Garry Knox

It’s fair to say that 2020 and even 2021 so far have presented many complexities for the learning generation of today. Whether it’s a child taking their first steps into learning, or mature students starting a new career path.  Homeschooling and learning certainly have their place, but the consensus is that it is not a complete replacement for the ‘classroom’, especially as the transition happened so very quickly. At GreenEarth Cleaning, we’ve always made it our place to focus on the future generations as well as supporting the here and now.  If nothing else, we want everyone to know what ‘Sustainable Aftercare’ is as part of their growing up process, so that environmentally non-toxic alternatives are a “given”. This is why we will again be sponsoring the ‘Sustainability Award’ at the ‘Fashanne Awards’ 2021.  Fashanne is fronted by U.K. journalist and presenter Anne Davies and is considered to an awards program like no other. Connecting young designers with business, as industry leaders judge the work of finalists, drawn from hundreds of submissions made by university undergraduates from all over the U.K. The aim of these awards is, to be a platform for emerging talent, provide a viable route for employability, and engage with the very best designers of the future.  For the Sustainability category, GreenEarth will be looking for the submission that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to Sustainable designs, and for creative solutions that will lead to extending the life of the garment.  So often sustainable garments are a representation of sustainable production and giving guidance for end of life, but the ‘In use’ element can often be ignored. Pre-covid, I sat down with Anne to discuss our vision for the award for 2020; the same applies for 2021.  The main difference now is that there are lots of voices asking for a ‘Green Recovery’ for the economy following the pandemic.  Take a look at the clip here. It’s great to have the opportunity once more to engage with people who are just about to embark on their careers, which is why GreenEarth Cleaning is delighted to sponsor the ‘Sustainability Award’ for 2021. If you’re a university undergraduate with a passion for sustainable fashion, visit their website here.

Historically blackout and lined curtains have been a problem for manufacturers, customers, and cleaners alike. The wrong fabric combination and a lack of aftercare testing instruction can lead to using an incorrect cleaning method. Dunelm had been working hard on a sustainable and robust care solution and approached GreenEarth Cleaning to provide context and insight from our perspective.  In partnership with GreenEarth affiliate Johnson Cleaners, we looked at the construction of the range and devised a testing plan that would compare the most commonly used forms aftercare (Perc, Wet Cleaning and GreenEarth) versus a control. The results were extremely favourable towards GreenEarth Cleaning and then began the process of Dunelm recommending GreenEarth Cleaning on the care label.  Our marketing team was able to offer design support to look at labelling options, to provide designs to Dunelm’s chosen labelling company.  We recommended to Dunelm that they display the (F) care symbol, as this automatically recommends a gentler and milder cleaning process. We also added some wording that encouraged the customer to use GreenEarth, alongside our logo and the website address for our global store locator. So, if you see Dunelm curtains with the GreenEarth logo on the packaging and the care label, you know these are the ranges that have been tested by GreenEarth Cleaning and Johnson Cleaners. This was then followed by a project meeting involving the GreenEarth Cleaning Team, the relevant fabric technologists, and representation from the Dunelm marketing team.  We collectively wanted to make sure that the messaging went beyond the care label.  This meant making sure that customers understood what GreenEarth cleaning was and how to access it and also that the Dunelm colleagues were equipped to deal with any queries from customers. This has resulted in in-store and online communications pieces, outer product packaging, as well as colleague briefings. Now, GreenEarth Cleaning is recommended on the labels of all lined and blackout curtains. And what’s more Dunelm customers can currently get 10% off curtain cleaning using GreenEarth Cleaning via Johnson Cleaners. https://www.dunelm.com/info/about/how-to-care-for-your-curtains

