The Vinyl Question
Remember when green was simply a color? Right after yellow and before blue- it made the Crayola™ box complete. Now you say green and it conjures a whole lotta stuff. It’s the big explosive environmental green that has become the focus of everything in our lives; especially the way businesses and products are viewed, evaluated and consumed by savvy Americans.
Its not that we don’t want to play nice with the environment- we grew up in the days of earth shoes and ecology. And when the kids were born I vowed that only cotton clothing would touch their baby soft skin and my living room floor would never be littered with plastic toys. Then the reality set in and I traded those beautiful cotton clothes for the immensely more practical polyester stretchy suits. I opted for cloth diapers but gave in to the plastic toy invasion of our living room. First the stacking rinks and blocks and then the toy trucks and cars, and of course the wide variety of outdoor equipment that kept my boys occupied from dawn ‘til dusk.
The last bastion of hippy-aesthetic was my dining room chairs- rescued and restored from the resale shop. I had hastily removed the “ugly” green-pebbled vinyl in exchange for groovy all cotton marrimekko-like fabric only to see it turned into a reflection of my kids’ lunchtime food. So off to the fabric store I went and came back with some cool colored vinyl in shades of mustard, berry and orange. Practicality had taken over my life.
So when I went to create backpacks for my kids it seemed natural that the easy-clean, wear-like-iron material that worked so well as chair upholstery would be ideal for the packs. Not only did it withstand throws across the blacktop playground at school, it stood up to numerous yogurt and juice spills and always came out smelling like new and looking like the day it was made.
Not only is vinyl incredibly colorful and sculptural, its antimicrobial, water-resistant, and very durable and any material that’s an alternative has to have the same properties. At CBHstudio, we are concerned about vinyl but struggle to find adequate substitutes. We have tested many other materials that fall short in one way or another. So we have introduced choices for our customers who like our designs but not our vinyl. We are excited to introduce some recycled materials and some totally PVC-free stuff.
As a progressive-minded shopper, you look for consumer products that are thoughtfully produced. You want items that embody the best aspects of green design, that are made out of recycled and earth-friendly materials and that are built by workers who are treated ethically and paid fairly. What you may tend to overlook is the important issue of distribution: how much energy is used and waste generated in getting those products from the factory to the end user. CBHstudio is taking steps to minimize packaging and shipping waste by rethinking how our products get to you. We have always been “green” in many of our company practices and procedures and continue to implement new ideas that save energy and resources.
• Our entire product assortment is produced with care in the USA saving immense amounts of fuel over imported products.
• We are proud that our workforce earns a living wage while helping to sustain an industry and strengthen a community of workers.
• We are always seeking out new earth-conscious, animal-friendly and sustainable materials.
• We have begun to reduce the amount of bulk in shipping by eliminating stuffing and excessive packing material to save fuel and costs.
• We are working hard to source materials and components close to home.
• We design products so that there is minimal material waste.
• We recycle scrap into smaller sellable products.
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