Over the last years there has been a relative rush of books on eco and ethical fashion published across the globe. We think this is an excellent indicator of the public’s awareness of how, what, where and whom produced the clothes in our closets.

Sustainable fashion is fashion that is designed to be environmentally friendly. Fashion designers have recently adopted the idea of sustainability, using more environmentally-friendly materials and methods in clothing production like reduction in wastage, reduction in chemical usage, usage of scrap fabric, gunny bags etc. But are the apparel made out of them actually wearable? Yes, the answer is Dpol technology which can produce ecoi friendly garments which can actually divert us to sustainability keeping the costs low, so as to influence the fashion market on a big picture

The country where Mahatma Gandhi once created a revolution by wearing a simple locally hand woven cotton garment called the Khadi as a sign of independence is still a leader in terms of textile innovations. From high tech weaving to rediscovering ancient dyeing traditions, India has some interesting new answers for eco fashion design.

The first breakthrough comes from August Designs www.august.synthasite.com, which has taken an in depth approach to garment construction and developed a brand new patented technology called DPOL that produces ready to stitch, shaped, woven garment components. This considerably reduces fabric loss by approx 15-20% and lead time by approx 50%. DPOL supports sustainability by reducing chemical and other wastages (dyes, fibers, yarns, energy) by 17%-20%, thus imparting the eco-friendly nature to the apparels right from the inception of the process to develop the garments.

Apart from the eco-friendly aspect of the innovation, there are many notable uniqueness, some of these are: Continuity of design, proportionate design, non repeatable design and motifs etc.

The DPOL technology can be used to manufacture high quality fashion garments with mitering at various panels. Another advantage is that it can also support smaller orders: with quantities starting at one single unit, one can get garments according to their own fit, style and need. This could open brand new possibilities for sustainably minded designers: presently designers source normal fabrics and do the surface ornamentation (embroidery/prints etc) whenever required .This method gives them the opportunity to put the design into the fabrics. One can have different weaves or designs on pockets, collars, cuffs or wherever required. Weaves can produce different textures and designs as desired and fabrics can be designed as per the final silhouette of the final garment so that right kind of design falls at right place, giving a brand new meaning to custom-made!

Aug 11, 2008 – Toronto, Canada – Contact Innovations Inc. will be presenting at the 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum with cheque and eDocument Management Solutions on October 28 & 29 at the Design Exchange in Toronto, Canada.

Contact Innovations Inc. (“CI”), Toronto, Ontario, Canada delivers a broad range of Cheque and eDocument Management Solutions to financial industry, governments, utilities, non-profits and business throughout North America.  CI has been helping its clients with affordable, scalable, innovative imaging solutions since 1994.  CI’s products include: IA (ImageArchive) Cheque BackOffice and Remote Capture, IA Page, IA Statement, IA WebView, IA Remittance and IA FileOptics.  For our US clients, CI offers a Check21 ANSI X9.37 Exchange Interface to the Federal Reserve and other 3rd party exchanges.  In Canada, CI continues to work with clearing agents and financial institutions to implement TECP (truncation) in 2009.

CI will be demonstrating IA Cheque and IA Remittance Software utilizing Digital Check and Canon Image/MICR Scanners.  To learn more about Contact Innovations Inc. and our qualified resellers, check out our website at www.contactinnovations.com.  If you would like to talk to us about our experiences and services, please contact Cliff Copeland at 416-784-5191 x227 or visit us at our booth #204.

The 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum focuses on new, cutting-edge enterprise applications and solutions that are sustainable, flexible, and increase profitability, presented via interactive expositions and engaging conference sessions presented to all corporate users, from service providers to small, medium and large businesses alike.

For more information:

To register for Early-Bird Passes, please visit http://e-financial.wowgao.com/registration

More details about the event can be found at http://e-financial.wowgao.com

About WowGao Inc.

