ECOSTORIES

O Ecotextiles is troubled, as you probably are, by all the green-washing going on as environmental awareness increases. We're not perfect – yet – but we're determined to do our best. Get some facts by reading Our Green Is True Blue.

We searched the world to find production partners who share our vision and passion. With their help, we're cleaning up textile processing at every stage possible. Learn more by reading our Star Stories.

Read our Brochure, Four Reasons to Feel Good About Your Fabric Choice (PDF).

Ecofacts

Traditionally produced fabrics contain residuals of chemicals that evaporate into the air we breathe or are absorbed through our skin. Some of these chemicals may trigger allergic reactions - and much worse. According to a June 5, 2005 article in Business Week, the population that is allergic to chemicals will grow to 60 percent by the year 2020. If you want to read a riveting account of chemicals and health - and the critical importance of honesty and research - read When Smoke Ran Like Water by Devra Davis, an epidemiologist former scholar in residence at the National Academy of the Sciences.
Many textile manufacturers use dyes that release aromatic amines (e.g., benzidine, toluidine). We do not. Dyebath effluents may contain heavy metals, ammonia, alkalai salts, toxic solids and large amounts of pigments. Our dye houses' wastewater treatment yields pristine water.
All of the mills O Ecotextiles uses have wastewater treatment in place. Every 25 meters of an O Ecotextiles sofa fabric prevents 2,300 liters of chemically infused effluent-about the size of a California hot tub and containing from 1 to 10 kg of toxic chemicals from entering the environment. (Based on VPI study for Dept. of Environmental Quality for the state of Virginia.)
Chlorine bleach is known to be harmful to the environment and to consumers, yet chlorine-based chemicals are still often used to bleach fabrics. In O Ecotextiles' mills, the bleaching method of choice is oxygen-based (hydrogen peroxide) and the wastewater is treated. In one mill, ozone, a very new technology, is used for bleaching.
Rather than using harsh chemicals to soften and finish our fabrics, O Ecotextiles' finish is made of bee's wax, aloe vera and Vitamin E.
O Ecotextiles is testing some new flame retardant finishes that claim to be free of VOC's, PBDE's, deca-BFR's or brominated based chemicals. The companies that produce these flame retardants claim that they can meet most fire codes. We will post the results of these tests when they become available.

See more in Textile Industry & Environmental Hazards.