GreenEarth has been running a number of short webinars around sustainable aftercare throughout 2020, but we decided to run something more in-depth on November 19th. As a company that is always looking to innovate and progress, we have conducted new research and have been progressing with product development as best we can. The webinar lasted for just under 2 hours, with presentations from GreenEarth Cleaning President Tim Maxwell, SGS USA and Canada Business Head Louann Spirito, and GreenEarth Cleaning Sustainability Director, Garry Knox. Tim Maxwell gave an insight into the Dry-Cleaning industry with a focus on the GreenEarth Cleaning difference. In addition, he shared information about the new microfibre and microplastic filter ‘Sea Clear’, designed for the commercial laundry sector and the research carried out to determine the potential impact of different forms of aftercare have on Covid-19, in relation to fabric. SGS has been a GreenEarth partner for over 5 years now, and Louann talked about their experience of GreenEarth, the reasons why they chose to commit to GreenEarth testing after their initial trial period. Louann has vast experience within the soft lines testing environment and was able to draw on her experience of all forms of garment aftercare, discussing all their features. Garry Knox primarily deals with Manufacturers and brands around the world and GreenEarth affiliates in the UK and Europe.  He was able to talk about the central government initiatives to fund a ‘Green Recovery’ from the current economic crisis and the brand activity that is also supporting a greener and more sustainable future. If you’d like to find out more about how GreenEarth Cleaning works with Fashion brands and manufacturers, please visit:  https://www.greenearthcleaning.com/apparel/

When it comes to sustainability in the textile arena (particularly in Fashion), a change has got to come.  In terms of the carbon emissions relating to the industry alone, it is one of the highest utility using sectors.  In the manufacturing side and also the disposal side.  Clothes are not lasting long enough. The right noises are being made and many are talking about how a “Green Recovery” is the only recovery we can or should make in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the U.K we are making a shift, but more (and something truly authentic) needs to be done.  It’s more about true green solutions and NOT “Green Wash!” The main goal of the Paris Climate Change agreement is to limit global temperature increases to just 1.5 degrees Celsius.  As things currently stand, there is a lot more that needs to be done to achieve that.  Probably an improvement of 60% against individual targets and the answer is not a silver bullet. A real shift is necessary, incorporating initiatives relating to sustainable design, responsible sourcing, fibre content, recyclable fibres, lifetime of the garment, circularity, renewable energy and recycling operations. This will become, like lots of things this year, the “new normal” and will involve a complete reset.  Fashion retail as a whole is going through a complete reset right now.  Not just the regulations they operate under due to the pandemic but catching up with their competitors.  Before 2020, for some retailers it didn’t matter if their online presence wasn’t too sophisticated because in some cases the bricks and mortar side, the store, balanced that out.  But footfall downturns have caused this reset. Even in the supermarket space, Aldi has launched a ‘click and collect’ model to cater to customers who don’t want to visit the inside of the store.  Not quite the full delivery service, but a step in the right direction. New alignment and joined-up thinking are going to have a big impact.  Just this week the U.K. chancellor has launched a ‘Green Bond’ which will help fund projects that will tackle climate change and firms and by 2025 large companies will have to publicly disclose the risks they face from climate change and the net-zero transition, or explain why not, by the end of 2023. Making the UK the first country in the world to make climate risk disclosures obligatory. But there needs to be an alignment with consumer behaviours and attitudes.  Something that demonstrates authenticity, whilst giving guidance, educating, something that’s measurable and that communicates all there is to know. The consumer is becoming savvier and is always looking for that gap in the logic.  We’ve become far more analytical and data-driven and there is very much a focus on what gets measured gets actioned.  For us, the gap is between sustainable design and production of a garment and how it’s disposed of. Leading us to a need for brands to focus on how to increase the lifetime of the garment, not just through sustainable design but in how the garment is cared for, so that it can live a long life in the wardrobe, and is in better condition to be passed on to someone else, or indeed, making sure the fabric is in a better condition to be recycled. GreenEarth will be holding a webinar on November 19th to talk about our advancements over the past 21 years and how we can all play a part in making clothes last longer.  To register your FREE place, please visit our Events page.

