What would John Muir wear? - Bulletin: news for members - Sierra Club introduces clothing

Sierra, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Reed McManus

As part of an organization devoted to both environmental advocacy and outdoor enjoyment Sierra Club members proudly--and literally--walk the walk. Now they can do so in comfort and style. This fall, the Sierra Club unveiled a line of men's and women's clothing, much of which incorporates renewable materials such as hemp, wool, and organic cotton, or recycled plastic bottles resurrected as soft and comfortable EcoSpun fiber.

Revenue from the clothing sales (the Club receives royalties of between 5 and 20 percent on each item sold) could bring in $1 million in the first 18 months, according to Johanna O'Kelley, the Club's director of licensing. But generating ranch-needed funds for important environmental programs is just one reason to extend the Club's retail reach beyond its popular calendars, cards, and books. The Club also hopes its imprimatur will give a solid boost to the environmentally friendly clothing market, a growing segment of the massive $183 billion U.S. apparel industry.

A few large clothing manufacturers, such as Patagonia and Nike, already incorporate organic fabrics into some of their products. For the most part, however, "green" clothing remains a cottage industry--one that, O'Kelley notes, too often ignores style. (She delicately describes some hemp-based clothing as "canvas sacks.") The Club's line, produced by veteran apparel-maker Isda & Company, based ill San Francisco, includes contemporary cargo pants, sweaters, shirts, and jackets-in snazzy colors such as "eggshell," "kelp," and "cocoa." Except for T-shirts and polo shirts, you won't find the Club's logo plastered on the outside of these well-made, understated Fashions, either. In fact, even the labels on the inside of the garments are demure: When feasible, logo and care instructions are printed directly on organic fabric with organic inks, eliminating the need for labels.

Offering a clothing line that hews a closely as possible to environmentally sound ideals takes a near-monkish dedication. Denim for the Sierra Club's first jeans, for instance, came from Denmark, where its manufacturer use golf balls, not mined pumice, to "distress" the fabric to give it its well-worn look. Most of the Club's organic cotton comes from Turkey, one of a handful of countries that are a reliable source for the pesticide-free fiber (Much of the fabric used in the Sierra Club line follows Eco-tex standards, European textile certification program that covers everything from spinning methods to wastewater disposal.) To avoid building eco-sensitivity on the backs of oppressed workers, the Club requires that its suppliers adhere to the workplace code of conduct of the Fair Labor Association, a coalition of universities, nongovernmental organizations, and companies such as Eddie Bauer, Patagonia, Reebok, and Polo Ralph Lauren.

On the whole, about 70 percent of the Club's product line uses materials made from renewable, organic, or recycled sources. O'Kelley is constantly pushing for more, such as hemp denim and a new soybean-based yarn that partner Isda is introducing. It would be easier to slap Club logos on clothing of indeterminate origin with God-knows-what environmental impact. But going green--whose benefits include outreach to shoppers (activist-oriented "hang tags" are made from recycled paper and use biodegradable ink, of course)--is a cool fashion statement in itself.

ON THE WEB Learn about environmentally-friendly Sierra Club products--including men's and women's apparel, home textiles, note cards, and coffees and teas--at www.sierraclubgear.com.