Aaron Newport

At GreenEarth Cleaning, we have spent the past decade immersing ourselves in sustainable fashion. This journey has led us to discover and curate a list of the top five fair trade and eco-friendly clothing brands organized by budget. As we become more conscious about our purchases, we must consider the origins and impact of the clothes we wear. Our spending choices can either support or harm the people and resources involved in making our clothing. Choosing sustainable fashion, and even better, secondhand options, can significantly reduce the detrimental effects of fast fashion on our planet. Why Wear Sustainable Clothing? If you’re new to sustainable fashion, you may be surprised by the price tags. However, it’s important to understand that these brands are not meant to be consumed at the same rate as fast fashion. Sustainable fashion brands prioritize eco-friendly practices, ethical production standards, timeless design, and high-quality essentials that last. Unlike fast fashion items that often need replacing every season, these pieces are designed to be worn for years. When it’s time to update our wardrobes, we turn to slow fashion brands. Each of the five brands listed below is committed to ethical and transparent garment production, considering both people and the planet. Many of these brands have third-party sustainable and ethical certifications. Creating a more sustainable wardrobe doesn’t require buying everything new at once. Start with what you have, mend pieces you love, and build your closet slowly and intentionally. Top Sustainable Fashion Brands tentree Best For: Cozy, casual essentials Sustainability: Fair Trade certified ethical manufacturing Size Range: XS–XXL tentree makes Earth-first essentials using sustainable materials. For every item purchased, ten trees are planted, with over 73 million trees planted to date. The brand offers lifestyle and loungewear made from Tencel, hemp, and organic cotton. Tentree’s commitment to the environment and community is evident in every piece.   Pact Best For: Fair trade organic cotton basics Sustainability: Fair Trade Certified, organic cotton, recycled & biodegradable packaging, donation program for used clothes Size Range: XS–2XL; up to US 20 Pact is dedicated to making super-soft sustainable clothes for kids and adults that also benefit the world. The brand ensures its entire supply chain, from growing organic cotton to final sewing, is responsible and clean. Pact is our go-to for basics and underwear, offering carbon-offset shipping for a more sustainable purchase. Kotn Best For: Egyptian cotton wardrobe staples Sustainability: Organic cotton, safe & fair labor standards, plastic-free packaging, nontoxic dyes, gives back to Egyptian communities Size Range: XXS–XXL; up to US 16 Kotn offers luxury basics made from Egyptian cotton. The brand creates garments in a fair and safe environment and helps suppliers transition to organic cotton. As a certified B Corp, Kotn has impacted over 100,000 lives in Egypt by building schools and funding farms. Its high-quality tees are designed to last beyond 30 wears. Fair Indigo Best For: Organic basics Sustainability: Organic cotton, safe dyes, fair wages, artisan-made, gives back via Fair Indigo Foundation Size Range: XS–XL; up to US 18 Fair Indigo focuses on creating long-lasting clothes, like the Forever Organic Tees made from organic Peruvian Pima cotton. The brand’s garments are made with sustainability and ethical practices in mind, offering affordable organic basics and artisan-made accessories. Quince Best For: Affordable silk & cashmere Sustainability: BCSI-certified ethical production, sustainable & organic materials, OEKO-TEX certified, virgin plastic-free Size Range: XS–XL; up to US 16 Quince aims to make ethical and eco-friendly clothing accessible to everyone. The brand offers versatile, effortless basics like Mulberry silk tops and cashmere cardigans, all delivered in plastic-free packaging. Quince’s mission is to make sustainability the standard, not a luxury. Making a Sustainable Choice Embracing sustainable fashion means making informed choices about what we wear. By choosing brands committed to ethical practices and environmental sustainability, we can reduce the impact of our wardrobe on the planet. To ensure your new sustainable purchases stay fresh and last longer, bring them to your nearest GreenEarth Affiliate store. Our eco-friendly cleaning methods protect your garments and extend their lifespan, allowing you to enjoy your thoughtfully chosen pieces for years to come. Visit our store locator to find the closest GreenEarth Affiliate and experience the difference our gentle, planet-friendly cleaning can make.

