The textile industry has a reputation for its impact on the environment but the latest of news of river pollution in Xintang, Guangzhou will come as a shock to many wearers of the blue jeans manufactured there . The Pearl River, where an estimated 200 million pairs of jeans are made every year for around 60 foreign brands, has been shown to be running black by satellite images. The nearby river bank is also piled up with scraps of denim.
The dying process in the denim factories which turns white cotton into the indigo blue denim colour that we all recognise, results in tonnes of waste water containing a cocktail of dye, bleach and detergent being released into the water system. Agricultural run off and other pollution from factories are also a problem in the area.
Greenpeace has recently published a report called ‘”Poisoning the Pearl”which has found many factories have been dumping waste water into the river. Test on the effluent from five different factories including a textile factory found that all contained all five contained excessive amounts of heavy metals, organic pollutants and chemicals. High levels of these substances are neurotoxic, carcinogenic and they disrupt the endocrine system. Manganese, a heavy metal that was found can also cause brain damage.
Greenpeace has now set out a list of demands which includes calling on industries to replace hazardous chemicals by replacing them with safe alternatives and governments to introduce strict regulations to restrict and eliminate the release of hazardous chemicals.
Further information can be found on http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/news/poisoning-the-pearl
Over the last month, we have had some really good weather and hopefully there will be lots more sunshine to come. It is generally considered to be bad for children to exposed to too much sun and scientists recommend that children wear high SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreens to block out the ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. So how do we limit the chemicals that we apply to our children’s skin whilst protecting them from the damaging effects of the sun.
Generally sun hats and long sleeved tops and trousers in thick materials or fabrics like bamboo are a good alternative to sun cream. When swimming or on the beach, you can buy sun suits which protect children from the sun. There are however some occasions when sun cream is needed. There are now quite a few different chemical free sun screens on the market but if your child has particularly sensitive skin it is worth testing in small patch of skin anyway. Which ever sunscreen you choose, it should always be applied carefully to ensure proper coverage and reapplied regularly.
Some of chemical free children’s sun creams available include: Green People, Lavera and Absolutely Pure.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet. If you choose to eat organic food, a box scheme is a great way to get fresh, local produce delivered to your door regularly. With many box schemes, you do not know what you will receive. This is a great way for you and your children to try out a variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables and to get creative in the kitchen. Organic box schemes are great for the environment, not only because the fruit and vegetables are grown without the use of pesticides but also because they are local and seasonal cutting down on both food miles and packaging.
Box schemes are also a great way to support local farmers. They provide a much better deal for farmers than they get from supermarkets and the money that you spend will be invested back into the local economy. Some organoc box schemes also offer other organic products including milk, cheese, preserves etc. For those that prefer to see before they buy and pick out their own fruit and vegetables, a local farmers market is also a good option.
If you would like to join an organic box scheme, try one of these providers:
www.abel-cole.co.uk
www.bumblebee.co.uk
www.organicdelivery.co.uk
If you have chosen a green and eco friendly lifestyle and would like to find out how you can bring your baby up in an eco friendly way, the eco-nomical baby guide is a great handbook covering all aspects of green living with a baby. The book is written by Joy Hatch and Rebecca Kelley, authors of the popular blog The Green Baby Guide, which also contains all sorts of useful tips and information.
The book is not just about being eco friendly though, the tips are also really economical and are a great way to save money. There are some great ideas that show it is possible to stick to your green values and your budget. Some of the topics covered in the book include buying baby equipment, choosing cloth nappies and baby food. If you think it is going to be miserable living in this way, then think again, the book also focusses on how to have a healthy and happy baby and maintain a great quality of life.
The economical baby guide is available from Amazon
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is the recognised standard and certification for raw materials, intermediate and end products within textiles production. It test for chemicals that are prohibited or regulated by law and chemicals which are known to be harmful to health. Baby clothing and products have their own class and allowed levels.
This month there have been a number of changes to the Oeko-Tex 100 standard partly with the aim of providing targeted support to companies in implementing of harmful substance specifications in their company quality assurance programmes. From 1st April, all companies with Oeko-Tex 100 certification will recieve visits at three yearly intervals.
There have also been a number of changes to the laboratory tests used in the certification process and the levels of substances allowed. The bleaching agent diiso-butylphthalate (DIBP) has been added to the prohibited list and acceptable levels have been set for Dioctyl tin (DOT) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon substances (PAH). There was a particular focus on sustances included in the European Chemicals Agency Candidate list for example the use of the plasticiser DIBP (diisobutyl phthalate) has now been regulated accordingly.
There will now also be a new modernised Oeko-Tex label template making it easier to recognise products with the certification.
