Inside Outdoor Winter 2017

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Buzz words like sustainability,
compostable and cradle-to-grave
are regularly bandied about by au-
thorities and spin-meisters. Many
use terms interchangeably or incor-
rectly. So Inside Outdoor decided to
parse the greenwash lexicon and take
a stab at a short glossary of defini-
tions. The following definitions are as
organic as the topics they address.
They are more operative than defini-
tive, with the underlying subtext be-
ing about the discourse that we hope
to continue. Indeed, these definitions
are “alive,” and we expect them to
evolve as new standards are set,
technologies are developed and our
industry grapples with the “sustain-
ability” (see below) of our businesses.
A la Wikipedia, we welcome anyone
who would like to add, change or
modify definitions to submit their in-
sight t
The Green Glossary will continue to
appear in future issues of IO.
3P (People, Planet, Profit)
See Triple Bottom Line
Aer
Aerosols are solid or liquid nano-
sized particles dispersed within an-
other gas. Aerosols are of growing
interest among climate scientist re-
searching climate change. NASA con-
cludes 90 percent of most aerosols
are naturally formed by actions such
as volcanism. The remaining 10 per-
cent are anthropogenically produced
by smog and coal, natural gas or oil
fired-power generating plants. The
effect aerosols play upon the earth’s
climate is not fully understood. How-
ever, it has been shown aerosols cool
the atmosphere by reflecting or scat-
tering solar radiation back into space.
Biodegradable
Aerobic decomposition of a organ-
ic matter through the action of micro-
organisms or aerobes. There are no
standards for eco-toxicity or length
of time before degrading to biomass
and, in some cases, eco-toxins.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the multiplic-
ity of biological organisms within an
interrelated environment. The scale
of biodiversity ranges from the size of
distinct ecosystems to the atomic mo-
lecular level. Anthropogenic climate
change is often cited as a disrupting
influence to biodiversity. The concern
over these disruption centers around
three essential services biodiversity
brings to humanity. These ecosystem
services are provisioning, regulating
and cultural. Provisioning relates to
the loop providing renewable re-
sources such as food, water and air.
Regulating services maintain equi-
librium within the environment (e.g.
population control, climate feedback
loop). The cultural component refers
to the value humanity places upon
the environment.
bluesign standard
Launched in 2000 as an initiative
by Albers Group/Schoeller Technolo-
gies AG, among others, the bluesign
standard is a certification scheme for
textile ecology. Using OECD’s (Orga-
nization for Economic Cooperation
and Development) test methods for
determining the various ecotoxicologi-
cal data needed for the standard, it
strengthened it marketing and
technical reach when 50% of bluesign
was purchased by Société Générale de
Surveillance in 2008. SGS’s business
model is built around ocean-going
cargo inspection, raw material testing
and testing of products from exporting
companies or governments worldwide.
Cap andTrade
See Emissions Trading.
SPI Resin Identification Code
Recycling No. Abbreviation Polymer Name Uses
PETE or PET Polyethylene Terephthalate Recycled to produce polyester fibres, thermoformed sheet, strapping, soft
drink bottles.
2 HDPE High-Density Polyethylene Recycled to become various bottles, grocery bags, recycling bins, agricultural
pipe, base cups, car stops, playground equipment and plastic lumber.
3 PVC or V Polyvinyl Chloride Recycled to become pipe, fencing and non-food bottles.
4 LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene Recycled to become plastic bags, various containers, dispensing bottles, wash
bottles, tubing and various molded laboratory equipment.
5 PP Polypropylene Recycled into auto parts and
6 PS Polystyrene
Recycled into a wide range of products including office accessories, cafeteria
trays, toys, video cassettes and cases, insulation board and expanded
polystyrene products (e.g. styrofoam).
7 OTHER
Other plastics, including acrylic,
polycarbonate, polylactic acid,
nylon and fiberglass.
PLA or Polylactic acid plastics at 100% content are compostable in a
biologically active environment in 180 days.
Source: The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.
Data Points
Direct Feed
Direct Feed
OutdoorTextile
GreenGlossary
RetailReport
OutdoorTextile
GreenGlossary
RetailReport
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Inside Outdoor | Winter 2017 60