How much does a Sustainability strategy underpin the overall business strategy? During the financial crisis of 2008, those businesses that survived had reviewed their operational practices with a keen eye. Headcount was reduced, recruitment was frozen and discretionary spend had to be reduced to create a reasonable bottom line. At GreenEarth Cleaning, we would be talking to manufacturers and brands about promoting green dry cleaning on their care labels, and although there was no cost to this, sometimes the answer would be something along the lines of “as much as we’d love to, sustainability isn’t a priority right now, we’ve got to save our business.” Realistically, this was a sign of not being prepared for the crisis rather than not being on board with sustainability. As a result, many brands leaned from this and have taken steps towards a greener recovery, ensuring that Sustainability IS business. The signs have been there with the increase of sustainability roles, and also the integration of sustainability led objectives built into core roles. There has also been the advent of different organizations that focus on sustainability and ethics topics, performance measurement, and key initiatives. Different organizations have held conferences that have focussed purely on the topic and some events where sustainability has featured on the agenda. The topics within events have also been diverse, from sustainable garment aftercare to modern slavery to leather garment production. A survey carried out by Drapers in 2019, gave an excellent insight into the state of play in terms of the company’s actions, requirements from government, and consumer expectations. It stated that 91.6% acknowledged that their customers are showing a growing interest in environmental issues, whilst also acknowledging that to achieve a more sustainable product (and all that involves), the consumer will have to tolerate more expensive prices to achieve the common goal. Brands and manufacturers still have a way to go in terms of creating focussed sustainable ranges, but they are on the increase, with brands also including a higher proportion of recycled materials in the product and packaging. Encouragingly, over 80% of respondents believe that sustainability is important to the senior leadership team and just under 60% said that their firms are investing more into sustainability compared to the previous year. There is a focus on how the government can play its part. One of the main features is about education, with the possibility of ensuring that alterations and repairs skills feature heavily on the national curriculum. Certainly, a large amount of the skills provided to businesses who offer these services, come from other parts of Europe. How these U.K. skills gaps are filled post-Brexit, remains to be seen. Over 70% of respondents felt that there should be ‘Mandatory environmental targets for retailers with a turnover above £36m’ and over 60% agreed that the government should use the tax system to incentivize ‘re-use, repair, and recycling’. In addition, it was felt that there should be a reduction in VAT for repair services. So, how intact will sustainability strategies be, as we hopefully begin the dawn of a new era, starting the unmeasurable recovery from COVID-19? Since the new normal of the pandemic, GreenEarth has run several webinars on sustainable aftercare, which have all been well attended and the feedback suggests that there is an appetite to adopt a more sustainable way of caring for clothes. Also, brands and manufacturers are still adding style codes to the list, where GreenEarth is recommended as the preferred form of garment aftercare. And certainly, a lot of the content for other webinars has featured sustainability and ethics to some degree. And on the political spectrum, there appears to be early signs of cross-party agreement (at committee level) to see the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic, as a ‘golden opportunity’ to find sustainable solutions for certain industries. There are many angles to the sustainability of the fashion industry, and it starts with all of us. A big part is indeed aptitude, but another significant part is attitude. Let’s keep the momentum going!

