CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
The objective of this crowdfunding campaign is for funding to grow market awareness and revenues of the James&Co brand of womens' unique sustainable non-plastic leather look outerwear. The marketing will benefit the James&Co business and it will also help to reduce, reuse and recycle the plastics-based environmentally-harmful traditional Polyurethane (PU) fabric which makes leather look apparel - most commonly called 'faux leather' or 'vegan leather' apparel.
When James&Co began operation in 2012 as a Peta-approved Vegan brand selling vegan leather outerwear, traditional PU fabric was the only available fabric.
Technological developments since 2012 have created PU alternatives for leather look made out of cork, mushroom, pineapple leaves ('Pinatex'), as well as non-toxic 'water borne PU'(WBPU). Also known as waterbased PU and DMF-free PU. All cruelty-free and sustainable.
James&Co ended manufacturing in traditional PU in 2018 and began tailoring our outerwear in environmentally-friendly WBPU and Pinatex. From our researches, we are the only fashion brand to be doing so for apparel.
We see that James&Co is the brand to be the leader in pursuing the end of PU usage in making apparel because there are now viable alternatives which we are using.
Growing sales of the brand will have the consequential impacts of:
- contributing to reducing the impact of the fashion industry on the environment. Every purchase of a sustainable leather look jacket takes a PU jacket out of the equation and out of toxic landfill
- raising awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the target of substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse by 2030
In order to grow sales and revenue and to have the identified follow-on environmental benefits funding is needed for a professional marketing campaign and the purchase of more WBPU to meet orders.
1. WHY IS TRADITIONAL PU/FAUX LEATHER HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
Polyurethane (PU) was developed in 1937 by Otto Bayer. Not related to the Bayer family which founded the Bayer Group, he was employed by the business which consequently produced the chemical. In 1957 the American group Dupont introduced PU and also went on to develop commercial applications - significantly the Spandex fiber renamed Lycra.
Starting first as a replacement for rubber, the PU industry grew in response to the developments of the scientific techniques which produced it. Biomedical, upholstery, automative applications to the point where, as stated by the American Chemistry Council:
'Today, polyurethanes can be found in virtually everything we touch—desks, chairs, cars, clothes, footwear, appliances, beds as well as the insulation in our walls and roof and moldings on our homes.'
Not going into great detail about how PU is developed, the PU material is the result of a chemical reaction of a polyol (an alcohol with more than two reactive hydroxyl groups per molecule) with a diisocyanate. There are a great range of polyols and diisocyanates which can be combined with a range of catalysts and additives to create the required material for the intended application.
PU is not a standalone material. It is a coating material or 'foam' and to create the intended application it is applied to an underlying fabric base.
Here are the reasons why traditional PU is harmful to the environment and society:
- As described above, polyols are a key component in the creation of polyurethane foam. And fossil fuels are required to make polyols. The use of fossil fuels in manufacture results in the release of high levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
- The chemical reaction of polyol and diisocyanate required to create PU relies on the addition of a solvent. The solvent most commonly used is dimethylformamide - DMF. The use of DMF is released into the atmosphere as a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) or Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) and exposure to it is known to cause a wide range of health impacts to humans and animals.
- PU is a plastic and is not bio-degradable. Used in fashion items such as jackets, these items fall into the consumer response to disposal of clothing - which is to send them to waste fill and add to the known issues of disposing of plastic.
2. DEVELOPMENTS IN REPLACING TRADITIONAL PU WITH WBPU
Technology to replace the use of hazardous solvents like DMF with water has been underway for some years.
A leading organisation driving sustainable alternatives to environmentally-unfriendly traditional PU has been a spin-off from the original developer of PU ie Bayer. Covestro was established in 2015 and is a leading organisation in developing waterborne PU fabrics for apparel.
Covestro has also worked on replacing fossil fuels in the manufacture of PU with recycled C02 thus minimising the impact on the environment during manufacture.
