Product Social Footprint, a brand new certification of quality for ethical entrepreneurs and businesses

Today I was invited to attend the web presentation (in Italian) of a brand new quality assessment for the products we buy. Some of you may be familiar with the expression “environmental footprint”, which is often calculated in terms of CO2 emissions related to the production and/or consumption of a product.

The new certification complements the environmental footprint certificate by shifting the focus to other critical factors determining the value of a product, i.e. demographics and living conditions of the people who work for the company, which produce the product we buy.

The Social Footprint label was officially launched in Italy at the end of April 2015. Here’s how its design should look like.

I’ll let you know what I’ll learn in the seminar. Follow me on the social media channel to stay updated.

Have a great day,

GA

Tips on how to organize a sustainable event

I’ve been to the World Fair trade Week conference in Milan to attend the #Fefs talk, a delightful event where I listened to the words of my green blogger friend Francesca Romana Rinaldi (Biofashion), the founder and CEO of @People Tree Safia Minney and director Andrew Morgan of stunning docufilm about fashion industry @The true cost.

Tip #1 • Treat your staff well

If you are organizing an event that brings some good to society, young volunteers will run to help you. However, you should not forget to treat them right. If they have fun and enjoy working at the sustainable event, they will have a good memory of sustainability and the people gravitating around the so-called ‘conscious’ world. You give us all a favour by making possible for young people to associate positive experiences to sustainability, as they will remember it over time – and probably a sustainable mindset will influence their mindset as young parents and adults.

Tip #2 • Substitute neck straps with everlasting beautiful necklaces

It is difficult to produce a zero impact event. AGICES – the producers of the Fair & Ethical Fashion Show had the wonderful idea of substituting ugly, anonymous and environmentally non-friendly neck straps with beautiful necklaces from the Bead for Life collection. There is no waste and the volunteers will keep the necklace as a conscious gift to themselves.

I myself have bought Bead for Life jewellery a few years ago and I’m happy to see this project is still alive. They make eco bijoux by turning used colored paper into beads and they realize colorful, elegant and unique bio accessories. Moreover, by purchasing a Bead for Life eco accessory you will assist a social project to eradicate poverty in some areas in Africa (Uganda, Kenya, and others).

Read more here 

Tip #3 • Low impact booth and temporary furniture

Pallet, cardboard, recycled wood, up-cycled furniture, reused, rented or borrowed stuff … It is all good to put together a good-looking, elegant, comfortable and clean environment.

Link to video recap of Fair and Ethical Fashion Show in Milan 2015 [in Italian]

Until next time,

GA

A green move with Repax

It left me with mixed feelings watching this video shot in occasion of Repax Campaign for 2012 Earth Day. Sponsored by sportswear brand Adidas – n.38 in the list of 100 global most sustainable companies – it engages your attention with the beating storytelling.

It is about daily life, choices you make every day, habits that could make your lifestyle easier, greener, smarter. However, is Repax moving sturdy hard-plastic box a good choice  or is it just a concealed  green washed start-up idea?

Listen to Tabi Bonney  “Life is all about live in the moment and make the right decisions… It’s all about good friends, good time… “

•

Mi ha lasciato con sentimenti contrastanti il video per la campagna Repax girato in occasione della Giornata della Terra 2012. La clip è sponsorizzata da Adidas, attualmente al n. 38 nella lista mondiale delle 100 imprese più sostenibili, il ritmo del racconto cantato è studiato.

La storia raccontata riguarda le scelte di ogni giorno, abitudini che caratterizzano lo stile di vita e lo rendono più semplice, efficace, sostenibile. Ma il servizio di scatoloni per trasloco condivisi e riutilizzabili in dura plastica, si può considerare una vera alternativa allo spreco di risorse oppure è una start-up colorata di green washing?

Lo dice Tabi Bonney “La vita è tutta qui: si tratta di vivere il momento e di fare le scelte giuste… Sono i buoni amici, il tempo speso bene…”

• Thank you for stepping in •

[Repax]

Simplicity in the morning

Spring is here, couldn’t you smell the scent of sunny weather and upcoming vacation?

Nature spreads her blooming sounds all around, still people in town are on their way to work starting every day with that stressful annoying alarm clock sound.

Austrian designer Vera Wiedermann imagined a water-based charming clock, a restoring ritual of endless circular flow. You fill up a bowl at night deciding how long you want to sleep and you’ll have a smooth lovely wake up next morning.