For every country, things change every day; never more so than now. Dealing with a pandemic is a tremendous challenge in itself, but further consequences (particularly how we cope both physically and mentally) are also difficult to overcome. Here at GreenEarth, we have been looking for a variety of coping mechanisms that can apply to you, your family and your customers. Having concerns about the virus is of course rational. But people also have concerns about their businesses, their jobs, living in isolation, adjusting to working from home, homeschooling, being on complete lockdown, and of course, adjusting to being with your household 24/7…or indeed a few of the above. There are three areas to focus on whilst dealing with the ‘new normal’ of isolated living: 1: Physical wellbeing: You might be used to a little exercise or a lot. Either way, spending a significant amount of time at home can mean that you may end up not being as fit, flexible and even put on a few pounds. U.K. Fitness guru Joe Wicks has set up a Physical Education class every morning at 9 am (U.K. time), aimed at children but challenging enough for adults. Also, he gives advice on how to make the exercise harder, so that the fittest can work at their own pace. Lasting for 30mins, it’s a good way to start the day both physically and mentally. You can join live or catch up via YouTube. For those who are looking for regular but gentler exercise try some stretches or armchair exercises. The NHS website in the UK provides some great exercises. 2. Nutrition is clearly important for both physical and mental wellbeing. With certain grocery items difficult to get ahold of, keeping to your usual diet can be difficult. Also, balance can be difficult, trying to use up fresh ingredients before they’re past their best and being able to make room in the freezer for extra portions. For recipes of 5 ingredients or less, take a look at the BBC Good Food Website. Life Hack: Freeze any wedges or slices of orange, lemon or lime on a tray in the freezer and once frozen and return to the freezer. It can be used in cooking and they also make a great flavored ice-cube for a gin and tonic! 3. Mental Health: Some of the impacts are more around mental health as much as they are physical. For all the reasons around rational concerns regarding the virus, from isolation to feeling crowded, this can leave people with feelings of anxiety, depression, and frustration. AnxietyUK recommends the following the APPLE technique to help cope, which consists of the following: Acknowledge: Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind. Pause: Don’t react as you normally do. Don’t react at all. Pause and breathe. Pull back: Tell yourself this is just the worry talking, and this apparent need for certainty is not helpful and not necessary. It is only a thought or feeling. Don’t believe everything you think. Thoughts are not statements or facts. Let go: Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don’t have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud. Explore: Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, all is well. Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right now. Then shift your focus of attention to something else – on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry or do something else – mindfully with your full attention. For further advice and support, visit https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/ Mental health charity Mind also has a lot of support for people to cope with “staying at home,” including practical advice, checklists and self-care. The charity provides a lot of information on their website to deal with how anxious you feel about the virus and how it might affect you, through to practical advice about staying at home. The advice covers nutrition/hydration, you and your medication, your care needs or if you care for others, how to relax and be creative, and much more. And don’t forget to have some fun, using your social media channels positively. Keeping abreast of the news can be useful but put simply, too much can be too much. Many performers and artists are now broadcasting via YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – take a look and you might find something of interest. If you need any support from the GreenEarth family, please do reach out to us. Take care and stay safe!

There are many myths created about cleaning garments and also some good advice too. I think I have tried or heard of every way possible to clean woolens and other sweaters. From using net bags in the washing machine to hand washing and drying on a bin liner for four days and from silk wash programs to laying in a greenhouse after washing! But there is more to perfectly preserving your pullover than cleaning alone. Choosing the right program for your woolen… if it exists! Some people will use the wool program on their domestic washing at home and sometimes it works. There is also an expectation that when you wash an item, eventually it will lose color or shrink. Sometimes that’s fine for a standard pullover… but not necessarily for a high-end cashmere. Most programs will wash at a certain temperature, spin, and repeat. There is little consideration for the amount of detergent or water for that load, the optimal mechanical action or how to get it dry afterward. Dry cleaning machines do at least allow for the type of garment by having specific programs that allow for the correct flow during the cleaning process, the weight of the load and how to dry to correct level – setting a max temperature and having a built-in ‘dry control’ capability that will prevent the items being over-dried. Also, when it comes to machine washing at home there are so many detergents and softeners that will promise cleaning capabilities, softness and smells of a summer meadow but they themselves can have a negative impact on the garments. Many products will contain optical brightening agents (OBA) which can be great on keeping whites white but not good for colors, causing the color to fade. There are non-biological detergents, which be better that OBA products for specialist items. Liquids can be better, especially when soaking for long periods, although this will depend on the colorfastness of the garment. But still, the user is still left with the issue of drying and pressing. Using a domestic iron can get rid of creases but there is often too much heat and not enough steam. And how many times has the pattern of the ironing board appeared on the garment?! And of course, placing a hot iron onto a wool garment can cause ‘glazing’. But the biggest difference is the GreenEarth difference. Dry Cleaning has a bad reputation but not all dry cleaning is the same. GreenEarth is not petrochemical-based. GreenEarth is made from liquified sand (Siloxane). Liquid silicone degrades into sand (SiO2) and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide if spilled or released to the environment. It is recognized as safe for air, soil, and water, not classified as a volatile organic compound (VOC) by the U.S. EPA. Not only is it good for the planet but for clothes too! Liquid silicone is chemically inert, meaning it does not chemically react with textile fabric or dyes during the cleaning process. This minimizes abrasion to and/or swelling of fabric fibers, eliminates traditional issues with the removal of dyes and optical brighteners, helps maintain the soft hand of garments, and prevents shrinkage. Therefore, a wider variety of clothes can be safely cleaned with GreenEarth. Woolens, delicate silks, suede and leather trims, beads, sequins, painted garments, specialty buttons and trims, couture garments, heirloom fabrics, and other “problem” items are no problem at all. Our own experiences can be so valuable in terms of how we clean garments in the future, be they mistakes or trying great newly discovered ways. GreenEarth has 20 years of experience and also, it’s employees and 6,000+ affiliates have seen pretty much every scenario, making our ‘cleaning family’ one of the most knowledgeable in the world of aftercare. For the ultimate guide, GreenEarth has a technical handbook available that we helped create. To find out more, click here.

