Avery Dennison RBIS, a global provider of apparel branding, labeling, packaging, embellishments and RFID solutions, celebrated the opening of its Los Angeles-based Customer Design and Innovation Center (CDIC), a 15,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in the city’s Arts District.
The LA center will offer a collaborative experience for apparel brands with access to deep consumer insights and the latest trend information from Avery Dennison RBIS. The CDIC will also equip the apparel industry with custom embellishment and analysis tools for intelligent, creative and sustainable designs that help communicate the power of their brand.
The LA CDIC is the third of its kind. The first opened in 2010 in Miamisburg, Ohio and focuses on information solutions presented by the technology of radio-frequency identification, known as RFID. The second, which opened in Germany just outside Dusseldorf in 2011, offers the full range of RBIS capabilities and is the model for the Los Angeles facility.
The new CDIC is tailored specifically to the interests of Los Angeles’ design community, focusing on brands in the denim and surf and skate markets and partnering with established and emerging designers to create memorable and inspiring designs.
In conjunction with the CDIC opening, Avery Dennison RBIS is releasing the findings of its “Power of Branding Solutions” research, a global study to determine the relative value consumers place on the individual label, tag, and packaging when purchasing a garment. Through this study, Avery Dennison RBIS learned that the ideal mix of on-garment branding through labels, tags and packaging can help increase consumer purchase intent by an average of 17 percent.
Avery Dennison RBIS provides sustainable solutions that elevate packaging for apparel, footwear and accessories. These solutions will be showcased at the CDIC, along with Avery Dennison’s Greenprint tool, a way for customers to aid their understanding of the environmental consequences of their branding and packaging materials decision-making.
In addition to Greenprint, plant-derived bioplastic will be represented at the CDIC, an alternative to conventional polyethylene (PE), which is typically derived from fossil raw materials such as oil or natural gas, and is found in everyday product packaging. Plant-derived bioplastic is a more sustainable alternative to polyethylene and is made from ethanol from Brazilian sugarcane, a renewable raw material. Because it exhibits the same characteristics as conventional PE in application and performance, it permits brands to reduce their environmental footprint. Avery Dennison RBIS’ portfolio also includes labels made from 100 percent recycled polyester yarn; Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper for graphic tickets, tags and labels; and recycled plastic fasteners for attaching brand and price tickets.
In May, the Avery Dennison Foundation awarded a $200,000 grant to the Rainforest Alliance to foster best practices in forestry management, create jobs and increase access to sustainably managed forest products. Avery Dennison has been using responsibly sourced paper since 2008 and, with guidance from the Rainforest Alliance, announced an industry-leading paper sourcing policy in 2013. The company is actively working to eliminate controversial fiber sources, increase certified and recycled sources and improve environmental performance in the supply chain.
In 2012, Avery Dennison Retail Branding Division and Information Solutions (RBIS) became the first solutions provider to join the Sustainable Apparel Coalition – composed of brands like Nike, Gap and Target, as well as manufacturers, non-government associations, academic experts and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – which is dedicated to bringing greater environmental insight and transparency into the production of consumer goods.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Oct 6, 2014 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST