Recycled Plastic Yarn with Lauren Choi of The New Norm (Climify)
Welcome to this special Climify and Brands For A Better World crossover episode, as we sit in on Eric Benson's conversation with Lauren Choi.
We all know about those infamous red cups that flood American streets in a plague of crimson litter. But did you know that these same cups - that are considered unrecyclable by many - are recycled to make sustainable fashion wear? That is the mission of today's inspirational guest, the Climate Entrepreneur and Founder of The New Norm Fabrics, Lauren Choi. Lauren joins us to share her journey in climate entrepreneurship, and we begin by learning about the great work being done at The New Norm. We discuss the role of climate entrepreneurs in educating those around them, how Johns Hopkins encourages students to break new ground in climate change and sustainability, the dangers of greenwashing, why consumers are at the forefront of meaningful change, and so much more. Enjoy.
Key Points From This Episode:
• Today we join the Climify podcast as Eric Benson sits down with Lauren Choi.
• Lauren explains how and why she birthed her sustainable fabrics company, The New Norm.
• How the FastForwad accelerator helped her career ambitions, and why it should be standard across all universities.
• How she manages the demands of working in multiple industries simultaneously.
• The specific materials that The New Norm is focused on producing.
• How Johns Hopkins approached climate change and sustainability while Lauren was a student.
• Her advice to educators on how to coach students through potentially groundbreaking ideas.
• What every new or prospective climate entrepreneur needs to know.
• The role of climate entrepreneurs in educating consumers and other service providers.
• Lauren's thoughts on greenwashing and the role of circular-design products in combating misinformation.
• Why consumers are always at the forefront of inciting impactful change.
• How educators should be supporting student entrepreneurs.
• How The New Normal delivers on its impact-driven metrics like transparency and accountability.
• Using her experiences as a case study, Lauren shares some helpful advice for other women founders.
• The sustainability project that she would implement in every classroom.
“So Far, we've never used any chemicals or water to dye the materials, we just naturally dye it by the plastic input- right now, as we scale, we're just not going to use any kind of dyeing; we're just going to keep it natural.” — Lauren Choi [0:25:14]
“One thing I found more and more helpful each year is just talking to folks in the industry [who] have decades more experience than I.” — Lauren Choi [0:30:13]
“There are so many ways you can pursue a startup, and I think that's one thing I didn't know as a student - I wish someone told me when I was graduating, 'Hey, it's okay to, as a student, take a step back, and you don't have to do everything right now in the moment.'” — Lauren Choi [0:31:33]
“The startup lifestyle comes with immense risk. It is not glamorous [and] the day-to-day is a lot of problem-solving.” — Lauren Choi [0:32:23]
“Consumers are causing the movement, entirely. Without that kind of consumer pushback, the fashion industry would not be transforming the way that it currently is.” — Lauren Choi [0:41:41]
“Educators are a really important part of inspiring new types of thinking.” — Lauren Choi [0:45:52]
