Dec 18, 2013

“Green” Products Highlighted in Two NY Now Initiatives

WHITE PLAINS, NY, December 20, 2013… Two “green” initiatives will recognize socially-responsible and eco-friendly products and producers to be featured at NY NOW™, the Market for Home + Lifestyle (formerly NYIGF^®), February 1-6, 2014 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal’s Pier 94.  From nearly 200 products selected for NY NOW’s SustainAbility: design for a  better world® exhibit, eight have achieved NY NOW’s highest “Degrees of SustainAbility” status, and 30 have been named finalists in the 9^th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards (online balloting in three Award categories opens on December 20 at www.giftshopmag.com/votegreen).

“The common denominator among these products and producers is the innovative application of ‘green’ materials, production processes and business practices,” said Christian Falkenberg, NY NOW director and GLM senior vice president. “Through the Eco Choice awards, we’re crowd-sourcing to determine which ‘green’ home and lifestyle products resonate most strongly for retail.”

Degrees of SustainAbility

From nearly 200 products accepted for the winter 2014 SustainAbility: design for a better world exhibit, eight have been designated as achieving NY NOW’s SustainAbility³, the top-ranking level for eco-friendly and socially-responsible products, production processes and business practices. NY NOW’s “Degrees of SustainAbility” initiative outlines industry-specific criteria for identification of green products and producers, with a three-tiered rating – SustainAbility¹ through SustainAbility³ –indicating the extent to which a product/producer complies with these standards. Ilene Shaw of Shaw+Co! curates the exhibit and designates each participant’s ranking.

The eight companies designated with the highest SustainAbility³ ranking this winter include: Alegria for its Trumpet Flower cuff handmade by a Brazilian artisan from recycled metals; ecojot for its fashion-themed journals made of 100% post-consumer paper in a biogas mill; Everyday Artifact LLC for its Picture Pendants, handmade using 100% solar power; Kneipp for its Warmth & Energy Mineral Bath Salt made from plant-based materials using 100 % hydroelectric energy; Marina Paper (P) Ltd for its Chomolungmo Travel Diary made from biodegradable cotton and Daphne fibers by Nepalese artisans; Plan Toys for its Activity Boat made from reclaimed rubberwood trees using solar energy and low emission bio-fuels; Semaki & Bird for its Farm Notes made from recycled paper using hydroelectric power; and The Green Glass Company for its Oversized Glass (Re)Bottled made from re-purposed wine bottles.

These SustainAbility³ designated products will be identified by special signage in the display at NY NOW. A complete listing of winter 2014 SustainAbility participants and featured products is available online at www.nynow.com.

Eco Choice Awards

Three of the nearly 200 “green” products showcased in NY NOW’s SustainAbility display will be selected, by popular vote, as winners of the 9th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards, sponsored by NY NOW and GREENRetailer magazine. Through January 6, buyers and suppliers can vote for their favorites from among ten finalists in three categories – “Most Innovative,” “Most Sensitive Use of Materials,” and “Most Sellable.” The finalists’ gallery is accessible online now at www.giftshopmag.com/votegreen, with winners recognized at NY NOW, and profiled in the spring 2014 issue of GIFT SHOP magazine.

The ten finalists in the “Most Innovative” category include: Alkemie Jewelry  Stingray Cage Cuff; BITTERS CO.™ Cork Ice Bucket; Cardtorial Plenty of Fish in the Sea; Catherine Weitzman Handmade Jewelry Plumeria Cuff; Delight London rubber band Modernist necklaces; Albertine Press “Greetings From” letterpress postcards; Geared For Imagination Casagami; innovativeKids green start® Little Color Books; The Green Glass Company Oversized Glass “(Re)Bottled”; and Zak Designs Moso bamboo dinnerware.

In the “Most Sensitive Use of Materials” category, the ten finalists are: 2b design home LLC “Swan” candelabra made from a repurposed 1910 wrought iron gate; ALEGRIA Trumpet Flower cuff; Everyday Artifact LLC Lithographic print earrings and rings; MUJUS Samuel cufflinks in Monaco Blue; Mushana market bags with leather handle; Shupaca alpaca clothing and accessories; The Winding Road handmade wild hemp bags; Worker B’s Worker B Raw Honey; Worker B’s Worker B Skincare; and Zoe b Organic Fantastic beach toys.

The ten finalists in the “Most Sellable” category include: aMano Fair Trade coffee bag computer case; Be Home Inc. recycled glassware with dots; Christophe Pourny Studio Furniture Tonic; Cognitive Surplus Fish+Bones Soap; Eco-Brazil Corp/Echo-the-World Jarina necklaces from Brazil; Good Paper’s “You Complete Me”; Hand in Hand Bar Soap; LUprints Horizon Birchwood Coasters; OOTS! Woodmobiel; and Scintilla Rain & Deep Blue Water scented candle..

The winter 2014 edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, will run Saturday, February 1, through Thursday, February 6, 2014, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Pier 94. NY NOW’s four comprehensive collections – HOME, LIFESTYLE, HANDMADE and NEW! – will encompass 100,000 products in 400+ product categories. Some 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 80 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at www.nynow.com.