Mean, Green, Sewing Machine
There is only one earth, yet the people of this world continue to destroy it. Landfills are
overflowing, pollution is filling the air, and more paper is being wasted than ever imaginable.
Sustainability is the act of doing things that will improve the world, but will not harm the future
generations. Some examples of sustainability are, recycling, going paperless, and reusing goods
to make new materials. One company that is all about going green is the popular surf shop,
Volcom. This clothing line is 100% green and their clothing sales are still over the top.
Sustainability has impacted fashion life for the better.
At the warehouse in Costa Mesa, California the sustainability teams meets and focuses
on ways that Volcom can exercise going green. For starters, all of the clothing that is at Volcom
is made of recycled goods. Not only are clothing materials made of recycled goods, but also any
surf, snowboard, or skate materials. These items are then remade and branded. The benefits of
using recycled materials is important in reducing the amount of waste going into landfills, and
the number of natural resources, such as cotton, decreases as well. Clothing made of recycled
material is not only popular amongst the Volcom community, but also many other clothing
designers such as Levi’s designer, Gary Harvey. Using reused materials has become one of the
most popular fashion trends and Volcom is making it bigger than ever.
Along with the recycled materials at Volcom, this company also promotes going
paperless. Checking out at the Volcom warehouse is much different than any other clothing
store. After the clothes are scanned they are stacked in a pile and handed off to the new owner.
One might be thrown off by the stack and lack of bag, but going paperless is especially important
to the environment because this simple act helps conserve more trees and resources, as well as
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saving the company money. Using less paper allows for more trees, which give out oxygen to
earth. If someone insists on having a bag a Volcom, the bags are made completely of recycled
paper in order to main their green image. Going paperless is an excellent idea because bags are
used to carry clothes and then thrown out and hardly ever recycled.
Along with Volcom’s two ways of focusing on going green, another addition to the duo is
a shoe and clothing donation box. Volcom has partnered with I:CO recycling company to
transform these old items into new ones. This box is placed right by the door for people to easily
access it when they enter the store. These items are then taken and recycled to make new and
eco-friendly items. The act of recycling is important to the world because it eliminates the use of
natural resources and processing. Most of the landfills are covered with shoes and clothing items
and recycling them only betters the world.
With the positive message that Volcom is sending, why are other stores not following in
the green footsteps? The answer is simple: not everyone cares. The earth is very fragile and it is
slowing becoming more destroyed. With all of the wasted paper and resources being used it is no
wonder the landfills have begun to overflow. Sustainability is important not only to the current
generation, but also the generations to come. Without the help of this generation, the earth will
soon be demolished. In order to personally help the earth, I am going to old items to the Volcom
donation box. My little action of donating will not only help Volcom, but it will also be recycled
and help the landfills as well. Just like Volcom, I believe that going paperless is more
advantageous than bags because bags are only used once and then thrown away. Stores are only
wasting more bags as oppose to saving the landfills from complete destruction. It is time for a
change. The earth’s days are limited without the help of people and focusing on sustainability not
only renews the world today, but it will also renew the future.
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