  As you might expect, at GreenEarth Cleaning, we consider Earth Day to be a big deal!  Earth Day is a reminder that we all have a responsibility to protect our planet and find sustainable solutions for a better future. At GreenEarth Cleaning, we don’t take that responsibility lightly. While our focus is primarily on dry cleaning, we use our platform to inform, educate, and collaborate with our Affiliates and customers worldwide to facilitate additional opportunities for more sustainable living and a smaller carbon footprint. As we celebrate Earth Day this month, we wanted to share a few simple tips and ideas we hope you find valuable and easy to implement.    Small changes in our daily habits make a big difference in reducing our negative impact on the environment. Simple steps such as conserving energy and reducing waste are key to restoring and protecting our planet. One of our favorite lists of quick tips for conserving energy at home is from Cornell University as part of their campus sustainability efforts. The list provides practical action items that can be applied quickly and easily.  The fashion industry is another avenue where even slight changes garner positive results. Are the terms “sustainable fashion” and “fast fashion” familiar?  These terms describe the ecological impact each one has based on the amount of waste each one produces. Sustainable fashion decreases waste, while fast fashion tends to carry a more harmful impact. In her article, How Do We Avoid Fast Fashion?, GreenEarth Social Media Specialist, Erin Horne, offers a few simple steps to avoid fast fashion and reduce your carbon footprint.  As we work to shift our daily practices and effect long-term change, it is essential to set goals and create an engaged community effort. Each year, the team at GreenEarth Cleaning sets individual sustainability goals.  We look forward to each other’s ideas and appreciate each other’s support as we extend our sustainability efforts beyond that of our professional endeavors. We invite you to join us! Visit our Facebook page to read about our team’s goals, share your goals, and learn more about GreenEarth Cleaning and our GreenEarth Affiliates, all over the world using our sustainable dry cleaning process. This Earth Day, we encourage you to not only act on improving your sustainability efforts, but to also take time to appreciate and absorb the beauty and wonder of our planet. Take a moment to reflect on the impact we have, and the steps we can take to protect and restore it.  By working together, we can ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and vibrant planet to call home.

Planting Seeds of Sustainability This Spring. Spring is upon us! As the warm weather of spring arrives, along with it comes a renewed spirit, brighter days, and of course, spring projects. It’s a time for affecting change, looking ahead, and spending more time outdoors, each of which offers an excellent opportunity to plant seeds of sustainability all around us. We’ve collected a few of our favorite springtime sustainability projects to share with you. Plant Flowers Spring flowers simply make us smile!  From wildly colorful landscapes to softly muted hanging baskets, spring flowers bring an element of cheer to all surroundings. Pansies, marigolds, petunias, tulips, and sunflowers; the choices, and color arrangements, are endless. However, the benefits certainly don’t stop there. In addition to beautifying your surroundings, planting flowers will also help lower your carbon footprint.  Flowering plants help replenish the oxygen supply, filter toxins and provide a food source for bees and other insects and animals. Now is the perfect time to order seed packets or visit your local greenhouse. Let your imagination run wild!  The environment will thank you for it.   Install Rain Barrels April showers bring May flowers. As you gear up for spring planting, consider adding rain barrels to your landscape. Rain Barrels come in many colors, styles, and sizes to fit any garden décor. By collecting and reusing one of nature’s most precious commodities, you will play a big role in conserving a rapidly depleting resource.   Set One New Sustainability Goal Consider setting a sustainability goal for yourself or your family this spring. One small change can have a profound impact. Here is an idea from our GreenEarth teammate Scott Steele. Scott is the Licensing Manager at GreenEarth. His sustainability goal for 2023 is to replace all of the light bulbs in his home with LED bulbs to conserve energy.   Repair, Recycle, or Donate Ahh yes, springtime begets spring cleaning- a time to purge closets, put away winter linens, and open windows. Spring is a wonderful time to let fresh air in and move old things out.  When you jump into your spring projects, remember that most items in your home can be repaired, recycled, or donated. A local GreenEarth Affiliate can help by refreshing or repairing your older, favorite garments.  For garments you no longer wish to keep, check with local civic groups or non-profit centers, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, for opportunities to recycle or donate clothing items.   Prepare Items for Storage For items you plan to store during the summer months, it is important to make sure they are free of any body oils or dirt before putting them away. Storing items that have not been properly cleaned may lead to discoloration, attract unwanted odors and bugs, or even provide a potential breeding ground for mold and mildew. At GreenEarth, our cleaning process is silicone-based, environmentally safe, and provides a thorough clean that is gentle on fabrics. It is completely odor free and will prepare your items for a long summer’s rest. Top off your spring-cleaning goals by having your winter items cleaned at a GreenEarth Dry Cleaner near you.   This spring, we invite you to join us in planting seeds of sustainability.  

