Icebreaker: too much bleating

Brrrr – it just got cold. If you’re not sure how to make it through to the Spring, try Icebreaker. This is a new brand from New Zealand that specialises in thermal underwear made from the wool from merino sheep. Apparently, when it’s warm it keeps you cool, and when it’s cold outside it keeps you toasty. Even better, the wool isn’t scratchy and is smell-resistant. Last but not least, according to Icebreaker, their products are made according to “ethical” principles and processes, for people and planet. Let’s take a closer look… With every purchase from Icebreaker, there comes a little book. On the first page, you get some rather lovely images of the New Zealand landscape, and some close-ups of those famous merino sheep. Pretty handsome beasts, by all accounts. And it takes you through the basics on merino wool: its renewable (thanks to the sheep) and biodegradable (i.e., compostable). For Icebreaker, this is the formula that makes their hosiery sustainable. But that’s not quite the whole picture. Because processing merino wool requires a whole lot of chemicals. Experts from Made-By have put the fibers in the lowest category for environmental performance. The Icebreaker website fills plenty of space on how ethical their production processes are. Using a code on your specific product, you can also look up the exact “ethical farm” that your wool came from – and check out a load of great photos.   “It’s about our relationship to nature, and to each other,” they say. Grammatical points aside, there’s just too little in the way of concrete information to support those lovely images. For example, the company doesn’t publish a carbon footprint, there’s no clear policy on the use of chemicals, and no good standards of control on the labor conditions for their factories in Asia. So as far as we’re concerned, this is a whole lot of bleating, for what’s really, just so many thick wooly panties. Icebreaker has only earned 2 points out of 16 on our rankings. Let’s hope it can do better in the future. Here is some free advice from Rank a Brand: Provide an overview of the whole production chain (not only those photogenic farms) Make it clear which labour conditions are acceptable in the factories in asia (publish a Supplier Code of conduct, show how it are enforced, and which factories and other stakeholders are involved). Right now, Icebreaker scores 0 out of 8 in this category. Show us what “ethical standards” actually means when it comes to producing wool (0 out of 3 at the moment). Reveal which part of the production process complies with which standards for the use of chemicals (now, 0 out of 1 point). Publish a carbon footprint for the entire company, and set concrete targets for reducing it (now, 2 out of 4). Sign up to a third-party initiaitive, such as Made by or Fair Wear Foundation – so that we can see some independent verification of what’s being reported.

Fairtrade bananas – (bio)logical packaging?

Banana farming tends to be pretty harmful, both environmentally and socially. Which is why we decided to launch a ranking for tropical fruit brands last year. And we were pleased to see that the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance banana is gaining ground – after all, these labels protects both environmental and labor standards. Nowadays, you don’t even have to trek to the organic market or eco specialist to find them. In the UK, The Coop has been selling Fairtrade bananas for ten years – and Wal-Mart in the States has expanded its Fairtrade banana offering in recent years. In the Netherlands, Coop, Plus and Spar ONLY sell certified bananas. And what’s the easiest way to spot a Fairtrade banana? Or an organic one? They’re the ones packaged in ‘compostable’ bioplastic. Sure comes in handy when you’re trying to pick out those ‘good’ bananas in a hurry, but is it actually better for the environment? What do we mean by bioplastic? Most of the compostable plastic used to wrap up our Fairtrade bananas is made from renewable raw materials, such as the starch from maize (= food). Compared to conventional plastics, bioplastics take about 20% less energy to produce (and release about 20% fewer carbon emissions, too). And in the EU, there’s even a certification system to guarantee that the material will break down naturally within three months: just look for the seedling logo. The advantage is that this plastic will not blow around our streets, get snagged in trees, gather on beaches and feed the plastic soup building up in our oceans. Pros and Cons There are several people raising awkward questions about bioplastics – including Greenpeace, which is unhappy at the amount of genetically modified maize being used as a raw material. Plus, allowing the compostable varieties to break down in landfill sites may release CO2 – and other greenhouse gases, like methane (which has a much more powerful greenhouse effect than CO2). If this is indeed the case, incinerating the plastic would actually be better than sending it to landfill, as it produces energy. Yes, it would still release CO2, but that counts for burning petroleum-based plastic as well. Do we even need it anyway? But not all bioplastics are compostable. And there are loads of things that are pretty difficult to transport and sell without packaging. So fair enough – wrap it up in bioplastics. It’s got to be better than using up our oil reserves. But bananas? Don’t they kind of have packaging built in? Why then, do so many Fairtrade bananas come in plastic packaging? We asked at a couple of supermarkets why they package their bananas, but they’re keeping us waiting for an answer. Bioplastics yes, banana packaging no. At Rank a Brand, when it comes to tropical products, we give points to brands that have set clear targets for reducing the weight of their packaging. Plus, so far, we have also seen an increased use of bioplastics as a responsible move. But is it actually? We’re now thinking about changing our criteria for bananas, based on the assumption that they don’t actually need to be wrapped in plastic – whether or not it is made from plants. Is this assumption fair? Or is there a good reason to pop each Fairtrade bunch in a plastic bag? If you know the reason, let us know below – or send us a tweet to @rankabrand_org. For more information about bioplastics in general, check out this excellent blog post from Green Living Online.