Eco Chic

Hi friend!

You know how I feel about being environmentally suave.  It's a priceless quality, and becoming almost as important as a sense of humor.  One of the best bumper-stickers I ever saw (and I hate bumper stickers...too much commitment) said, very simply: "Mommy, what were trees like?"  Seriously.

Well, I'm very proud of Nordstrom.  For one, by the end of the year we will be using shopping bags, gift boxes and tissue paper in all of our stores that are 100% recyclable. Oh yeah!  Out with the old and on to greener horizons!  We've also decided to jump on the eco-tote train, and man do we have a cute one: she's a foldable, metallic brushed linen bag featuring a fabulous cityscape by Ruben Toledo.  Every city we're in is represented in the cityscape and the linen is the coolest shade of gray.  The handiest part of this little cutie is the little case it zips in and out of (think of a CD case, only metallic silver)...when the case is unzipped and the bag is open, the case becomes the bottom of the bag and protects it from damage.  It's $21.95 and fits two shoe boxes and is going to be a huge hit.  We'll go on a trial run in the Northwest, Northern Cal, and Southern Cal regions and if you love her as much as we do, we'll launch it company-wide.  If you're in those areas, hop in your bio-diesel, head out to Nordies and check out the chicest way we're becoming green.   

Comments

[Brian Pemberton]

Hello this is great news!

I am the founder of a new bag company. I produe 100% reused bags, ot recycled, but reused! The are ncreadibly strong, have a much smaller carbon foot print than recycled paper bags and are very inexpensie.
They are currently unique in the market. Would you have the contact details of the buyer for your recycled bags. I will be happy to send them some samples for consideration. Knd regards
Brian Pemberton

[Diane MacEachern]

I'm glad to hear about the effort to use recycled paper and reusable bags. Now...let's get more clothing made from recycled fibers and organic cotton into the store! That way people can really shop green! Diane MacEachern, www.biggreenpurse.com

[Diane MacEachern]

When you say your bags will be 100% recyclable, what exactly does that mean? Will they be made from recycled paper, or #1 or #2 plastic? Thanks.

[lorie]

thanks for the eco news, i'm a big fan of the reusable bags. i still can't understand why people don't use them more. i love the "i don't get wasted" tote that origins organics has, it fits everything and is really cute:) thanks again for the post!

[omg its RAChEl]

It's amazing how being eco-friendly has gone from geek to chic in a matter of months. It once was a trend among fanny-pack wearing women, and is now a trend on Newbury Street. xox, rachel <3

[Kim]

Hi Brian! Thank you for your interest in becoming a Nordstrom partner. Samples and company information can be submitted to: Nordstrom Corporate Procurement, 1501 - 4th Avenue, Suite 2200, Seattle WA 98101

[Kim]

Thanks for the question, Diane! Our shopping bags will continue to be made from 100% recyclable paper. The previously synthetic cord handles will now be 100% cotton, making the entire bag 100% recyclable. Our shopping bags do not contain post-consumer content.
Our gift boxes will now be printed with metallic ink, rather than a laminated film, which will make them 100% recyclable. Our gift boxes contain a minimum of 30% post-consumer content. Essentially, it means both can go into the recycle bin with the rest of your paper recycling.

As far as our offering of organic products, we have so much more than ever before. On Nordstrom.com, there's an Organic Style section that covers most of the "green" brands we carry. Also, if you just pop "organic" into the search field a great selection will appear. It's a very important issue for us and I'm happy to say i'm beginning to see it represented on the floors. A step in the right direction!

[Abby]

As an avid and obsessed Nordstrom shopper I am very excited to be able to recycle the copious amounts of gift boxes I accumulate around the holidays. Also I hope that Nordstrom will be offering their reusable shopping bag online since not all of us are privileged to live on the trendsetting west coast. Nordy shoppers in the mid west would love to do their part for the environment as well!! I've also noticed more organic cotton pieces from the Nordstrom product lines, it's nice to know that Nordstrom is doing their part to "go green"

[Kim]

Thanks for the comment, Abby! The Reusable Tote is a brand new venture, so we're doing a "test pilot" in just a few stores to see the response, and I'm happy to report it's doing so well! After this initial introduction, the bags will be available at most stores (including the Midwest of course). Because we want our shoppers to actually use the bag, it's better for us to sell them in the stores to carry your packages out. As a result, we don't think the tote will be offered online in the near future. But, please give one of the "test pilot" stores a call and we'd be happy to send you one.

[Adri]

Please let me know exactly how I can order these bags. I am in Texas and they are not available here. I love the idea and collect Ruben Toledo art. Thanks in advance.

[Adri]

Please add or send a list of the exact pilot stores. :)

[Kim]

I'm so happy to hear you're a Toledo collector, Adri! The best way to get your hands on a bag would be to call one of our bigger stores, like Downtown Seattle, Topanga or San Francisco for example, and have one sent to you. Just ask our operators to connect you to the Accessories department and they'd be happy to help. P.S...they'd make great holiday gifts, don't you think?

[Ang Stevens]

This is a gorgeous, get-up-and-go eco-friendly tote. I live in NYC and it is a great option for toting on-the-fly purchases home. I love the convenient hidden side pocket with the metallic zipper. The size is generous and the straps are large enough to carry over the shoulder with room to spare. I have a feeling this will quickly become one of my "go-to" totes for the summer. Nice job Nordy's...now, how about opening a store in NYC??? This CA native misses you!

[Ethan]

This is great news! I also just read about Nordstrom cutting energy consumption. That's the kind of leadership we need. Who is leading the sustainability initiative at Nordstrom? I work for an environmental nonprofit in Seattle and we would love to collaborate.