This episode is sponsored by alphabroder.

This month, we’re joining in the conversations about sustainability, and our podcast guests offer deep expertise on the topic. As we celebrate Earth Month, it’s important to note that it’s no longer acceptable not to implement sustainable strategies in your apparel decorating business. From defining what the jargon is surrounding sustainability to offering actionable tips, our expert guests give decorators the tools they need to move forward.

Guests in this episode:

• David Clifton, chief marketing and customer experience officer at alphabroder
• Steve Wegner, principal at GMPC LLC – After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Business Economics, Steve began his career in sales at IBM. His success at IBM later provided the seed money needed to launch edgewear, a line of apparel designed for an active lifestyle. In 1994, Steve founded Big Accessories headwear and bags. In 2005, Big Accessories merged with GMPC and went on to create econscious in 2006, the first line of sustainable blank apparel and accessories.
• Kriya Stevens, director of econscious – Born among the rugged hills of Big Sur, California at Esalen Institute, Kriya’s love of nature and all its creatures began at a young age. Later in life, Kriya found a way to marry her passion for fashion and nature preservation by joining econscious in 2007. Kriya received her BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University and her MBA from Dominican University of California, with a focus on Global Strategic Management and Corporate Social Responsibility’s impact on profitability. Kriya serves on the Fiber Council of the Organic Trade association, whose aim is to create a cohesive voice across fiber categories within the association and to grow the organic sector.

Key Takeaways

• Apparel decoration shops should market any and all sustainable actions via websites, email marketing, customer conversations, and more
• The higher cost of sustainability is no longer an excuse not to implement it
• There are plenty of suppliers, resources, and educational information that decorators should engage with to help build their programs

Check out the alphabroder “Sustainability Selling Guide” for actionable tips.