The pandemic has had a massive effect on all of us. Whether you’ve been working from home while simultaneously running your own daycare, forced to change career paths and adjusting to a new lifestyle, or simply feeling isolated and missing friends and family, it’s beginning to feel like maybe our “new normal” isn’t going to be so different than life was eighteen months ago. People are finally starting to head back to work, go to formal events, and actually have in-person business meetings—handshakes and everything! We find oftentimes, folks simply aren’t aware of all of the services their dry cleaner offers. Alterations and tailoring is a service almost all dry cleaners offer and it’s not uncommon to find the best tailor in your market within a GreenEarth Affiliate location. Their tailors and seamstresses can make sure you’re looking your absolute best with the perfect fit. If you need to impress at a new job, have your work clothes slightly altered due to a pandemic routine shift, or dress to the nines for a formal event or wedding—no matter your need, the GreenEarth Network is here for you. In addition to simply providing tailoring services, GreenEarth has partnered with 9tofive, a suit retailer out of Brooklyn, NY selling tailored suits online with a focus on sustainability and first-class professional service across the country. Making the customer’s experience luxurious AND convenient. “We partnered with GreenEarth, a leader in sustainable dry cleaning, because their affiliates, like Bridgestone Cleaners in Brooklyn, are top professionals in garment care, tailoring, and alterations. They have some of the most knowledgable and talented tailors around and their service is unmatched. It just makes sense. People who buy suits use GreenEarth” Aaron Clanton (CEO at 9tofive). So you can now order a suit from 9tofive through your local GreenEarth cleaner, then when the suit arrives, have it fitted and tailored, all included in the cost of the suit. It’s a match made in heaven. “The pandemic has been rough for us and our dry cleaning partners. As businesses reopen and events are being held again, there has been an uptick in suiting needs. Weddings are slowly coming back and people are returning to normal life. Through our revolutionary partnership with GreenEarth, 9tofive has created an easier way of shopping. We have combined local, in-person connection with online retail, fostering a stress-free and accessible shopping experience. Along with these exciting initiatives, we are elated to roll out our new suit rental program. Getting fitted for a suit or tux rental has never been easier! We’ve used our local tailor partnerships to create a nearly effortless rental experience that practically brings designer suits to your doorstep.” Aaron Clanton (CEO at 9tofive). The moral of the story, don’t show up to your new job, the first day back at the office, of a black-tie event looking anything less than your best. We’ve got you. Find the GreenEarth cleaner nearest you on our online store and get fitted right. By: Aaron Newport

In the UK, it’s estimated one-third of clothing either end up going to landfill or is incinerated.  Also, purchases are continuing to be on the rise in the UK ahead of other countries. Around 10 years ago, there was very much a focus on vintage clothing and “make do and mend”, providing a focus on aftercare, whether it’s how you clean, store, or repair the item of clothing. This has got to be key to create a vintage concept, right?  So how do we create a vintage for the future? Textiles take-back schemes, where customers donate unwanted clothing to retailers to be reused or recycled, are a key part of developing a more circular fashion industry. High street retailers such as M&S, H&M, Tesco, and others have done this successfully.  Luxury brands are also examining how they can operate in this space. Ultimately, the garments can end up in a number of different places, depending on their condition. Their condition is determined by how well they are made, how often they are worn, and how they are cared for. If the garment condition is poor, it is likely to end up in the garbage, because the wearer doesn’t believe the item is good enough to be donated.  Although, charity shops will take in any item, and then either sell it in the shop or sell it to (for want of a better term) the “ragman.”  If the garment is in very good condition, then it becomes much more of a commercial proposition to the consumer.  They can either sell via “Vintage” sites, such as Depop or Vinted, or transact directly with a retailer. Great care is vital if more clothes are going to be commercially viable. If this can be achieved by using a sustainable aftercare solution, then even better. GreenEarth cleaning has started to work with brands to encourage just that.  There are two key elements of the GreenEarth proposition that support the concept. Closed-loop system.  Dry cleaning machines are sophisticated in that they look after every part of the process.—cleaning, drying, and also the collection of waste. This is different from wet cleaning, in that with GreenEarth Cleaning, no microfibers of microplastic will escape into the waterways and ultimately the world’s oceans. An environmentally non-toxic cleaning solution that loves clothes as much as it loves the planet.  The 100% pure D5 liquid silicone used exclusively in the GreenEarth branded process is a by-product of sand and is safe for clothes, people, and the planet. Silicone cleans more gently, reducing wear and tear on fabrics, maintaining the soft hand of fabrics, and prevents shrinkage. The work we do with brands includes care labeling, customer and colleague communications, and cleaning after they’ve been handed back.  Starting to clean with GreenEarth at the beginning of the garment’s life means that it will maintain its condition, and a GreenEarth clean after it’s handed back means that it will be clean, will look great, and will provide the maximum financial reward for the consumer and the retailer—a win-win! The consumer can make money on their old item and potentially save on a new item.  The retailer can buy back at a good price and even by paying for a cleaning price, they can still sell at a lower price combined with few additional costs (normally associated with garment production) they can see a reasonable profit margin. We will be talking about the projects that we are involved within the near future, so watch this space! To find out more about the innovative concept of GreenEarth Cleaning, please visit our FAQ page. By: Garry Knox  

