In Plastics, Part 1 (last week’s post; click here to read it) I tried to give a summary of why plastics are not such a good thing. The Plastic Pollution coalition has a list of basic concepts about plastic. Click here to read the expanded version: Plastic is forever Plastic is poisoning our food chain …
Philosopher George Carlin once said, “Man is only here to give the planet something it didn’t have: Plastic.” And man has done well: plastic is ubiquitous in our world today and the numbers are growing. We produce 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago. The production and use of …
It looks like the plastic bottle is here to stay, despite publicity about bisphenol A and other chemicals that may leach into liquids inside the bottle. Plastic bottles (which had been used for some kind of consumer product) are the feedstock for what is known as “post consumer recycled polyester”. Recycled polyester, also called rPET, …
Chris Wood – an independent journalist living on Vancouver Island, Canada, wrote an article in Miller-McCune about China’s cotton problem. Most of the information here is taken from his article. You can read the complete article here. Clients often ask us where our fabrics and/or fibers come from because, they tell us, they don’t want …
Synthetic fibers are the most popular fibers in the world with 65% of world production of fibers being synthetic and 35% natural fibers. (1) Fully 70% of that synthetic fiber production is polyester. There are many different types of polyester, but the type most often produced for use in textiles is polyethylene terephthalate, abbreviated PET. …
Is it true, as one of the leading fabric distributors says of its “green” fabrics made of recycled polyester, that after “years of enjoyable use, these fabrics are recyclable?” Does buying that fabric really help reduce our dependence on a non renewable resource and lessen the burden that plastic is inflicting on our environment? I’d …
We’ll be at Greenbuild next week, booth 910, with our good friends from LIVE Textiles. Please stop by to see us if you’re there. We are introducing a new organic wool upholstery fabric at Greenbuild (we’re hoping it will be GOTS certified, though it is touch and go as to whether the certificate will be …
The Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS) prohibits all “genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and their derivatives”. According to the Organic Exchange, none of the organic growing standards established by any government allows for GMO crops. In April, 2009, Germany announced a plan to ban all GMO crops in the country, citing concerns of the environmental impact, …
“Bamboo” fabric has taken the world by storm – people love its luxurious softness, smooth hand and gentle drape, and they also seem to love its eco credentials (as touted by those selling the fabric). It’s easy to tout bamboo (the plant) as eco friendly, because it is a wonderfully beneficial plant and just might …
Last week we talked about the importance of livestock management in the battle against climate change. It came as a real revelation to this city girl that large grazing animals are a vital and necessary part of the solution to climate change. Sheep can actually help to improve soils, which improves the soil’s ability to …
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