Help
Sign In
business
April 2008 
How can we collectively grow a greener marketplace?
Posted on Apr 27th, 2007
by 
Jeff
Jeff
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for April 27, 2007:
I hope everyone knows by now that I manufacture made to order drawstring pants. It's my job to understand the world of fabric. A Greener Marketplace would include the reduction of chemicals added to the fabric that goes into making your clothing!
Dr. Dick Irwin, a toxicologist at Texas A&M University, stated that “Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to health. The diseases we are beginning to see as the major causes of death in the later part of (the 1900’s) and into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin.” The chemical toxic overload growing around us is taking many forms including increases in cancer, asthma, and a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) is a syndrome of medical conditions ranging from mild to life-threatening and include headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, irregular heart beat, and seizures.
The garment manufacturing industry is huge internationally and notoriously chemically-intensive and polluting. All stages of the conventional garment manufacturing process, except for the spinning process, rely upon a blizzard of synthetic chemicals, many of which are toxic. Polyvinyl alcohol is often used as a sizing to make the yarn weavable. Harsh chlorine is used to bleach and whiten. Fabric is scoured, cleaned and de-pigmented with sodium hydroxide, heavy metal salts and cerium compounds in preparation for dying. Dyes often contain heavy metal impurities, chrome mordant and formaldehyde-fixing agents. Some Azo-based dyes (Azo dye group III A1 and A2) shed carcinogenic aryl amines.
I hope we are all shifting in a more "greener" direction and should also include the clothing you wrap around your bodies. Your skin is like an absorbent sponge. If you cover your body in clothing that was processed with a litany of chemicals including formaldehyde, (the stuff we use to preserve a dead body), your body is going to absorb it.
Whenever possible you should keep toxic, chemically altered clothing off your body! Organic, unbleached, natural cotton, hemp and bamboo fabrics are the best choices for safe clothing.
Very few of us, I would guess, wash new clothing before wearing it the first time. I once saw a factory in Honduras that had giant rolls of fabric stored just outside the manufacturing floor. The rolls of fabric were routinely sprayed with pesticides to keep the bugs from attacking the fabric. The girls and women inside the factory handled this toxic fabric all day long. Naturally it came to no surprise to find out many of the factory workers were sick all the time. The poison in the fabric was being ingested through their hands every day they were on the job and that same poisoned fabric was turned into little kids overalls to be sold in the US under a famous brand name that will not be mentioned .
Stay Safe
Dr. Dick Irwin, a toxicologist at Texas A&M University, stated that “Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to health. The diseases we are beginning to see as the major causes of death in the later part of (the 1900’s) and into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin.” The chemical toxic overload growing around us is taking many forms including increases in cancer, asthma, and a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) is a syndrome of medical conditions ranging from mild to life-threatening and include headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, irregular heart beat, and seizures.
The garment manufacturing industry is huge internationally and notoriously chemically-intensive and polluting. All stages of the conventional garment manufacturing process, except for the spinning process, rely upon a blizzard of synthetic chemicals, many of which are toxic. Polyvinyl alcohol is often used as a sizing to make the yarn weavable. Harsh chlorine is used to bleach and whiten. Fabric is scoured, cleaned and de-pigmented with sodium hydroxide, heavy metal salts and cerium compounds in preparation for dying. Dyes often contain heavy metal impurities, chrome mordant and formaldehyde-fixing agents. Some Azo-based dyes (Azo dye group III A1 and A2) shed carcinogenic aryl amines.
I hope we are all shifting in a more "greener" direction and should also include the clothing you wrap around your bodies. Your skin is like an absorbent sponge. If you cover your body in clothing that was processed with a litany of chemicals including formaldehyde, (the stuff we use to preserve a dead body), your body is going to absorb it.
Whenever possible you should keep toxic, chemically altered clothing off your body! Organic, unbleached, natural cotton, hemp and bamboo fabrics are the best choices for safe clothing.
Very few of us, I would guess, wash new clothing before wearing it the first time. I once saw a factory in Honduras that had giant rolls of fabric stored just outside the manufacturing floor. The rolls of fabric were routinely sprayed with pesticides to keep the bugs from attacking the fabric. The girls and women inside the factory handled this toxic fabric all day long. Naturally it came to no surprise to find out many of the factory workers were sick all the time. The poison in the fabric was being ingested through their hands every day they were on the job and that same poisoned fabric was turned into little kids overalls to be sold in the US under a famous brand name that will not be mentioned .
Stay Safe
Access: Public
Wonderful response to this question, particularly since you are in the business world of green products and your information is spot-on. This is enlightening and I hope everyone on zaadz reads it.
Regards,
Jackie
Mucho thank you Jacki
My Discussion page summarizes how quickly Hush Puppy shoes went from near extinction to the hottest fashion accessory of the mid 90's in less than a year. I truly think we Zaadzsters have the strength to redefine the way we purchase our clothing. After all, unless one is into a clothing optional lifestyle, it ranks high on our “must have” list.
- Must have air to breath
- Must have water to drink
- Must have food to eat
- Must have clothing and shelter
Just about everything else is optional.
Thanks again
Jeff