At Designtex, our environmental vision obligates us to ground our decisions and actions in sustainable thinking, and to use a spirit of inquiry to inspire sustainable awareness in others. Our mission is to design and deliver innovative solutions that benefit human and environmental health, while educating and challenging ourselves, our suppliers and customers in sustainable practices.

Our vision to think sustainably has led Designtex to cement its commitment to operate as a carbon-neutral company.  Through internal efficiency measures – such as an investment in LED lighting and energy efficient computing, and through waste reduction measures – like our memo recycling program and a bottle recycling effort that will feed PET back into our polyester fabrics, Designtex has engaged its operations to make significant emissions reductions.

In addition, we have made serious investments in renewable energy. In 2007, we began to offset our footprint with a three-year contract for Renewable Energy Certificates for our headquarters’ energy use. In 2009 we underwent a full corporate footprint assessment with the help of Native Energy.  In 2010, Designtex committed to reductions and offsets to take the total footprint of our operations to net zero. And it does not end there. We will continue to support renewable energy and emission reduction projects to remain a zero-carbon company.

Our environmental product methodology, Environmental Design, captures our mission with clarity and insight.  It shifts the focus from trying to identify sustainability in a material to a broader view of locating sustainable potential along a product’s life cycle.  ED illuminates our responsibility to design features into each product that impart greater environmental potential from the beginning.  ED also spotlights opportunities to engage with partners in manufacturing, shipping, and recycling to preserve those features for eventual reutilization.

As we seek to inspire sustainable awareness in others, we’ve learned to expect the reciprocal; it is others who turn around and inspire us.  As we have put our environmental vision and mission to work throughout our organization, we’ve uncovered some inspiring individuals in our own ranks.  It’s clear that the success of our corporate environmental strategy will depend on the individuals who will innovate our products, recycle our bottles, restock our sampling, and call for continued emissions reductions.