Action sports apparel maker Volcom Inc. isn’t moving into the sustainable food market, although it’s following a similar path by applying the growing farm-to-table approach of the food industry to the manufacturing process for its T-shirts.
The Costa Mesa-based company is rolling out a new collection this spring under its “Farm-to-Yarn” program, an initiative being used in India that uses certified organic cotton that’s traceable to local farms.
Volcom plans to release a documentary this year highlighting the push and the brand’s sustainability efforts.
“We are truly proud of this program as it embodies both environmental and social benefits,” Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Immegart said in a statement. The initiative “represents another strategic milestone in our never-ending mission to be true to this planet.”
The cotton is sourced from villages in the Madhya Pradesh region of India. Last year’s pilot for the program resulted in production of an estimated 15% of Volcom’s total organic cotton supply.
In partnership with sustainable cotton consultancy CottonConnect, the program also helps support farmers in India through a year-long organic farming skills program, educational programs for women farmers and business courses.
The root of the program is to create a transparent supply chain while implementing practices that decrease Volcom’s emissions and other environmental impact.
Prices for the current Farm-to-Yarn collection starts at $22.
Volcom’s program is part of a larger goal set by its Paris-based parent company Kering to use 100% organic cotton by 2025.
Milk Money
Huntington Beach-based ad agency Gallegos United and its longtime client California Milk Processor Board in San Clemente unveiled a new loyalty program this month where customers can earn cash for drinking milk.
Shoppers can register at MooMoney.com and submit a photo receipt through April 28 of any real dairy milk purchased, online or in-store, in California. The receipts help shoppers earn “Moo Money” points that can be redeemed for cash, delivered through a virtual reward card that can be used at retailers accepting Mastercard before June 1.
The program follows a $16 million advertising campaign created by Gallegos last summer to shift away from the board’s iconic “Got Milk?” messaging to a multiplatform and multicultural campaign employing the slogan, “You Can Always Count on Milk.”
The board’s Executive Director Steve James said launching “Moo Money” was a way to thank and reward families for their loyalty to milk.
“For 25 years, we have connected with our consumers in meaningful ways through some of the most iconic ad campaigns,” he said in a statement. “Now, we are thrilled to be able to give back to all the families in California that recognize that fresh and all-natural dairy milk, the original farm-to-table food, offers great taste and wholesome benefits.”
The new program is a first for the milk board and will be promoted by paid media, online, radio, and social media efforts as well as in-store campaigns.
Bits & Pieces
Costa Mesa-based Blue C Advertising is gearing up to launch new digital work for client Stark, an Irvine-based high intensity training gym. It redesigned the gym’s website, making it mobile-friendly. It also filmed a new brand video and helped outfit the walls of Stark’s recently opened Newport Center location with new floor-to-ceiling artwork. … Irvine’s Ignite Agency Chief Executive Mark Thimmig has joined the board of Toronto-based mobile marketing and payment firm iSIGN Media. … Mobile market research firm MFour in Irvine partnered with Chicago-based market research firm IRI to launch IRI OnSights, a solution providing more accurate information on consumers’ consumption behavior in bars and restaurants nationwide based on data collected via mobile device.