Government concerns about the impact of DMF has also seen growing regulation around its use. The American Chemistry Council notes that US Government regulation of VOCs and HAPs including DMF is driving the use of waterborne PU in industrial and commercial applications.
There are an increasing number of factories particularly in China which now also manufacture waterborne PU - including the factory utilised by James&Co.
The leading sustainable retail group Inditex rules out traditional PU as a fabric which can be used by any of its suppliers.
'DMF is a solvent identified as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and, therefore, its use is under observation by Inditex. Currently, there are alternatives of water-based polyurethane formulations that can be used directly onto the fabric without the need of DMF.'
Waterborne PU is accepted as a raw material by Inditex to qualify as a Join Life product.
3. ABOUT THE JAMES&CO BUSINESS
The James&Co business of womens' ethical outerwear began in August 2012. It was started as a family business by Anne Hurley (me) aided by daughter Jennifer Lucas as stylist/designer/model and son David Lucas as help-when-you-need-it. The genesis for the business was a life moment which changed my life forever. In short, I started my career as a lawyer moving into leadership roles in the telecommunications/digital economy industry. Professional services all the way until in 2011 my middle child beautiful James took his own life at the age of 24. I felt the need to start a business which could do good for the animal world and environment, and help raise awareness of mental health issues and suicide prevention for young people.
The journey of the James&Co brand from 2012 to now in 2019 has involved a number of pivots to harness technology developments and social/environmental initiatives to be the brand for good and sustainability.
2012-2017: establishment of the ethical vegan outerwear James&Co brand
We started as an online retail business in Australia for womens' jackets tailored in synthetic faux leather - which morphed into the descriptor vegan leather - as the alternative to real leather. The fabric was PU. Our outerwear was and is classic biker jackets, bomber jackets, casual jackets, and trench coats.
The brand's Vision from the beginning was achievement of eradicating outerwear fabrics that harmed the animal world and raising awareness of initiatives to reduce suicide rates of young people. With the alternatives to PU our Vision now includes eradicating fabrics that harm the environment.
On the left is the original Nadia James&Co jacket which is still a popular jacket. On the right is the monogram James&Co stud on our outerwear.
2017-2018: eradication of plastics-based traditional PU as the brand's outerwear fabric
In 2018 we ended manufacturing in traditional PU. The leather look fabric traditional PU is a welcome substitute for real leather as it is
cruelty-free and vegan. As detailed earlier in this story, however, it is not environmentally-friendly. It
is a plastics-based and toxic solvent material, high emitter of CO2 in
production, and not biodegradable. Read more.
In 2018 we were enabled by technical innovation to ditch PU
in the tailoring of our outerwear range and move forward with sustainable
leather look fabrics.
- 'water borne' or 'water based' or 'DMF-free' PU (WBPU) which is made in a factory without plastics or solvents and for which water is the primary solvent, is a low emitter of CO2 in production and is bio-degradable. We call it 'eco leather'. Another technical name for it is Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersions (PUDs). Now that WBPU is of a density applicable to apparel James&Co is an early adopter for our outerwear.
Our first eco leather jackets: Ellie, Frannie, Juliana.
- Pinatex pineapple leaf leather fabric which is a natural sustainable material made from pineapple leaf fibres. The pineapple leaves are the by-product of existing agriculture and their use provides an additional income stream for farming communities in the Phillipines. It has been used for shoes, bags, belts and furniture. James&Co was an early adopter of the fabric in our outerwear as the density became appropriate for apparel.
Our first Pinatex pineapple leather leaf jackets: Amy, Ellie, Lelia.
2019 & onwards: growth of sustainable brand & advocate for eradicating plastics-based PU for the sake of the environment
In 2019 James&Co passed the accreditation process and is now a Certified B Corp, testament to James&Co's highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
James&Co has heeded the global call for business to be a leader in pursuing a better world in line with the work of the United Nations and the targets for 2030 set out in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
One of those targets is to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse by 2030. James&Co has responded to the call with our focus on tailoring in sustainable fabrics and helping to eradicate plastics-based PU from fashion.