“The Earth is what we all have in common.” In a year when our differences have certainly been on full display and we often need to be reminded we have more in common than what divides us, the quote from American author and poet, Berry Wendell feels even more impactful on this trip around the sun.  It’s why, since the beginning, our mission statement has been doing business without doing harm. It’s our goal to provide the best possible fabric care with the lowest overall environmental impact. It’s also why the month of April continues to be a landmark month for us. While our Network of over 2,000 dry cleaners worldwide spends 365 days out of the year working to minimize our carbon footprint, Earth Month brings us the opportunity to celebrate those accomplishments and lay out goals to improve upon them for the year to come.  Simply by choosing your local GreenEarth dry cleaner, you too are having a positive impact on our planet. Not only will your clothes and household items be cleaned in the most sustainable way possible by the industry’s leading best-in-class professionals, but you’re also extending the life cycle of those garments and reducing the amount of textile waste making its way to landfills. Because GreenEarth isn’t just good for the environment, it’s gentle on garments too, allowing them to look newer longer.  Start to finish, the GreenEarth Cleaning system marks off all of the boxes for sustainability and that is by no accident. From the environmentally non-toxic solvent at the core of the system, to working to reduce utility usage, to coordinating national clothes drives preventing landfill waste, our team will continue to improve our sustainability initiatives and leave a better planet for generations to follow.  So here we are, calling on you to join us in celebrating Earth Month by making a commitment to put an end to fast fashion and join the sustainable fashion movement. It can all start by making the decision to care for your textiles sustainably, using your local GreenEarth cleaner.

The significance of diversifying your business has never been more prevalent than it is in the current state of our global economy. We’ve witnessed businesses around the world—not only in dry cleaning but in all retail spaces—dependent on over-the-counter sales with no other source of revenue, forced to shutter their doors. It’s an unfortunate case, but it’s the reality of the situation. Those businesses that quickly adapted and diversified—if they were not already—have in large part been able to weather the storm.  In the early weeks of 2020, prior to the onslaught of the COVID-19 virus, GreenEarth partnered with a Brooklyn suit retailer, 9tofive. This partnership of course was slowed down due to public restrictions, but we’ve continued to grow our partnership and have introduced relationships between 9tofive and several Affiliates across the country, providing an opportunity for additional revenue for 9tofive as well as our Affiliates. The service offered by GreenEarth Affiliates for 9tofive customers is the tailoring of the suits purchased online, as well as one dry cleaning paid for by 9tofive.  For years, alterations have been an excellent method for diversifying your business, reaching a new audience, and optimizing your existing customers’ spend. Even through this past year, many of our Affiliates have reported alterations as one of the contributing factors in their ability to remain open and bring customers to their store. Whether those customers have purchased items online, they’re getting married, they’ve gained weight, they’ve lost weight, or maybe they’ve saved some money this year and have acquired some high-dollar garments they want to fit perfectly, there is a need for alteration services.  We recently spoke with GreenEarth Affiliate and the owner of Kingbridge Cleaners in NYC, Richie Aviles. Kingbridge operates a large, upscale tailoring business as a part of their store. Richie shared some of his thoughts with us in regard to his tailoring business. “Being able to provide pickup and delivery and having different types of customers through TV shows and hotels were all things that saw us through the pandemic. But alterations were also a huge part of that. Dry cleaning pieces unilaterally changed in volume, but the tailoring business was interesting because people weren’t buying clothes, they were sitting at home wearing Lululemon. Maybe they were gaining or losing weight, or only shopping online and unable to buy the correct size. So naturally, their next stop was to the tailor. I don’t want to say that our tailoring business was gangbusters. Volume dropped off significantly, but tailoring sales have really helped through COVID as contributing to overhead. Even prior to COVID, we have certain customers that come to us because we can tailor and clean their garments; we’re a one-stop-shop. Having all your eggs in one basket is incredibly dangerous, having multiple means of income hedges your risk. Diversifying our business has allowed us to be very positive for what the future will hold.” Understandably, we’ve all experienced the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. The question of “how do we get through this?” has been front and center in everyone’s mind. There’s clearly no one simple answer to that question, but from the thousands of conversations we’ve had with GreenEarth Affiliates over the course of the last 10 months, there has been a common theme around those cleaners who have been able to weather the storm, and that is finding ways to diversify your business in order to drive some sort of revenue. 

