Beware of “Greenwashing”
Consumers must be warned that hundreds of products are marketed as “organic” or “sustainable” but are not truly organic nor sustainable. Warning signs include: 1.) cheap prices (certified organic products are unfortunately not cheap), and 2.) the manufacturer claims “organic” but does not have an actual certificate from the GOTS or another well-respected certification. If a manufacturer truly wishes to be part of the sustainable movement and has nothing to hide, then they would get their products certified. Without certification, the products’ organic authenticity is highly doubtful. To make matters more confusing, there are alternative certifying bodies with lower standards that will certify products as “organic” even if they have only 5% of organic material in their composition. So some disingenuous manufacturers use 5% organic cotton and 95% conventional cotton, but market and sell their products as “organic.” For these reasons, if organic is important to you, which it should be, make sure the company you are buying from has a GOTS certificate like us. Our GOTS license number is 00270925.
GOTS: The Highest Organic Standard
GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and is the world’s highest organic textile standard. It was founded by four organizations: Organic Trade Association (OTA, USA), Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft (IVN, Germany), The Soil Association (UK), and Japan Organic Cotton Association (JOCA, Japan). Each had developed individual processing standards for organic textiles, and GOTS came about from the desire to harmonize these standards so that they were internationally recognized. An important distinction is that GOTS certification involves the entire supply chain from farm to factory to consumer. Therefore, from non-GMO, organic seeds and healthy soils all the way to your home, every step of our supply chain meets the requirements of the GOTS. Our GOTS certification is very important to us because it ensures that our products are not only environmentally responsible to the highest standard, they are also socially responsible along the entire supply chain, ensuring that workers are fairly treated and fairly paid, every step of the way.
Reference: https://global-standard.org/
ECOCERT®: A Guardian for Planet Earth
Based in Toulouse, France, ECOCERT® is an international standard bearer and certifying body for organic farming. Since 1991, ECOCERT® has supported organizations that have a positive social and environmental impact. They strive to enable production processes that respect the environment, better manage available energy and natural resources (water, air, soil fertility), and promote social responsibility, better product quality, and safety. All of these elements are essential to address today's economic, social, and environmental challenges in order to build tomorrow's world. ECOCERT® is a true guardian for our planet. bathmōd® is proud to have GOTS certification by ECOCERT® Greenlife and to be a part of these two leading organizations.
Reference: https://www.ecocert.com/en/home
Harmful Textiles: Conventional Cotton, Synthetics, Bamboo Viscose
Conventional cotton is known as one of the “dirtiest” crops in the world due to its high reliance on chemicals to grow and process. Global conventional cotton production requires over 7.5 million metric tons of chemical fertilizers per year.(1) And in the US alone, 68 million pounds of pesticides are used on conventional cotton each year. To make matters worse, conventional cotton processing also involves the use of toxic chemicals, such as ammonia, azo and heavy metal-based dyes, flame retardants, formaldehyde, petroleum scours, and softeners.(2) According to the World Wildlife Fund, it takes more than 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons) of water to produce just one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of conventional cotton,(3) and overall global cotton production requires over 250 billion tons of water annually.(4) Unfortunately, synthetic fabrics like polyester, microfiber, and nylon contribute their own environmental hazards, including their reliance on petroleum and subsequent release of greenhouse gases and their release of 200,000 to 500,000 tons of micro-plastics into the oceans every year.(5) Bamboo viscose is also not a sustainable option due its use of sodium hydroxide, carbon disulfide, and caustic soda which are ‘notoriously’ toxic to both the environment and humans.(6)
A Sustainable Solution: GOTS Certified Organic Cotton
Thankfully, the GOTS prohibits the environmentally harmful practices that are used in the production of conventional cotton, synthetics, and bamboo viscose. Organic cotton is grown and processed without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or any of the aforementioned toxic chemicals. It uses 62% less energy and 91% less water than conventional cotton. Because synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not used, organic cotton results in 46% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional cotton.(7,8) Organic cotton is 100% natural and therefore does not require petroleum for processing, nor does it contribute to micro-plastic pollution like synthetic fibers do. Finally, organic cotton does not require the use of any of the toxic viscose chemicals that are needed to break down and convert bamboo into usable fibers. As a company, we choose to go even further than the GOTS standards by not using any textile dyes or chlorine bleach during production. This essentially makes our terry among the most environmentally friendly terry that is currently available.
No Harmful Chemicals
Our organic terry is certified chemical-free by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100. 100% natural, dye-free, chemical-free, and chlorine-free means our towels are perfect for sensitive skin or for those who just want to dry off with the most luxurious and eco-friendly towels available.
Support a sustainable future!
References
(1) https://www.statista.com/statistics/201124/global-fertilizer-use-for-cotton-from-2010/
(2) Dr. Kathleen Delate, Ben Heller, and Dr. Jessica Shade. The Environmental Footprint of Organic Cotton: Chemical Use in Conventional Cotton. https://www.organic-center.org/
(3) “Newell, Andrea. “Quenching Cotton's Thirst: Reducing the Use of Water in the Cotton Lifecycle.” TriplePundit, 23 Feb. 2016, https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/quenching-cottons-thirst-reducing-use-water-cotton-lifecycle/57196.
(4) The World Counts. https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/cotton-farming-water-consumption/story
(5) “Microplastics from textiles: towards a circular economy for textiles in Europe.” Briefing no. 16/2021. Published February 10, 2022. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/microplastics-from-textiles-towards-a
(6) Sanders, Laura. “Bamboo: Eco-Friendly Fabric or Environmental Disaster?” Updated November 30, 2020. https://www.euronews.com/green/2020/11/30/bamboo-eco-friendly-fabric-or-environmental-disaster
(7) Organic Trade Association. “Organic Cotton: It’s better for the environment and here’s why.” https://ota.com/organic-cotton-it%E2%80%99s-better-environment-and-here%E2%80%99s-why
(8) Textile Exchange. “2017 Organic Cotton Market Report.” https://textileexchange.org/2017-market-reports/
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