Spring 2010

Second Annual Eco-Choice Awards By Poornima Apte

At the winter edition of the New York International Gift Fair, hundreds of products competed for Eco Choice Awards in three major categories. Here are the winners.

At the winter ’10 edition of the New York International Gift Fair, retailers voted for the winners of the Eco Choice Awards after evaluating dozens of companies participating in the show’s SustainAbility display.

Sponsored by GREENRetailer and the NYIGF, the Eco Choice Awards recognize the most innovative and environmentally responsible products within NYIGF’s “SustainAbility: design for a better world” exhibit. This was the second edition of the Eco Choice awards, which premiered at the Summer ’09 NYIGF.

Award categories included: Most Innovative, Most Sensitive Use of Materials, and Most Sellable. Retailers considered more than 220 green products before making their final decisions. Winners were selected for inventiveness, newness, aesthetics and functionality. Each category features one winner and two notables. Finalists are also featured in each category. For a list of the finalists, check out our extended version online at giftshopmag.com.

Participating vendors in the SustainAbility display must meet a fixed set of green criteria including ones that address the nature of the product, production processes and business practices. A three-tiered ranking system assigns ranks to participating products and companies depending on their level of commitment to outlined green standards.

The next edition of the Eco Choice Awards will take place at the Summer 2010 edition of the NYIGF, August 14 through August 19.

For information and registration, visit www.nyigf.com.

Poornima Apte

Poornima Apte is an award-winning experienced freelance writer and editor. Learn more at wordcumulus.com.