WowGao Inc. is an Event Management Company that organizes and manages internationally renowned conferences and expositions focusing on latest innovations and developments in Information Technology Industry since 2003. We have been honored with an award for our excellence. Our featured events are:

- 2008 Financial Services Technology Forum, October 28 & 29, 2008

- 2009 Government & Health Technologies Conference and Expo, April 28 & 29, 2009

- 2009 Wireless & Mobile Expo and Conference, June, 2009

- 2009 RFID Forum, June, 2009

For any media queries:

Director of Marketing,

416-292-0038 ext 812

I couldn’t help but smile when I read a recent article about leading hoteliers such as Hilton coming up with stylish yet affordable extended stay brands. The reason I find this interesting is because just a few days back, I was having a discussion with the chief marketing officer of a leading hotel chain and this is precisely the dialogue we were having.

How do you understand or predict customer behavior? How do you come up with timely product innovations in response to current customer needs? How do you ensure that your schemes and packages are relevant and will deliver in the current market ? You may be launching discount schemes one after the other, but how can you ensure better returns on these schemes? At WNS we employ Analytics to gain such insights.

The message was loud and clear “innovate to survive.” Hoteliers are now starting to understand this and are keen to engage in discussions as to how they can leverage analytics to drive growth and sustainability.

I remember a project we worked on for a leading player in the travel and leisure industry. The client faced high attrition rates because customers were inactive, i.e., were not using their time share properties, eventually leading to non-renewal of their subscriptions. By using analytics, more specifically logistic regression modeling, we helped the client better understand their customers. As a result, the client targeted specific customer segments more effectively with separate retention programs. This customer insight resulted in substantially reduced direct marketing costs and attrition rates.

It is also evident that data-based business insights play a pivotal role in driving innovation. As a hotelier, in tough times like these, you want to be empowered by actionable insights for all elements of your business including promotion effectiveness, customer segmentation, customer loyalty, risk management, and cost optimization. The increased awareness that comes from the right data will allow you to make better informed decisions.

A recent blogpost by Jim Brown, “Profit Impact of Market Strategy,” a British study of 1,000 businesses during the past 30 years, found that companies that spent more on innovation during the downturn saw return on capital employed rise 23.8% during the recovery, compared with 0.6% for those that slashed spending.”

To survive and grow hoteliers, must have an exquisite focus on targeting the right customers with the right product/service package, now more than ever before. Analytics can certainly help.

Mexico pledges once again its commitment to sustainable tourism by introducing new market-driven, economic opportunities that support conservation and community development. The Mexico Tourism Board and other Mexicans governmental tourism entities, in conjunction with the World Heritage Alliance (WHA), Expedia, Inc. and the United Nations Foundation, have initiated an educational partnership program for Expedia representatives and members of local communities in Mexico to ensure the protection of the delicate biodiversity, while empowering the rural communities through entrepreneurship.

Earlier this year, Expedia employees traveled to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to work with Community Tours Sian Ka’an (CTSK) — a local, predominantly Mayan- owned tourism cooperative working to ensure protection of the delicate mix of coral reefs, mangroves, clear deep water pools, and forests, which are increasingly drawing tourists southward from nearby Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

“We are very excited and proud of the benefits that our small local communities are receiving,” commented Mexico Tourism Board CEO, Francisco Lopez Mena on the Community Tours Sian Ka’an. “CTSK is a perfect example of how we can empower a local community with the right entrepreneurial skills, while at the same time protecting the environment and offering visitors a rich and fulfilling experience,” stated Lopez Mena.

A representative of CTSK, Manuel Quezada IX, was recently a panelist during the United Nations’ Dialogue for the Future: Indigenous Entrepreneurship Forum organized with Aveda, Inc., to discuss issues related to indigenous entrepreneurship, opportunities and challenges. Satisfyingly, CTSK has experienced revenue growth of more than 125 percent, and it was recently recognized with the prestigious Equator Prize, given biannually to the world’s most innovative community sustainable development project initiatives.

“Tourism is fundamental for creating a constituency for conservation,” said Mexico Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo, “It is important for us as leaders in this industry, to empower our local communities and bring significant changes, financial and environmental benefits for all to enjoy,” added Elizondo.

In 2006 and under Elizondo’s leadership, Mexico became a member of the World Heritage Alliance (WHA), as the first national tourism secretariat to ever join an organization as such. By signing an agreement with the WHA, the country reiterates its commitment to the promotion and preservation of Mexico’s 26 World Heritage sites.

Mexico is ranked first in the Americas and eighth worldwide in UNESCO sites, a distinction given to places of historical, cultural and natural relevance to the world. The country’s islands and protected areas in the Gulf of Baja California, declared a World Heritage Site in 2005, are the most recent addition to Mexico’s impressive list.

