With the birth of Loup, I discovered the world of children’s clothing. I say “I” because it’s mainly me who takes care of the clothes. Like many of us, I have often bought pieces from H&M or Zara or Kiabi to name but a few. But when I dwelled on the labels, the same countries often came up: China, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh… Attractive destinations for traveling but not for dressing…
It was by reading the articles of Merci Raoul and Minuscule infini that I became more and more aware of the importance of our purchases and the impact they had on Loup and the environment. Thank you girls!
THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY: A MORE THAN BAD BALANCE SHEET
Between the treatment of waste relating to the production of clothing, the water used, the dyeing products and transport, the textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world. We’ve known all this for a long time, that’s why I like numbers and data, they impact me much more than long sentences. The textile industry is responsible for 17 to 20% of water pollution in the world (70% in China). Since January 1, 2018, manufacturers have used 1,300,000,000,000 liters of water to dye fabrics. Mad!
Added to this are the tons of chemicals used and too rarely cleaned up which go back into the waterways. Thus we find pretty names in the waters near the factories: manganese, alkyl phenol, cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead and copper which impact the water tables used for drinking water. Moreover, behind the textile industry unfortunately hide degraded social and sanitary conditions for the workers: miserable wages, deplorable and even dangerous working conditions and exposure to chemicals. And I’m not talking about the impact of fiber production like cotton in terms of pesticides, water, GMOs and soil impoverishment.
And at the end of the chain, there is us. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of toxic products from inks, treatments and fertilizers: heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, benzene, allergenic dyes… on OUR skin. It is a transparent evil because it cannot be seen.
BUT THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES!
Fortunately, many manufacturers think outside the box. Labels, certifications, standards emerge and help us consumers or rather consum’actors to buy healthier, fairer and more natural clothes.
Here are the main labels that I favor when buying and which guarantee ecologically and humanly responsible clothing:
GOTS:(Global Organic Textile Standard) This is the world reference for organic textiles. The GOTS label guarantees cotton without fertilizers and without pesticides. For the composition, there are 2 GOTS mentions “organic” (product contains at least 95% certified organic fibers) and “composed of organic fibers” (at least 70%). The chemical inputs used, such as dyes and additives, must comply with a number of environmental and toxicological criteria. Production and processing systems must also comply with environmental rules. A functional wastewater treatment facility is mandatory for any wet treatment unit used and all manufacturers must comply with a number of social criteria (respect for employee rights, freedom of association,This is the one I prefer the most
OEKO-TEX 100 which guarantees the absence in clothing of substances that are dangerous to the health and skin of the consumer (heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, benzene, allergenic dyes, etc.). Certified garments bear the mention “Textile Confidence”. Attention ! As a reader told me, OEKO TEX does not guarantee the absence of harmful chemicals but their maximum presence below legal standards.
OEKO-TEX 100 plus: Products are Oeko-Tex 100plus certified if they meet both the Oeko-Tex 100 and Oeko-Tex 1000 criteria. It certifies the absence of substances hazardous to health , but also respect for the environment. Good social conditions during production are also guaranteed. It’s the finished product that is tested and not the manufacture of the raw materials. This label is gradually being replaced by “Made in Green”.
MADE IN GREEN : Oeko-Tex has also created a label, Made in Green, which makes it possible to trace the certified product : the country or countries in which it was manufactured, the different stages of production, etc. It takes into account environmental criteria, such as the OEKO-TEX 100, but also social (working conditions).
LESS CLOTHES, MORE QUALITY
Today, I am convinced that we also vote through our purchases and the way we consume. Thanks to the internet, we have a range of shops or empty dressing rooms offering labeled or second-hand clothes for children.
On the price side, I completely agree that we go from simple to triple for any piece, but over time, I realized that it changed the way I consume. Before, I used to buy a lot because it was “cheap”, now I prefer quality to quantity and my budget hasn’t skyrocketed. Loup’s dressing room has shrunk considerably: less stuff and pieces that have an above-average lifespan.
Thus, we have learned to keep clothes longer for a very messy age! The fabrics are of good quality and deform very little. To tell you, Loup has a Cosalina wool/silk top and he’s been wearing it for 9 months. Woolen clothes in particular should only be washed if they are really dirty, otherwise a small passage outside to air them and they come out very clean.
WHERE TO FIND HEALTHY AND NATURAL CLOTHES FOR CHILDREN?
Here are my favorite shops, I have already tested the first 7:
Mini Scandinavian : Julie offers anoraks and woolen clothing for children and babies, from birth to 6 years old. Based in France
Fool de Wool : a webshop of merino wool clothing for children from 0 to 10 years old. Based in Belgium.
Duns Sweden : GOTS clothing in unisex and colorful organic cotton.
Veja : ecological, fair trade sneakers, made with raw materials from organic and agro-ecological agriculture, without chemicals or polluting processes (go for it! And say stop to the Stan Smiths!).
La queue du chat : organic cotton clothing, comfortable and fair trade.
Mamoulia : organic clothing store for babies and children, in merino wool, organic cotton or ecological hemp. Based in France.
Elo is Bio : Organic clothing, without toxic products, made in France and Europe.
Serendipity : GOTS clothing for the whole family. Based in Denmark.
Maman Owl : an organic and natural clothing store for babies, children and adults. Based in England.
Risu-Risu : cotton is organic, Gots certified or produced in France, the dyeing is ecological and made in France, the production is done in France or Spain in small clothing workshops. From 0 to 8 years old.