Imagine my pleasure in finding a kindred spirit! Delia Montgomery, founder of Chic Eco, writes on sustainable fashion at Feelgood Style, part of the Green Options blog network. (My, that's a lot of links...). Her recent post "Bamboo Fiber: Greenwash or Treasure?" reinforces the message I've been trying to get across here. Here's a choice morsel:
Conscious fabric retailers need to look for certification from an independent and reliable certification company. Currently, Oeko-Tex is the most comprehensive label for insuring that the garment is healthy for consumers. Other certification bodies are Soil Association, SKAL, or KRAV. Bamboo fabric buyers are wise to ask specific questions about textile development in addition to a label demand.
Tomorrow I'll be winding up my FTC coverage with a post about certification and standards. Stayed tuned!
Conscious fabric retailers need to look for certification from an independent and reliable certification company. Currently, Oeko-Tex is the most comprehensive label for insuring that the garment is healthy for consumers. Other certification bodies are Soil Association, SKAL, or KRAV. Bamboo fabric buyers are wise to ask specific questions about textile development in addition to a label demand.
Tomorrow I'll be winding up my FTC coverage with a post about certification and standards. Stayed tuned!
2 comments:
THANK YOU for your posts on bamboo and the FTC event. I didn't go (and couldn't get the webcast to work) but I did read the transcripts and plan to submit my own comments on the subject. I really enjoyed your bamboo-zled post. May I link to it from my site? I love the gorilla tactics in trying to get bamboo companies to get it right!
It take objection to this quote: "Oeko-Tex is the most comprehensive label for insuring that the garment is healthy for consumers." Isn't Oeko-Tex a simple residue test? My understanding is that the Oeko-Tex 100 only addresses chemical residue and although that may be "healthy for consumers" it certainly doesn't address the processing and the toxins that are used to make the residue free item. Can an item be "healthy for the consumer" and still poison the planet?! I believe if we really care about the environment we should be looking for a standard that addresses the toxic processing. The Oeko-Tex 1000 I believe addresses the actual processing but when I ask companies which they are certifying to they all either don't know are say the 100.
I personally think GOTS is a much better standard.... in that it addresses fair trade too. Sadly, Oeko-Tex seems to have a larger marketing budget. I personally call every time I receive a catalog that touts the Oeko-Tex certification as "the premier environmental standard"... I complain but the catalogs still come.
For another great bamboo blog check out: http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/08/bamboo-sprouting-green-myths.html
Thanks for letting me rant... ;)
I ama huge fan of the Organic Clothing blog -- very well research, solid information. Of course you can link to NWL from your site. Any way to get the word out! Check out today's post on standards, as you are spot-on on Oeko-Tex 100.
Post a Comment