When coupled with a chemical-free manufacturing process, organic cotton and other natural fabrics are 100 percent compostable.
One of the best ways to green your home is limiting your purchases of throw-away items. That’s why investing in quality is key. But when you want to change things up a bit, you need not feel guilty about replacing the “old” with the “new,” even when it comes to fabrics. Thanks to all-natural manufacturing processes, you can invest in fabrics that are 100 percent compostable!
O Ecotextiles recently brought compostable fabrics to our attention. Theirs is a fabric manufacturing company whose mission it is:
To change the way textiles are made by proving it’s possible to produce luxurious, sensuous fabrics in ways that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable.
And, as it turns out, theirs are textiles that are compostable too, as they are made from fibers limited to:
- Organic hemp
- Organic linen
- Organic cotton
- Silk
- Ramie
- Bamboo viscose
Of course, the compostability of a fabric is not determined only by its fiber content. Most fabrics are produced using chemical processes that make them unsuitable as a compost ingredient.
As O Ecotextiles explains:
“Water is used at every stage in fabric manufacturing: to dissolve chemicals to be used in one step, then to wash and rinse out those same chemicals to be ready for the next step. It takes between 10% and 100% of the weight of the fabric in chemicals to produce that fabric.
“The production of the fabric covering your sofa required between 4 and 20 pounds of chemicals. The chemically infused effluent – saturated with dyes, de-foamers, detergents, bleaches, optical brighteners, equalizers and many other chemicals - is often released into the local river, where it enters the groundwater, drinking water, the habitat of flora and fauna, and our food chain.”
Plus, the danger of chemicals in our fabrics is not limited to what seeps into our water supply. It’s not healthy to touch or breathe the fabric chemicals we come in contact with on a daily basis, for example, in our clothes and in our furniture.
Instead of using chemicals, O Ecotextiles uses beeswax, aloe vera and vitamin E to soften and finish its fabrics. As a result, their fabrics are compostable. When shredded, these organic fabrics typically break down within 100 days. Free of chemicals, these fabrics will never compromise the organic integrity of your compost pile.
O Ecotextiles collection of fabrics is an impressive one. And while you may prefer giving away funiture, draperies, bedding and clothes that you tire of, choosing compostable fabrics ensures you are choosing fabrics that have the least possible impact on the planet.
To learn more about what’s okay to compost, and what’s not, check out our comprehensive list of compost ingredients. Some may surprise you.
Image credit (bottom right): http://www.flickr.com/photos/squirrel_cottage/2189463721/
Yup, that slhuod defo do the trick!