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.

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.