Organic and Eco-Friendly Products

Most people who choose organic do so because they ‘just know that it is better for them’ but how much impact can you actually have on our environment by choosing organic?

What is the extent of the problem?

Over time, pests have built up a resistance to pesticides. For this reason more and more pesticides need to be used in higher and higher concentrations to effectively kill pests. In 2000 alone, 940 million pounds of pesticides were used.

Research has shown that pesticide related acute poisoning and cancer account for over $1.1 Billion dollars of the public health budget each year.

What affect is it acutely having on me?

Research has indicated that there are links between the exposure to pesticides and the following health conditions:

• Immune system suppression
• Nervous system disorders
• Reproductive damage
• Cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• Respiratory problems
• Skin and eye irritation

Who is most at risk and why?

Children are at the highest risk of being affected by pesticides. This is due to the fact that they have a very high metabolism and low body weight.

Pregnant women also need to be very aware of their exposure to pesticides and the effect this will have on their unborn baby.  Over exposure to pesticides during pregnancy has been suggested to contribute to autism, obesity, asthma, brain cancer and other childhood cancers.

What can I do about it?

Choosing organic options will dramatically reduce your exposure to pesticides. Any product produced under organic conditions is strictly prohibited against the use of any pesticide or chemical. Organic farmers therefore use biological and cultural methods to remove pest.

Ettitude is a company that strongly believes that each person or organization can make a different by the choices they make. They manufacture a wide range of baby and kids clothing, bamboo bedding, lien, down products and luxury towels that are all 100% organic and echo friendly.

Textile Production

Cotton is one of the world’s largest textile industries. Textile manufacturing involves the conversion of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles which are then made into clothing or other products. There are five stages in the manufacturing of cotton: cultivating and harvesting, preparatory processes, spinning, weaving, and finishing. Cotton requires intensive farming, so involves large amounts of fertilisers and pesticides, and up to a quarter of the world’s insecticide use. It also has a very high water and energy consumption as a result of going through processes such as bleaching, washing, rinsing, dyeing, printing and finishing.

Eco-friendly textiles, such as organic cotton, wool, yak down, bamboo fibre, hemp, flax, silk and jute, are different to conventionally processed textiles because they are:

a) Renewable resources

b) Grown without pesticides, antibacterials, synthetic fertilisers, fungicides, or genetic modification

c) Cultivated on chemical-free land

d) Processed without being dyed, bleached or treated with other toxic chemicals

e) Biodegradable.

Apart from being eco-friendly, organic textiles are also child and baby friendly. Children are more sensitive and vulnerable to toxins whether ingested as a result of pesticide drift or contaminated water, or absorbed through their skin. Children having thinner and more porous skin, and less melanin to protect it from external irritants. So it is important to expose your child to as little harmful substances as possible, so their development is not affected.

Ettitude

Ettitude provides original, stylish and practical baby and kids’ clothing. All their clothing is organic and eco-friendly, sourced from socially responsible manufacturers and craftspeople. Affordably priced, low allergenic and of premium quality, all their products can be delivered straight to your door.

They also offer eco-friendly bed, bath and kitchen products including bamboo bath towels, dish towels, sheets and quilt sets. A range of eco laundry products are also available, including laundry and dryer balls. Gentle on clothes and free from harsh chemicals, these refillable products save you money and are great for the planet.

What does ‘Eco-friendly’ mean?

‘Eco-friendly’ can be defined as both not harming the environment or proactively preventing environmental damage. There is no international standard for the use of ‘eco-friendly’ as a label, and is really too vague a lot of the time to be really useful. However it does encompass a philosophy, that in combination with organic certification, that helps consumers choose their products more wisely.

Basically the eco-friendliness of a product will depend on the renewability of the resources used, its ecological footprint, its biodegradability and the amount of synthetic chemicals used throughout the product life cycle. These chemicals include fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, hormones, fungicides, and so on. Eco-friendly products are also free from genetically modified organisms.

Eco-friendly Children’s Clothing

What qualifies as eco-friendly children’s clothing? Organic textiles and clothing must be certified by an independent certifier to ensure the integrity of the product, who also sets the standards for the industry.  The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) sets basic standards upon which individual countries can base their standards. These standards apply to the growth, storage, processing, packaging and shipping aspects of the product.

Some of these standards include the avoidance of synthetic chemical inputs, use of farmland that has been chemical-free for a number of years, keeping a detailed written production and sales record, maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products and undergoing periodic on-site inspections. In many countries the commercial use of the term ‘organic’ is legally restricted to those who conform to national standards. They are also subject to the agricultural and food safety regulations that apply to non-certified producers.

Examples of eco-friendly children’s clothing would include articles made from organic textiles such as bamboo fibre, yak down, hemp, jute, organic cotton, soy and milk silk.