As 2020 has come and gone, most of us are looking back on it as a year we’d like to soon forget. For most industries, business took a hard hit. State departments recorded record-high numbers of American citizens filing for unemployment. Hospitals around the world literally ran out of space. Family gatherings, vacations, concerts, and shopping outings were canceled. Oddly enough, it took no time at all for folks to realize social media and virtual web applications, the technology that has been largely accused of the demise of human interaction, was in fact our most personal means of communication and the only way for small businesses to reach their customers. It’s safe to say that 2020 was the most pivotal year in any working adult’s life. Cocktail hours amongst friends were taking place in their own separate living rooms. Grandma was able to watch her Christmas gifts being opened through a camera on her phone. Businesses were using state-of-the-art technology to conduct meetings, training, collaborating on projects, and communicating with their customer. People were forced to adapt to a new normal and our primary coping mechanism was technology and social media platforms. We saw countless stories of neighbors, including many GreenEarth Affiliates, stepping up to make a positive impact in their community through food drives, clothes drives, offering free services to first responders, and any other number of good deeds. The movement to support locally owned small businesses experienced a massive push. Communities were truly pulling together to see each other to the end of this pandemic. It warmed our hearts to see these stories and was the reminder of humanity we all needed to see. Without social media, how many of these stories would have gone further than those directly involved?  Understanding where our audience is, we’ve assisted dozens of GreenEarth Members in creating a strong online presence, using social media platforms to build relationships within their community and grow local awareness around their brand. Now more than ever, social media marketing is an integral part of operating a business. If you’re a GreenEarth Affiliate reading this, you can learn more about how our marketing team can assist you here.  I say all this simply to say—2020 was rough. But together we got through it, and we’re stronger for it. We’ve learned how to make some major pivots in our work and personal lives, and we’ve realized how important it is to support our local communities. As much as we’d all like to forget the year that was, maybe it’s vital we never do. All the same, cheers to 2021, may it be filled with smiles and laughter.

It was the summer of 2010 and everyone was anxiously awaiting the release of Toy Story 3; it was a simpler time. Apple launched its state-of-the-art virtual chat app FaceTime, which initially required a WiFi signal for use. From that point on, grandparents everywhere would ask, “Is this thing on?” and frustratingly attempt to unmute themselves. Once again, thanks to technology, our world was forever changed. Fast forward nearly a decade, leading up to 2020, our video chat capabilities had vastly improved and our application options seemed limitless. The digitization of our work environment was already in full swing. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that adoption was thrown into warp speed with businesses scrambling to adapt to a socially-distant world. These video chat applications came in clutch. Working from home was the “new normal” and traveling to clients for in-person meetings was limited to essential business. Most companies implemented virtual meetings and learned how to conduct “business as usual” remotely, using whatever technology necessary to accomplish their day-to-day tasks. Microsoft Teams, various Google Apps, Zoom, and any other number of applications that allowed employees to interact with each other and share working projects became an integral part of how workplaces operate. A key ingredient to GreenEarth Cleaning’s success has always been our expert technical team. The pandemic posed a big challenge to continue to provide a high level of support to Members of the GreenEarth Network all over the world. Video support was not unheard of for us, but it was not the primary medium for providing assistance either. Virtual Visits are the “new normal” for our technical team, and our Affiliates are finding great value in them. Our team has mastered the experience to provide our Members with the same level of technical guidance and support that we’ve maintained throughout the years. As our world is changing at an even more rapid pace than ever before, business models are forced to pivot to a new way of thinking. This means different things for different companies, but for us, it’s shifted our focus to online workshop sessions and Virtual Visits—the bridge between a voice-only phone call and an in-person visit. To all GreenEarth Affiliates, make sure to save your spot on the calendar. Simply call our main office at 816-926-0895 or email techncial@greenearthcleaning.com.