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<br />questions, but we felt it was important to
<br />know the technology first."
<br />There are only about 30 providers of 100
<br />percent wet cleaning in the U.S. Another
<br />100 or so shops offer both kinds of clean-
<br />ing, compared with some 30,000 dry clean-
<br />ers. But the industry may be poised for
<br />change. The activist group Greenpeace is
<br />leading an anti-perc campaign, and wet
<br />cleaners like Ecomat are starting to adver-
<br />tise aggressively. Ecomat operates 10 stores
<br />in the New York metro area and expects to
<br />open another 59 in the next year.
<br />Perc-free alternatives for home use are
<br />also cropping up. Last fall, Procter &
<br />Gamble introduced Dryel, a new product
<br />that allows people to take care of their
<br />"dry-clean-only" fabrics at home. The
<br />product includes a spot-treatment solu-
<br />tion and uses the heat of a dryer to freshen
<br />clothes. It is made from biodegradable
<br />ingredients found in other household
<br />cleaning products. Yet Procter & Gamble is
<br />touting Dryel's convenience, rather than its
<br />"green" advantage. P&G interviewed
<br />30,000 people about their dry-cleaning
<br />habits and tested Dryel in aboUt 10,000
<br />homes. Its finding: dry cleaning is still a
<br />convenience issue.
<br />"Top of mind for most consumers is real-
<br />ly the busy schedules they face:' says Carol
<br />Berning, a researcher for Procter & Gamble.
<br />"For most consumers, what happens at the
<br />dry cleaners is really a mystery. It's not that
<br />they don't care about the environment.
<br />They just don't put the environment at the
<br />
<br />top of the list in ~he benefits they most want
<br />to hear about."
<br />
<br />PASSION FOR FASHION
<br />
<br />Americans show the same kind of behavior
<br />when it comes to hair coloring. While esti-
<br />mates of the share of women who color their
<br />hair vary a great deal-they range from 20
<br />to 40 percent of women-analysts agree
<br />that the practice has become more popular,
<br />and that it is likely to grow as the number of
<br />women on the far side of 40 increases. More
<br />than three-fourths of salon owners expect
<br />hair coloring to be a major growth area over
<br />the next two years, according to a survey
<br />conducted last year by Modern Salon maga-
<br />zine. And for every salon customer, there are
<br />nine women who tint their tresses at home,
<br />according to Marianne Knutson, a brand
<br />manager for Aveda, Inc. of Minneapolis.
<br />An interesting paradox is at work in the
<br />women's hair-care field, says Knutson.
<br />Women are clamoring for products that are
<br />labeled as eco-friendly and gentle on tlleir
<br />hair, but these personal heaJth and social
<br />concerns aren't driving sales. For example,
<br />Aveda has had great success with its Shades
<br />of Enlightenment line of permanent hair
<br />colorings, which are 97 percent organic but
<br />use some synthetic preservatives and dyes.
<br />But health concerns haven't been the main
<br />reason for the success.
<br />"I think people are concerned with the
<br />condition of their overall health and the
<br />quality of their hair," says Knutson. "But an
<br />over-riding concern about hair coloring
<br />
<br />and how it relates to physical health is not a
<br />large factor."
<br />Researcher Nellie Brown estimates that 20
<br />percent of hair stylists leave the profession
<br />because of health problems, such as allergies
<br />and respiratory problems arising from
<br />chemical use. But the average American's
<br />tendency to rationalize away problems
<br />when the solution is inconvenient also keeps
<br />the salon industry from changing, she says.
<br />The tendency to rationalize may be par-
<br />ticularly strong in the fashion area, where
<br />rapidly shifting perceptions of beauty are
<br />the bottom line. The possible risks of dry
<br />cleaning and hair coloring are hard to sepa-
<br />rate from eyebrow plucking, breast
<br />implants, fad diets, stiletto heels, and other
<br />beauty aids that seem illogical. "It's kind of
<br />crazy;' says Brown. "But we've done crazier
<br />things for fashion:'
<br />
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<br />TAKING IT FURTHER
<br />Roper Starch Worldwide measures public atti-
<br />tudes toward the environment in its ongoing
<br />Green Gauge survey. For information, contact
<br />Rachel Watstein at (212) 599-0700. For a sum-
<br />mary of the Center for Neighborhood
<br />Technology's "Greener Cleaner" project and other
<br />resources, contact the CNT at (773) 278-4800,
<br />or visit its Internet site at' http://www.cnt.org.
<br />Nellie Brown may be contacted at the Chemical
<br />Hazards Information Program, 237 Main Street,
<br />Buffalo, NY 14203; telephone (716) 852-4191;
<br />e-mail njb7@cornell.edu. Ecomat is at 147
<br />Palmer Avenue, Mamaroneck, NY 10543; tele-
<br />phone (914) 777-3500.
<br />
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