The 5th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards, co-sponsored by NYIGF and GREENRetailer magazine, were bestowed to “green” gift and home products in three categories – Most Innovative, Most Sensitive Use of Materials and Most Sellable. Retailers attending NYIGF voted to determine the winners among some 200 “green” products in NYIGF’s SustainAbility: design for a better world® display.

The winners of the 5th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards are:

Most Innovative:
Petal Clutch by walleska ecochicc/ Fashionista Source (Dallas, TX)
This chic ladies handbag is made up from 100% recycled aluminum can tabs and crocheted by hand into a petal design. Through the principles of fair trade, the creative community has spread through nearly all twelve satellite cities outside of Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, employing between 30 to 50 under-privileged artisan women. Wind powers the production of the product. www.ecochicc.com

Most Sensitive Use of Materials:
Recycled Paper Vase - Honeycomb by Made by Humans (Vancouver, Canada)
To create this vase, recycled paper was cut into strips, which were rolled into thin tubes. The tubes were sliced and glued on the exterior of a ceramic vase. A non-toxic dye was applied to give the vase its color, and a food safe, water repellant coating was applied. www.madebyhumans.com

Most Sellable:
Life on Earth Tot Towers by Eeboo Corporation (New York, NY)
Made from paper and recycled greybeard which is easily broken down. It is printed with soy-based ink. www.eeboo.com
 

The 4th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards, co-sponsored by NYIGF and GREENRetailer magazine, were bestowed to “green” gift and home products in three categories – Most Innovative, Most Sensitive Use of Materials and Most Sellable. Retailers attending NYIGF voted to determine the winners among some 200 “green” products in NYIGF’s SustainAbility: design for a better world® display.

The winners of the 4th semi-annual Eco Choice Awards are:

Most Innovative
One World Projects, Recycled Plastic Laundry Hamper from India
This multipurpose basket was handmade in India from recycled plastic. The salvaged plastic strands are created by melting recycled plastic bottles and other bits of plastic waste gathered in the slums of Chennai, India. This company is an original member of the Fair Trade Federation, and supports socially and economically deprived women from urban slum areas by offering vocational training and micro-credit loan opportunities, as well as programs that focus on education and building self-responsibility and confidence.
www.oneworldprojects.com

Most Sensitive Use of Materials
ES, Chilote House Shoe, Chilote House Shoe
Local wool from free range Patagonian sheep and tanned natural salmon skin are the only materials used to manufacture this product. This product, made of 100% natural, biodegradable materials, is hand-assembled by self organized groups of artisan women in the south of Chile. Strict fair trade and ethical production principles are followed, and a highly inclusive production process provides a fair and noble way for low-income families to earn a living and raise their quality of life. The process addresses the synergy of three aspects of sustainability: ecologically benign, socially beneficial, and financially viable.
www.es-salmonleather.com

Most Sellable
I Design Distribution, KISM
This product is made from ecological materials obtained from production waste, reusing trash as a means to safeguard the environment. It’s a patented material made of natural and recycled paper fibers. Yael Rosen started Kisim in 1999 inspired by the simple solutions of Japanese fabric design and the traditional leather craftsmanship of the Middle East. KISIM collection is characterized by connection evolving across time and changes, color and shape, texture and dimension.
www.idesigndistribution.com

These awards, sponsored by NYIGF® and GREENRetailer, recognized the most innovative, environmentally responsible products found within NYIGF’s SustainAbility: design for a better world® exhibit. Winter 2011 Eco Choice Awards were given in the categories of “Most Innovative,” “Most Sensitive Use of Materials” and “Most Sellable” to products receiving the most votes through popular balloting. Details about winners and finalists, and other informative articles on green retail, appear in the Spring 2011 of GREENRetailer/GIFT SHOP.

Most Innovative: 
Growbottle™ Upcycled HydroGarden by Potting Shed Creations
The Growbottle is made from up-cycled, repurposed restaurant wine bottles. It is meant to be reused indefinitely in conjunction with replant kits, or recycled. The hydro garden method is fast, high yielding and a low impact way to garden right in a windowsill. Potting Shed manufactures all products by hand, resulting in minimal waste. This product was designed to be self contained and therefore requires minimal packaging. Potting Shed Creations provides regular product donations to support local and national causes. The company also allocates portions of revenue to organizations such as Save the Children for Haiti. www.pottingshedcreations.com

Most Sensitive Use of Materials:
Teatulia Premium 100% Organic Teas by Teatulia
Each component of this product can be recycled or composted – both the eco-canisters and corn silk pyramid teabags are compostable and biodegradable. All packaging materials are recycled, and displays are made from 100% reclaimed Rocky Mountain Beetle-Kill Pine. These single-garden direct teas require less transportation to reach consumers. All Teatulia Teas are 100% USDA Certified Organic; no other tea line is exclusively organic. These teas are cultivated using the Fukuoka Farming Method, which has created a closed-loop ecosystem in which rainfall is the only irrigation. The company’s farming methods are sustainable, and the cooperative social model directly benefits the people in the surrounding community. Cattle lending and farm share programs give the community a means to attain a better quality of life. www.teatulia.com

Most Sellable: 
Galison Green Bon Voyage Writer's Notebooks by Galison Books
This product is made of 100% recycled paper. Due to the simplicity of the format design, it can easily be recycled again. This company’s factory is audited and complies with the ISO standards. www.galison.com

Click here for the 2009-2010 award winners.