Organic Textiles: Free Seminar in NYC and San Francisco

Are you a designer working with organic and sustainable fibers?  You may want to check out this Free Seminar in NYC and San Francisco.  Besides learning all kinds of things, it sounds like some great networking.

{Thanks Fashion Center NY for passing it along!}

The International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS IWG) invites you to a free seminar about the organic textile processing standard in New York City Tuesday, June 28 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The event is co-hosted by the Organic Trade Association (member of the IWG), Textile Exchange, and the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Attending will be representatives from along the apparel and textile chain including manufacturers and retailers.

As you may know, GOTS is the stringent voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing stages (including spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing) of apparel and home textiles made with organic fiber (such as organic cotton, organic linen, and organic wool), and includes both environmental and social provisions for post-farm to retail shelf management. Key provisions include a ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), hazardous inputs (such as heavy metals and formaldehyde) and child labor, while requiring living wages and strict waste water treatment practices.

At the training, experts will provide an overview of the standard, case studies of companies certified to GOTS, and a walk-through of the process of getting your company certified. Getting GOTS certification enables your company to offer products to the ever more discerning “green” consumer that are organic from field to finished product and meet the new U.S. Department of Agriculture textile labeling policy which now explicitly permits use of the term “organic” for finished textile articles certified to GOTS.

The meeting will be held from Tuesday, June 28 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Sheppard Mullin offices located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza,  39th Floor, New York City, NY 20112. We’ll start with organic refreshments then move on to the presentations, leaving ample time for an interactive Q+A session.

The seminar will be kicked off by Ted Max, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Fashion, Apparel and Beauty Team. Speakers include:

• Sandra Marquardt, the GOTS IWG Representative in North America
• Grace Gershuny, OTA Representative to the GOTS IWG Technical Committee
• Stefan Bergill, Sales Manager, econscious (GOTS-certified promotional wear manufacturer)
• Marci Zaroff, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, Portico Brand Group (hospitality and retail brand offering GOTS-certified products)   Note: We heard Marci speak at WWD Magic this past February.  She knows her stuff!

Please RSVP by June 22 to:

Sandra Marquardt, International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standard, The Representative in North America, smarquardt@global-standard.org, 301-592-0077

*Note that there will also be a session in San Francisco in the fall so please let me know if you are interested in that as well.