Fashionable & Eco-Friendly

Hey there,

This is Joemy, thanks for checking in at SG. Recently I made a personal goal to buy less new and a lot more used, vintage, or more sustainable. This has made shopping very intentional and more interesting; it has also led to some cool discoveries of environmentally conscious companies becoming more transparent about their materials and processes.

I’ve long had a passion for footwear, and generally put my ideals on the back burner when it comes to a fierce pair of heels. When I stumbled upon Terra Plana, I was pleased to find modern shoes made with recycled and renewable resources using sustainable processes. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of their eco-friendly approach is their ‘Eco Matrix’ that sets out to score their products “environmental impact throughout their lifecycle: from raw material procurement, through processing, manufacture, use and finally disposal.” Meaning, all their products are rated in categories addressing comfort, style, energy use, minimal toxins, and eco-friendly materials on a scale of one to five, with a total score up to 25 clearly displayed with each product.

Not only can a person buy based on design and price, she or he can take into account the product's impact on a broader scale. I can't help but imagine how this would change our shopping habits if we had this type of information for all new products. It's easy to pick organic or fair trade over conventional, but there isn't a simple certified label for the casual consumer when it comes to materials and processes in much of the design world, nor do most companies provide easy access to this information.

With an ever-growing sense of ‘greenwash’ in the consumer market, Terra Plana is a refreshing example of a fashionable company that wants the world to know the process behind their product. It may be a simplified version of a complex reality, but the Eco-Matrix is a reassuring start of transparency and disclosure in the world of design.

If you are interested in how Structured Green sources material and our design philosophies, check out our updated website, or send us an email here. Sustainable & great design is our priority!

-Joemy

PS If you click around on our website, you can read specifics about how each piece of furniture is green and more environmentally friendly.