Sustainability

Founders Stefanie Zeldin and Lori Slater bring lifelong passions for sustainability to in2Green. Their backgrounds in eco products and design brought them together through a shared vision for the brand, which is why In2Green has been at the forefront of material innovations for over 15 years.  

 

Co-founder Stefanie’s family owned a recycling business focused on textile waste and she grew up immersed in the importance of innovating for environmental sustainability.  As a designer, Lori was frustrated by the lack of earth-friendly options in the home furnishing space, something that felt especially important to her as the mother of four young children. Lori and Stef teamed up to find an alternative path to create long-lasting, durable eco products.  

 

In2green has always recognized that our planet cannot afford for manufacturers to continue to use virgin resources or single use items. One major challenge to tackle: regular cotton (and yes, even organic cotton) requires excessive water processing and chemicals. They decided to focus on post-consumer waste and created our first pieces from a recycled cotton and polyester blend yarn. Later, efforts to make a 100% recycled polyester graphic throw for the outdoor market proved successful enough that In2Green was recognized with the Icon Honor and numerous gift and hospitality industry awards. 

 

By making lasting products with second generation materials, In2Green has helped transform the domestic textile market which continues to grow with more recycled materials available than ever before.  As a standard, in2green only uses natural wool, recycled polyester and recycled cotton in our products. At In2Green, the entire team is committed as product developers and designers to reducing waste, and reusing it to make unique products for your home. In2Green products are soft, washable and meant to last a lifetime.  

 

Yarn and Fabric  - Our materials include:

• Recycled Cotton: This yarn is made from up-cycled post industrial t-shirt clippings salvaged from the manufacturing process. Recycled cotton requires no additional dyes and reduces resources since no irrigation is needed for new crop growth.

• Recycled Polyester: We utilize recycled polyester, which is created from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles that otherwise would go to landfill or become ocean trash.  This post consumer waste is transformed into the fabric that creates our throws.  Recycled polyester uses less energy in production than creating new materials and produces less emissions than virgin polyester production, offering a smaller carbon footprint than new polyester.  Sources: https://www.alpla.com/en/pressrelease/2017/08/study-confirms-excellent-carbon-footprint-recycled-pet  https://www.commonobjective.co/article/is-recycled-polyester-green-or-greenwashing

• Blends: We use a blend of natural wool fibers blended with recycled polyester and recycled cotton. This helps make our specialty fibers not only affordable but boosts the sustainable features of the overall blend. We utilize blends to maximize the softness of each piece and include fabrics that minimize carbon emissions and water usage.

• Indoor/Outdoor throws: Our indoor/outdoor blankets incorporate a sun-resistant and quick to dry feature through the dyeing process. This fabric meets NFPA 260 standards for hotel use.  

 

Washing 

A key element to being sustainable in our everyday lives is how we approach caring for our eco-friendly purchases. Our products can be machine washed on the cold cycle with gentle detergent. Our throws are made to last the test of time (and plenty of washes — just ask our hotel and resort customers). However, all products can produce microfibers when washed — one trick to minimizing that is to put your In2Green throw into a wash bag such as the Guppyfriend which helps reduce microfiber shedding. Air dry your throw to conserve energy or tumble dry on low. 

 

Production (Made in USA)

All of our products are made in the USA.  Our main headquarters is in New York and we manufacture within 60 miles of our studio to keep our carbon footprint small. Our process is low energy, utilizing electric machines and vintage looms that have been modernized for our production. We have worked hard to revitalize the domestic textile industries, bringing back jobs to produce our throws and other sustainable products. All our factories are focused on quality, safe working conditions and environmentally friendly processes. 

 

Company Ethos

We are committed to practicing sustainable principles throughout our business. We ensure our offices are committed to recycling and are actively working to remove single use plastics from our work stream.  This is how we approach our business and we hope that our customers join us in this ongoing journey to purchase thoughtfully and live with an eye towards the environment. We know that In2Green will leave a legacy, and we want it to be one that both our children and customers are proud of.

We encourage you to spend time outside with our throws, as we are consistently inspired by nature. Our designs celebrate the beauty of leaves, flowers, mountains and beaches, and we don’t see our throws as something that can only live within the four walls of our homes.

 

As a brand, we are consistently reevaluating our processes and setting new goals in sustainability for In2Green.  From using deadstock fabric for our ponchos to collaborating with inspirational women who are upcycling experts, In2Green is always open to exploring possibilities for renewal.

 

Partners

In2green is committed to providing help to those in acute need when possible. In emergency situations, we work with partners to provide small comforts in the best way we can, by providing our throws to help “make a home” for those who are without one due to unforeseen circumstances.  Some of our partners include elder care homes, homeless shelters, and refugee relocation programs. Partners include Homes Not Borders, Afya, Project Home and many more.