Organic and Eco-Friendly Products

Sustainable Living

Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s use of the Earth’s natural resources. The idea is to live in a manner that is sustainable long-term in relation to the planet’s cycles and resources. Sustainability is a concept concerned with meeting present ecological, societal and economical needs without compromising these factors for future generations.

Sustainable living has been described for this century as ’shifting to a renewable energy-based, reuse/recycle economy with a diversified transport system’. Two factors related to achieving sustainable living include sustainable design and sustainable development. Sustainable design refers to the development of appropriate technology for creating sustainable living practices. Appropriate technologies could include the development of carbon sequestration, wind power, solar power, non-fossil fuel cars and so on. Sustainable development is the use of these green technologies in infrastructure.

One way to increase the sustainability of one’s lifestyle is to use eco-friendly, non-toxic and organic products and clothing.

Eco-Friendly Products

Ettitude produces a range of eco-friendly, affordable and unique products ranging from baby and children’s organic clothing to luxury towels. Their collection of baby clothing redesigns the basics in 100% organic cotton to be modern, practical, stylish, low-maintenance, durable and often multi-functional: from T-shirts to rompers, pants, sleepsuits, beanies and blankets.

Ettitude also offers a range of bamboo fibre bed and bath products that are highly absorbent, anti-static, hypo allergenic, incredibly soft and silky, and 100% biodegradable. These include hand towels, face towels, kitchen towels, bath towels, quilt cover sets and sheet sets.

Then there is their range of eco laundry products that are tough on dirt but gentle on your clothes and the planet. They remove stains, thoroughly wash and soften clothes, but contain no chemicals. Their laundry balls not only last for 1000 washes (approximately 3 years if you wash every day), but are refillable so you don’t need to throw them away. Their laundry balls, dryer balls and stain sticks are toxin free so the washing water can be used as grey water.

Origins of the Towel

It is thought that the modern towel was first created by the Turks between the 17th and 18th centuries. Two main factors contributed to the use of towels. The first was the use of special towels by Arab and Turkish brides in a ceremonial bath on the day of their wedding. The other factor was the Turkish baths, which required specialised soaking cloths for different parts of the body. Moisture-absorbing cloths were created specifically for the head, shoulders or hips to create a more relaxing experience.

The Turkish bath towel measured approximately 90 cm x 110 cm, made of cotton or linen. The Ottomans gave towels style, design and fancy weaving. With their expert carpet weaving skills, the Turks created 2/2 twill weave towels with extra-warp loop pile (loops of thread standing up from the cloth). All the towels were hand woven, adding to their reputation.

Organic Towels

The manufacture of towels developed from hand woven to machine produced. This increased the level of efficiency and lowered overhead costs, meaning towels became more affordable. Although hand woven towels continue to be crafted today, they tend to be much more costly. With the industrial age came great variety in products as well. Towels varied in colour, patterns, thickness, softness and composition. The range of towels also multiplied, including hand towels, kitchen towels, children’s towels, beach towels, sports towel, foot towel, wash cloths and so on.

Although originally made of cotton, organic bamboo towels actually provide a higher absorbency rate. Bamboo towels are thought to have first made an appearance in the 1960s and 1970s with the birth of the environmental movement. With increased awareness of the damage that the textile industry has on the planet, new methods of cultivation and manufacture were found, as well as new raw materials to use. Bamboo towels are exceptionally soft and absorbent, naturally antibacterial and better for the environment.

Towels

A towel is a piece of absorbent cloth used for wiping or drying, whether to dry yourself or something else. The material draws moisture away from the body through contact, otherwise known as wicking (the flow of liquids through porous material). Bath towels are generally woven with a loop or pile for absorbency. Usually this involves the use of a dobby loom. Dobby is short for ‘draw boy’, which refers to the weaver’s helpers who used to control the warp thread by pulling on draw threads.

Bath towels are generally produced in single colours, although some are decorated with embroidery. The reason for not printing designs on towels is that towels are exposed to a lot of water and would probably not retain their patterns very long.

Traditionally produced towels are made from cotton or a blend of cotton and polyester. The raw material is spun into yarn, coated (with products such as PVA starch and wax), woven into fabric, bleached, dyed, hemmed and labeled. All towels are bleached white before it they are dyed, using chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, caustic defoamers and so on. The wet linen is subjected to high temperatures to create a chemical reaction, then it is washed a couple of times to rinse out all the chemicals. This process not only creates toxic byproducts as waste and uses huge amounts of water, but also leaves you exposed to toxic chemicals.

Bamboo Towels

Towels made from bamboo fibre are more environmentally friendly than traditionally made towels. Not only are they made from a highly sustainable and renewable resource that is naturally antifungal and antibacterial, but they are not treated with toxic chemicals such as bleach.

Bamboo towels are highly absorbent, silky smooth in texture, breathable, odor resistant and hypoallergenic. They are extremely durable because the pulp fibre is extracted naturally through steaming and boiling, not chemical processing, so its special structure is retained as are all its incredible properties.