Hanes Gets Comfortable With Recycling, Upcycling

The need (need?) for clothing presents environmentally-minded individuals with a unique problem– unless you have the time to make your own, or the money to overhaul your entire wardrobe with organic/alternative fibers, it’s likely that you’re going to have to opt for conventional clothing. Although these traditional options are cheaper, they carry with them an immense environmental impact and the possibility of toxic dyes that could irritate your skin.

And then there are the millions of people who don’t give a crap what their t-shirts are  made of, they’re just trying to keep their families clothed and warm.

Thanks to a new release from the iconic Hanes brand, however, it might soon be easier to get affordable clothing with environmental integrity into the hands of mainstream consumers.

Late last month, the company began to release products made with its EcoSmart fibers, coinciding with the launch of the company’s new Hanes Green website, which provides information on Hanes’ environmental efforts and tips for consumers.

“Hanes products are in nearly nine out of 10 U.S. households, and research shows that consumers want to buy products from companies they believe are environmentally responsible,” said Sidney Falken, Hanes senior vice president, in a press release. “We want to share what we’ve been doing in the area of environmental responsibility because it’s important to us that our customers feel even better about purchasing Hanes products, knowing that the brand they’ve known and trusted for generations is taking steps to help ensure a greener future for generations to come.”

If you read in between the lines, this decision is all about tapping into the highly influential pockets of conscious consumers (vote with your dollar people!), but there’s no denying that it could have a big impact on consumer perspective and waste.

“Hanes’ EcoSmart men’s black athletic socks contain at least 55 percent recycled cotton, which is excess cotton from Hanes’ manufacturing process that gets sanitized and recycled.

A variety of Hanes sweatshirts and sweatpants contain the company’s EcoSmart polyester fiber, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. Each item contains 5 percent EcoSmart polyester. Hanes expects to produce more than 38 million pounds of EcoSmart polyester this year, which would recycle about 608 million plastic bottles” (GreenBiz.com)

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Hanesbrands Inc., which owns Hanes, a Energy Star® 2010 Partner of the Year. The award recognizes Hanesbrands energy savings and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Since 2007, Hanesbrands  has reduced the amount of energy used to make products by 11 percent, has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 12 percent and has increased its use of renewable energy to 25 percent of its overall energy needs.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. And it’s further proof that even the biggest corporations will bend to the demands of their consumers, no matter how green they may be.

Tags: green business, organic, sustainable clothes