or have a work environment free of colleagues and Zoom meetings, you wear clothes for at least half of each day.
Headlines bombard us with the environmental impact of our plates, yet we rarely hear about the impact of our wardrobes.
I, too, am often blissfully unaware of the impacts of my clothes. Do they both serve their function and look slightly presentable? Yes? Wear it. That’s the general extent of thought that I put into my daily clothing.

Over the past several years, allegations of human and labor rights violations in the Asian supply chains of global apparel brands have come to light. The far-too-common system of relying on subcontracting and relying on multiple sources for raw materials and goods often means that brands have little visibility in what is happening along their supply chains – until it’s too late.
But it is possible to source ethically from Asia – including from China. Fair Trade Cashmere (FTC) — a European premium brand of high-end cashmere products — has been doing so since 2003, when they first started working with goat farmers in Shaanxi, China.

Fast fashion is an environmental problem on a myriad of different levels. The US throws out 11.3 million tons of clothing per year, or 2,150 pieces of clothing per second, 10% of global carbon emissions are caused by the fashion industry, and it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans. The good news is that second-hand clothing is a sustainable, and an increasingly popular option. Buying second-hand clothing avoids the carbon emissions and water waste used to make new clothing, and it prolongs the life-span of clothing by keeping it out of a landfill. Although buying second-hand clothing is great for the environment, it can often be difficult to know where to start. There are many ways to shop second-hand, and the best option for you will be different depending on your budget, personal style, and the amount of time you have available for shopping. This guide should help you get started on your thrifting journey!

Whenever an eco-friendly cleaning company asks to send me samples, I jump at the opportunity—as long as I like what I see on their website in terms of ingredients, packaging, and philosophy. It’s hard to find innovate green products where I live in rural Ontario, Canada, so I gladly accept whatever these companies want to send my way.