As we enter not only a new year but a new decade, we look back at our achievements for the last twenty years, with a particular focus on 2019 and how we can build to an even stronger 2020 for our global affiliate network and brand partners. Testing became more important than ever for brands and manufacturers and GreenEarth facilitated testing in the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA. In particular, as we have seen adoption growth of the Activated Clay Filtration (ACF) system, we see an increase in brands who want to see the results of its cleaning performance and benefits as far as garment dimensional stability are concerned. And the results have been most favourable in particular, spray rating tests for waterproofed garments. And of course, seeing great test results for GreenEarth as a whole, has led to more care labels featuring the GreenEarth logo than ever before. And what does this mean for our affiliates? More garments over the counter, from more new global brands. And it’s not just labels – GreenEarth is now featured on Packaging, Point of Sale and Websites for new adopter brand partners. We are also being encouraged to hold forums at brand’s workplaces to talk about the GreenEarth difference. This means that there is a greater knowledge about GreenEarth at every customer touchpoint. Recent brands to recommend GreenEarth include Whistles, ASOS, Missguided, River Island and John Lewis. They do so across a large number of their product lines as opposed to just the odd item. At GreenEarth, we continue to drive the sustainable aftercare message to fashion brands and manufacturers, to make the GreenEarth family larger than ever before. Here’s to an even better 2020!

Much has been discussed and documented during recent years about microbeads, microfibres and microplastics – be they in cosmetics, fashion or indeed drinking water. Well, now a recent study has reported that plastic tea bags are shedding billions of shards of microplastics into their water. The study has been carried out by McGill University in Canada. The research group examined four different tea bag brands by placing each bag into boiling water. On average a single bag would shed 11.6 billion microplastic particle. In addition, they would release 3.1 billion nano-plastic particles. To put these results into context, the number of microplastics released is thousands of times higher than any other previous food type tested. The team removed the tea from inside the bags to prevent it from interfering with the results, before boiling the bags in water to simulate the tea-making process. Humans eat an average of 5 grams of plastic each week, according to a separate study earlier this year – the equivalent of a credit card’s weight in plastic. In its first review of the health risks of plastic in tap and bottled water, the World Health Organization (WHO) said last month that microplastics don’t appear to pose a health risk at current levels, but the key finding came with a big caveat – the review said available information was limited and more research was needed on microplastics and how they affect human health. Perhaps we will see a shift back to loose tea in the tea pot, rather than tea bags? To find out more about the work that GreenEarth Cleaning is doing to keep plastic out of our oceans and also our food chain, please take a look at our recent article about current innovation.