Saturday, April 28, 2007

What Makes Organic Clothing Organic? Information on Organic Cotton Certification.


Organic this and organic that is all the buzz these days, but what exactly makes clothing organic? Salts Organic Clothing is made with certified Organic Cotton, not regular cotton. Many Bamboo, Soy, Tencel and Hemp fabric blends are made with regular cotton, not organic cotton. Certified organic fabrics are certified by several governing bodies depending on where they are from. It all starts with the fiber that makes the organic fabric. Salts Organic fabrics are certified by the Control Union World Group formally called SKAL. Some state and governmental bodies also have their own certifying bodies that certify Organic Cotton from their area. Certification processes and procedures may vary depending on the certifying organization, but the underlying values are the same. The organization IFOAM, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement is currently in the process of Defining Organic Agriculture in less than 300 words that will encompass all the objectives of organic farming.

The CUWG or SKAL can certify the fiber or the yarn. All organic land used to grow organic cotton must be treated organically for 3 years in order to be certified. To be treated organically the field must not be sprayed with any pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Crop rotation, manure fertilizer and other earth friendly farming techniques are used instead. Organic Cotton for organic clothing is now grown in 18 countries but still only fills .01% of the total cotton market in the world. According to 2001 statistics the largest producers of organic cotton was the United States, India, Turkey and Peru.

Simply put, organic clothing is made from fabrics that were made from yarns that were made from Fibers that were grown on certified organic fields. These fields are gentle on the environment which has advantages to humans and nature alike. Many small farming villages have faced health struggles due to chemical use on cotton fields. Nature can only dilute and disperse so much chemical until it will begin to affect us all. We will all begin to notice these chemicals it in our food and water supplies eventually. Buying Organic Clothing is one way that you can be gentle on the earth.

Sincerely,
Salts.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

How to Care for Eco-Friendly Fabrics? This is How to Wash and Care for your Organic Cotton, Bamboo, Hemp and Soy Clothing.


Don't be afraid of sustainable fabrics! They feel great, silky and are terrific to wear but they also wash like a dream. Here are some tips on caring for Salts Organic's Sustainable styles!

Bamboo: Bamboo rayon is a really hearty fabric, it has a silky feel but you can wash and dry it like cotton. It even lasts better than cotton. We recommend on our Bamboo rayon garments that you cold wash on regular or delicate and hang dry (uses less power). If you are in a time crunch you can always throw it in the dryer though with no worries! At Salts we mix the bamboo rayon with organic cotton so you have the properties of cotton and bamboo. This makes for a great easy care item. Enjoy.

Soy: Soy is a bit more delicate than bamboo rayon. It is also mixed with organic cotton at Salts. We recommend a cold water wash and tumble dry (again hang dry to save power and $). Spot treat any stains as needed, but make sure you test your stain treatment on an area that won't show if the color gets bleached. Bamboo, Organic Cotton and Soy all can be ironed freely. Our Soy Bella Wrap Hoodie is shown above in Natural color.

Organic Cotton: Organic Cotton, is....well...Cotton. You can wash, dry and iron like you would with normal cotton. Cotton always shows wear and tear if you apply a lot of heat to it, so go easy on hot dryers.

Hemp: Hemp is the heartiest fabric of them all. Hemp actually looks and feels better the more you wash and dry it! It softens up over time like your favorite jeans. So do what ever you want to it. Wash, Dry, hang dry and press, whatever suits your fancy.

Dress Pure. Salts.