Portico Home to 'Bring Home the Green'

New York — Portico Home, the brand acquired last year by industry veterans Gregg Haft and Charles Schlang, is preparing to launch an aggressive campaign to tout Portico's green bona fides.

Model-activist Summer Rayne Oakes has signed on to help develop a consumer and brand awareness campaign to promote the line of eco-friendly home products in the United States and Canada.

"The issue is out there and is extremely relevant," said Haft, who is also the owner of Fayette, while Schlang is the owner of Renaissance America. Fayette and Renaissance share offices and frequently contract work to one another.

"Consumers want to be green-sensitive with their purchasing decision but are not properly educated to fully understand what that means," said Haft. "The same challenge, unfortunately, applies to retailer merchants who buy 'green' and eco-responsible products without full knowledge of what the claims mean and how they actually benefit the environment."

Portico will urge consumers to "Bring Home the Green" through video clips featuring Rayne as well as email blasts, blogs, mail and print media. Additional platforms will include home media, national media and environmental influencer media.

"These are the influencers who understand the difference between legitimate 'green' claims and those that are 'green washing'," said Haft.

Portico Home textile products, targeted for a late spring '09 launch, will be made of 100% certified organic cotton, using certified low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes in processes that have a 70% absorption rate to minimize waste. Processing will be certified for each stage of manufacturing, emphasized Haft.

The brand is being positioned as a luxury line for sustainable living, and product categories are expected to encompass furniture and housewares as well as home textiles. The brand currently has a spa personal care line.

"Portico is about promoting a culture, not any specific product," said Haft.