Pueblos Magicos Initiative

Another initiative undertaken by the Mexican government is the Pueblos Magicos Program. Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat’s (Sectur) Pueblos Magicos program helps increase tourism to towns located near large cities or other tourist sites, reasonably accessible via roads and that are of particular historic or religious value. Founded in 2001, the Pueblos Magicos program coordinates local, state and federal efforts, channeling funds so the towns may diversify and improve their tourism infrastructure and help inhabitants economically.

While the primary focus of Pueblos Magicos is to develop cultural tourism, other segments, such as eco tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism also fall under the program’s canopy. As the towns develop the products offered in the different segments, sustainable tourism is cultivated. The program empowers the townspeople, who must initiate and manage the process. Once a town is declared a Pueblo Magico, it receives funds to support the modernization of the micro, small and medium regional businesses related to the tourism industry, such as handicraft shops and restaurants. These grassroots efforts contribute to the tourism sector’s vitality and creativity as well as promote the entrepreneurial spirit.

About the Mexico Tourism Board

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

# # #

Erick Laseca

Mexico Tourism Board

312-228-0571 ext14

erick.laseca@bm.com

http://www.visitmexico.com

Following up with our last discussion about the challenges that face companies in their goal to sustain innovation and continue to move the company forward, we will now discuss how effectively managing your company’s growth portfolio will help to avoid the problems discussed in our last article. A clearly focused company growth portfolio will give the company direction and keep all members of the team in tune, from the company executives, right down to the individual team members.

Growth Portfolio Management

We will first discuss what a growth portfolio should contain. An extensive growth portfolio will contain a number of projects that are aimed at cost reduction, expanding into new markets, new products, and so forth. Having items such as these in your company’s growth portfolio is a great start, but the important thing to keep track of is how well each of these projects are performing in relation to achieving your company’s desired business outcomes.

Carefully selecting which project to pursue at the right moment is what separates the great business managers from the ones that ultimately fail. Choosing the right combination of projects that increase ROI, increase market share, and are ultimately sustainable is the key to successful growth portfolio management.

Keeping your management and team members focused on the execution of the projects in your portfolio is the second piece of the puzzle. Ensuring that your company has a clear view of what the business goals of the company are will allow the individual team members to better understand where they fit into the big picture of things.

Visit us again next week when we discuss how to handle individual challenges to a successful growth campaign for your company: How to Avoid Missing the Mark.

One way to establish market differentiation is through the introduction of innovative new products. Establishing that differentiation is one thing, but maintaining it is quite another. Here we have put together a ten part series on how to generate higher returns from your innovation investments.

From our series of highly informational articles, companies will learn: how to treat innovation as a cross-functional business process, how to align innovation execution and business strategy; how to create sustainable innovation; how to train your senior executives to successfully execute innovation initiatives; how to effectively manage process and project management; how to measure performance of your processes; how to ensure broad stakeholder buy-in; how to understand the importance of product roadmaps; how to provide the tools necessary for successful product innovation; and finally, how to ensure that portfolio management coincides with process management.

Here is one of the ten practices that leading innovators use to increase the payback from innovation spending: Measuring Performance of Your Processes.

Performance: Does your process measure up?

Portfolio metrics are important. But process metrics are the leading indicators that enable a company to assess the business impact of innovation. Process metrics measure how well a particular innovation initiative is performing against key process adoption criteria.

For instance, you should tally which process deliverables have been completed and which are no longer required or are incomplete in order to determine the rate of actual execution and innovation process use. This type of measurement is particularly important given the alarming frequency with which innovation processes fail simply because the intended users don’t adopt them.

By tracking process adoption patterns across the organization, you can identify and investigate usage issues immediately, and make adjustments across the system to increase process efficiency and efficacy.

A recent study indicated that more than half of senior corporate executives are dissatisfied with the returns their organizations are generating from investments in innovation. However, some organizations are realizing as much as forty to sixty percent more revenue and profit from new products than their industry peers. How do these companies differ?

For additional information on the top practices that leading innovators implement in their business to increase their returns on innovation spending, look for our next article from this ten-part series: Ensuring Broad Stakeholder Buy-In.