WHITE PLAINS, NY, June 26, 2015… Nearly 120 “green” products passed stringent qualifying standards to be accepted into the SustainAbility: design for a better world® display at the summer 2015 edition of NY NOW®, the Market for Home, Lifestyle + Gift, August 15-19, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. (NOTE: A full list of companies/products selected for the August 2015 display is available online at http://nynow.studio98test.com/press/sustainability-design-for-a-better-world-display-participants-summer-2015/)
Now in its sixth year, the program attracted 258 entries across NY NOW’s three collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE and HANDMADE®. As of the winter 2015 edition, the program’s strict qualifying standards were revised to recognize the increasing importance of eco-friendly production processes and socially-respectful business practices. Additional qualifications include products that are manufactured or constructed with only recycled, recyclable and/or sustainable materials, have no VOCs or toxins, and do not waste nor contaminate water in the manufacturing process.
“It is a testament to the accelerating consumer demand for ‘green’ that we are seeing qualifying products in wider varieties of categories — from tabletop and home goods to baby products, personal care and fashion accessories,” said exhibit curator Ilene Shaw of Shaw + Co! Productions. “NY NOW’s continuing commitment to showcase exceptional sustainability is in sync with the industry’s overall efforts to integrate green production practices into the everyday and make them part of the business ethic.”
Within the exhibit, each selected product will be displayed along with details about provenance and production process. These “back-stories” will detail the green elements of the production process – including the use of renewable or alternative sources of energy in production, including wind, sun, and alternative fuels – as well as corporate social responsibility – such as fair trade business practices and philanthropic endeavors.
As an added benefit, all selected products also qualify for the Eco Choice Awards, co-sponsored by NY NOW and GREENRetailer magazine, recognizing innovative, sustainable product design. Popular vote will determine favorite products in three categories: “Most Innovative,” “Most Sensitive Use of Materials” and “Most Sellable.” Ten finalists in each of these three categories will be featured in an online voting gallery, www.giftshopmag.com/votegreen, from July 6-31. Winners of the awards, which are sponsored by NY NOW and GREENRetailer, will be announced in advance of the August market and profiled in the Fall 2015 issue of GIFT SHOP magazine.
Notable among products selected for the Summer 2015 SustainAbility display are: Tin, Scary and Spark, designed by Samantha Morshed, which are robot cushions from Pebbles, made from cotton processed in a FLO-certified mill, sold and merchandized with minimal packaging; Scrappy Dog Stuffed Animal Making Kit, made from 100% reclaimed wool and designed by Josh Title, from Cate and Levi (company donates products, time and money to Camp Ooch, for kids with cancer); USDA-certified organic bamboo straws sanded and finished with an organic food-safe oil, designed by Rachel Speth, manufactured by bambu; and Bi-Polar Air Purifier, designed by Jon Bennert, from California Clock Co, which is the size of an iPhone, uses only 10 watts of energy to clean 2,400 square feet of space of allergens and other toxins and has no parts or replacement filters to change. Qualifying products from Artisan Resource include Azizi Life’s Traditional Peace Basket designed and manufactured according to fair trade practices by Rwandan artisans from locally available products and natural raw materials, such as sisal banana leaf and jacaranda and molave woods, and Maceta Rondelles Cacti Plant Pots made according to socially responsible B Corp standards from discards of the button industry, by Greca in Argentina. (NOTE: Product photographs are available upon request.)
On Monday, August 17, as a complement to the physical display, a related seminar, titled “Selling Sustainability Through Provenance,” will discuss how stories about people, production processes and business practices are increasingly helping to sell sustainable products. The panel discussion will explore how consumers’ consideration of a product’s provenance — from design, to funding, to production, to marketing and sales –is injecting humanity into the process, materials and products. Moderator Susan Szenasy, editor/publisher of METROPOLIS, will lead the discussion with designer Kiel Mead of Kiel Mead Designs; marketer Joanne Domeniconi of The Grommet; and retailer Rachel Shechtman of Story. Tickets are $20 advance/$25 onsite and can be purchased online at www.nynow.com.
The summer 2015 edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home, Lifestyle + Gift, will run Saturday, August 15, through Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. NY NOW’s three comprehensive collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE and HANDMADE, as well as NEW! exhibitors – encompass 100,000 products in myriad product categories. Attendees from all 50 states and around the world are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nynow.com.
###