4. WHY IS THE FOCUS OF JAMES&CO ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS?
When James&Co began operations in 2012 I wanted it to a business that could be used for a purpose and a force for good.
With all the information and science available about the effects of climate change and the impacts of products and actions on the environment, it would be impossible not to respond by taking actions for a better world.
James&Co has taken the step of eradicating toxic traditional PU fabric from its business and I see that it is well positioned to make a corporate contribution to a better more sustainable world. I truly believe that our leadership in this regard can be communicated widely and be a beacon over time for other leather look brands to end the use of traditional PU for their fabrics. It can also be the source of information for consumers to make the choice of products which will be their personal contribution to a better world.
James&Co is currently the only womens' apparel brand which has dis-continued the use of traditional PU for sustainable PU. The success of James&Co selling its outerwear and raising knowledge of the brand will help to make a difference for our planet in these ways:
- every purchase of a James&Co product is a purchase choice which takes a PU jacket out of the equation and diverts a PU jacket from subsequent addition to landfill
- contribute to reducing the fashion industry's status as one of the world's most polluting industries in terms of carbon emissions and even more so when it comes to the impact of contributing to waste and to plastic pollution in our waterways. It has also been estimated that 97% of textiles which are sent to landfill could actually be recycled. There is increasing focus by the fashion industry on 'reduce, reuse, recycle' to lessen the environmental impact.
- sharing information about the James&Co product and it's environmentally-friendly fabric will be information on which consumers can make a choice that will make a difference ie to choose a sustainable jacket over a plastic traditional PU jacket
- it will help in creating the mindset for consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle PU jackets and so make a difference to achieving the UN SDGs:
- REDUCE PU jackets by not buying another one traditional PU one;
- REUSE PU jackets by sending them to charities of choice:
- RECYCLE PU jackets by sending them to James&Co or established points of collection
- contribute to the ultimate removal of toxic plastic traditional PU material from use as a clothing fabric as other brands make the switch to sustainable material in light of consumer demand
- raising the comparatively low global awareness of the SDGs and “Increasing public awareness of the SDGs ... [to] help facilitate the large-scale global change which is required in order to shift the world onto a more sustainable and resilient path and tackle the vast challenges of eradicating poverty and improving the natural environment.” Read more.
5. THE MANAGEMENT TEAM OF JAMES&CO
The current management team of James&Co is effectively the team that started it, with Anne (me) as CEO and the children Jennifer as designer/adviser and David as advice-when-you-need-it.
This crowdfunding project is my initiative because I believe so passionately that the business can make a difference because it has developed into a business with a purpose and commitment to being a force for good. That is, helping the attainment of a sustainable environment through reduction, reuse, recycling of toxic traditional PU fabric in fashion and achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Just as I have driven the business since its inception, I will drive this project so that its objective is met and the James&Co business grows with the consequent follow-on benefits for the environment, the animal world, and the community.
6. OUR CROWDFUNDING PROJECT & HOW YOU CAN HELP
The sale of James&Co sustainable and vegan eco leather jackets has been slowed as we focussed on the internal sustainable operational model and insufficient revenue is being generated to take the business to the next level: expanding sales of sustainable outerwear rather than environmentally-unfriendly outerwear and being a champion driving the work to lower the fashion industry's environmental impact and to make a difference in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 12.
The objective of this crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds to conduct a marketing campaign to increase James&Co revenue. A marketing campaign which is designed and run by a strong professional marketing firm.
A donation to the campaign will be a donation to a cause that benefits the environment, the animal kingdom and the community. A donation to a fund to drive forward the James&Co business as the leading brand for sustainable vegan leather outerwear and champion for using the business to contribute to global UN efforts to create a better world.
You can donate to our crowdfunding campaign by selecting a reward from the list on the right. We are so grateful for your support.