The 14th annual Real Nappy Week will run from 26th April to 23rd May this year. The campaign which is organised by Go Real, the Real Nappy Information Service will include interactive events across the world aimed at encouraging the use of real nappies. It will use both social and digital media to encourage people to ‘Go Real’ together and create a worldwide community of users of real nappies.
The Real Nappy week will launch with the World’s Largest Nappuccino, taking place at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It will also be streamed live through the Go Real website. There will be lots of other events held around the UK and online coverage including video and audio content, photos, blogs, tweets and webinars. On Monday 26th April, Go Real TV will be finding out why bamboo and sustainable cotton are such sustainable materials from the Eden project and environmental experts will be showing how you can reduce your carbon footprint by using real nappies and in other ways.
Go Real lists the benefits of using real nappies as including being better for the environment by reducing rubbish and carbon footprints, being more economical than disposable nappies and being comfortable for babies to wear.
For further information on Real Nappy Week and using real nappies visit www.goreal.org.uk
April 20th,2010
Bamboo Baby Organic Baby Clothes,
Organic products,
Waste Reduction,
childrens health,
eco friendly baby care | tags:
bamboo baby organic baby clothing,
carbont footprint,
organic cotton,
real nappies,
real nappy week,
washable nappies |
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On Friday, Organic Exchange announced its new goals and initiatives aimed at advancing the sustainable development of textiles globally over the next five years. The objectives included develop an industry-wide ‘Factory Environmental Performance Standard’. The standard would be used to evaluate factories on environmental criteria including water usage, chemicals and energy. They also included delivering an assessment tool that companies can use to evaluate how sustainable textiles products and processes are. There were also plans to increase communications channels with the creation of global forums, blogs, and other communications platforms focussed on the innovation and integrity of sustainable textiles.
The Organic Exchange is most recognised for its support and work with organic cotton farmers most notably by leading the growth of the organic cotton market from under $300 million in 2002 to over $3 billion in 2009. . It remains committed to this work but also wants to widen its remit to include to cover eco-textiles and sustainability throughout the supply chain. Their goals include improving sustainability practices, helping to standardise product integrity and implementing a chain of custody standards and systems to support sustainability claims.
Further information on Organic Exchange can be found on http://organicexchange.org
Whilst breastfeeding is generally considered the most healthy option for mother and baby for at least the first few months of a babies life, there may be times when this just isn’t possible or parents choose not to and use bottles instead. As milk is the babies only source or nutrition in the first few months and a very important part of their nutrition throughout childhood, it is important that they are given the right type of milk. Babies cannot normal drink cows milk straight away and so a formula is essential for those that cannot or do not want to breastfeed on their mothers milk.
A young babies system is particularly sensitive to chemicals and pesticides and organic baby formula milk is the best way to ensure that they do not receive any traces of chemicals with their milk. Babynat organic infant formula is made from organic skimmed milk. The cows are fed with organic food in compliance with organic regulations and are not treated with any antibiotics.
Babynat milk is suitable from birth or in combination with breastfeeding. It is available from a range of stockists in the UK.
The Environmental Justice Foundation have just launched a popup shop at 57 Carnaby Street in London. The shop is selling a range of organic cotton t shirts with designs by designers including Alice Temperely, Richard Nicoll, Jenny Packham, Giles Deacon, Ciel, John Rocha, Luella, Betty Jackson and Christian Lacroix. The shop will be run by volunteers and all profits from sales in the shop will go to the Environmental Justice Foundation charity. The shop will be open 7 days a week until the fourth of May.
The pop up shop will also sell designer concessions by many of the leading names in ethical fashion including Katherine Hamnett, Veja, From Somewhere, Monkee Genes, Goodone and Pants to Poverty and Lowie. There will also be a series of events at the shop including film nights, live music, designer talks, and Late Night Shopping.
The Environmental Justice Foundation is a charitable organisation which campaigns to stop environmental abuse and protect the basic human rights of those affected. One of its important campaigns is to clean up cotton which includes eradicating child labour and the deadliest pesticides from cotton production and promoting organic alternatives.
The latest organic perfume to be launched just in time for spring is Sheer Stella Organic Rose Limited Edition Summer EDT by Stella McCartney. It builds on the success of Stella’s original Sheer perfume, a complex mix of sparkling fruit, delicate floral and soothing amber by adding a note of organic rose.The roses are grown by an Ecocert awarded cooperative high in the Persian mountains. The bottle is also very attractive with a design of layered roses by the British contemporary artist Philip Jones.
Stella McCartney is well known for her dedication to animal rights and green issues. Her organic fragances and body products follow strict vegetarian principles and are completely organic. They are crafted with organic fragrance oils and essences and do not contain any animal products or chemicals. Her fragances are fresh, modern and elegant.