No electricity, yes simplicity.

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E’ arrivata la primavera, profumo di sole e di vacanze nell’aria… Mentre la natura fiorisce e rinasce, in città si lavora ancora, tartassati dall’odioso cicalio della sveglia mattutina.

La designer austriaca Vera Wiedermann ha progettato una sveglia ad acqua, un immaginario ciclo infinito di naturale armonia con la pace dei sensi.

Il rituale è riempire ogni sera la sfera di vetro con il livello d’acqua secondo il tempo di riposo desiderato e aprire gli occhi al mattino allo scoccare del calmo rintocco.

Senza elettricità, solo semplicità.

[Vera • Wiedermann]

What is a versalette?

Affascinante storia di due ragazze che viaggiarono il mondo con il loro zaino in spalla. Condividevano le stesse passioni e avevano occhio per le stesse cose. Pensarono di rivoluzionare il mondo dell’abbigliamento, almeno quello da viaggio, sapendo che a noi donne piace viaggiare ed avere addosso sempre qualcosa di diverso… Ma non fateci portare pesi nello zaino! “Versalette”, la versatilità!

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Amazing story about two women who backpacked around the world, shared the same passions, finally put their experience into a fashion output. For every girl loving traveling therefore, knowing what a hindrance excessive weight is!

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この面白い話しでは、旅行が好きな女性の二人がオーガニックファッションに同じ興味を持ってて、結局変わっているファッション会社を作りました。重さを抜いた旅行が好きな女の人へ。

A walk with Hermes

Da un’idea innovativa di una giovane studentessa del liceo scientifico, al prototipo di realizzazione in laboratorio, al brevetto già nelle mire di un paio di aziende che intendono metterla sul mercato. Questa scarpa si basa sul principio dell’energy harvesting , ovvero del recupero dell’energia che si produce nella fase di movimento, purtroppo dispersa senza essere utilizzata. Con le Hermes ai piedi, mentre si fa jogging si può ricaricare il telefono. Complimenti a Irene Chirico, ma soprattutto ai professori, i tecnici, i finanziatori che hanno creduto nel suo progetto, investendo sull’innovazione giovane e nostrana.      •     At the beginning it was a high school student’s idea, that became a lab prototype, that finally became an interesting licence for a couple of shoe factories to buy. The shoe concept moves from energy harvesting, in other words harvesting the energy naturally produced when walking-running which otherwise would be blown in the air. Have a walk with the Hermes and charge your smart-phone battery while jogging. Congrats to Irene Chirico, not to mention to professors, supporters, technicians who helped her to realize the project and invested in youth innovations, totally made in Italy.     •      イレーネキーリコさんと言う高校生に発明された歩きながら電力が作れるスニーカーです。こういう技術は英語で「エネルギーハーベースチング」と言われ、靴には今まで使ったことなさそです。日本ではこれがもあるかもしれませんが、イタリアでは初めてで見て、しかも若いイタリア人の女性によって発明することがとても珍しいだと思います。イレーネさん、これからも頑張ってください。

[Almanacco della Scienza]

Solar energy

Un gruppo di ricercatori del MIT di Boston ha messo a punto un semplice ed economico kit per crearsi il pannello solare in casa, riutilizzando i resti della tosatura del giardino, un vecchio supporto in vetro o metallo e pochi semplici fili. Un’energia più verde di così…! • Home made solar panel from grass clipping, researchers from MIT Boston claim it’ll be soon available. Simple, cheap and very-very green! • ボストンにあるMITという大学から自分で出来るソーラーパネルです。特徴は草から作られているそうです。安くて簡単にできますし、本当にグリーンエネルギーだろう。*英語でグリーンというのは「緑」のことです。

Watch the  video • 3′

[co.exist ]

Kimono pants

Giappone, mon amour. Yoshina Takenaga, brillante studentessa di fashion design, ha trovato un modo per trasformare vecchi e scomodi kimono non più utilizzati in comodissimi e moderni pantaloni per ragazze. Viva il riciclo creativo! • Japan, mon amour. Design student Yoshina Takenaga transformed old unused kimono  into cool trousers. If anyone has ever tried to wear a kimono… well… from tightness peak to absolute comfort! Enjoy creative recycling. •  日本は大好きです。山口県のよしなたけながと言うデザイン学生は古い着物を再利用しました。素敵な女性のズボンになったそうです。創造的な着物のリサイクルでしょう。

[Asahi Shinbun]