Sustainable Custom Stickers reposted this
CEO and Chief Sustainability Geek | EcoEnclose | Sustainable Packaging and Guidance for Brands Committed to Positive Change
Thank you Tricia Carey and Robert Antoshak for such a thoughtful assessment and lessons learned. Tricia - I always learn so much from your reflections and insights! This comment hit home -- "Prices of viscose made with Circulose were compared to generic viscose, which had been produced for over a century. Brands would not pay a premium to support an environmental initiative if it came at the risk of lower margins. In time, Renewcell said, prices would come down as volumes increased. Brands weren’t willing to wait." This trend - and so many other concepts you shared - have parallels in the packaging industry. The most promising new material innovations and efforts to increase high PCW content generally come with the higher price tag of anything that is in early stage development. Because of our current reality in which cost neutrality is more critical than carbon neutrality and circularity, EcoEnclose's approach (and the approach of our closest innovation partners) is often to start small, keeping infrastructure investments as low as possible, and to absorb some of the cost differential until technologies scale. We're seeing success with this approach, but we also know it doesn't work for all innovations. Columbia Pulp is an example of this. Pulping wheat straw at any real scale may simply require massive infrastructure investments -- that then require high sales volume to come quickly for financial viability. Unfortunately, brands are then generally unwilling to pay the premium or take the leap on a risky, relatively untested material -- leading these high capital startups to suffer. Thanks again for sharing these great reflections and insights with the world.
I have been a little quiet on LinkedIn lately while taking some time to reflect and regroup as I close this chapter. Always finding ways to advocate for innovation, circularity, and equitable practices is key. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and every hand that contributes is invaluable towards this mission. Countless times I have been asked what are the “lessons learned” and “what pitfalls” can other material innovators and entrepreneurs avoid. I am not one to shy away from sharing insights and experiences to pass it forward. Together with Robert Antoshak we discussed and dissected the issues of innovation, putting pen to paper for “Lessons from a Sustainable Fashion Bankruptcy” featured in the journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review. I'm thankful for the inspiring industry friends who lend support and listen to an earful - Karla Magruder, Michael Kininmonth, Andreas Dorner, Andrew Olah, Ken Pucker, Nicole Rycroft, Edward Hertzman, David Sasso, Carol Steuri, Steven Bethell, Celeste Lilore, Priyanka Khanna, Nicole Bachmann, Jennifer Thompson, Mohsin Sajid, Peter Majeranowski, Luke Henning, Raymond Randall, Kelly A. Burton, Ann Lee-Jeffs, and many others. #circularity #circulartextiles #fashion #apparel