Have you considered bamboo?

Rawganic will soon be making wipes from bamboo. Bamboo is an incredibly prolific plant which, through modern manufacturing processes, can be made into a very strong and soft fabric. The raw material has been used for centuries for housing, flooring, furniture and ornaments; we have only just begun to unlock its potential as a fabric. Bamboo is used in clothing as an environmental alternative; it is strong, durable, biodegradable and versatile – in short, an ideal fabric.

Good for the environment

Farming bamboo is very good news for the environment. Bamboo is a grass and so grows quickly and spreads rapidly; it reaches its maximum height in just three months. It requires barely any human intervention to thrive and produces very high yields. Not only this, but bamboo consumes much more carbon dioxide than other plants.

Pesticide free

Bamboo naturally contains an agent called “bamboo kun” which means it can be grown without pesticides or chemicals. This means no harmful chemicals can leech into the local ecosystem or waterways. The anti-microbial properties of the bamboo plant are actually retained in the bamboo fabric, meaning they are naturally bacteriostatic and so require fewer preservatives to maintain the quality of the wipe. The material is incredibly soft and 100% biodegradable.

Good for your skin

The result of this wonderful resource is an incredibly soft but strong wipe, which feels luxurious against your skin. The natural antimicrobial effect gives your skin a deep cleanse and helps prevent breakouts. On top of this, all our wipes are parabens, SLS and alcohol free. They never have been and never will be tested on animals.

Certified

Our bamboo wipes are certified bacteriostatic and carry the Oekotex certification.

Organic Ethical Fashion - More Than Organic Cotton

Often associated with being throwaway, cheap and frivolous, fashion is usually thought of as anything but sustainable. However, there is a growing market for ethical fashion, where solutions are being found for harmful synthetic materials and the unethical way certain materials are being produced. We talked previously about organic cotton, as cotton is a material that accounts for most of the world’s material needs. However, if you felt like spreading your wings further into the organic world of fashion, there are plenty more ethical materials to be found.

Bamboo clothing, like organic cotton, is better for the environment as it is 100% naturally grown without pesticides or herbicides and is 100% sustainable. It thrives naturally; being the fastest growing plant in the world, it spreads rapidly across large areas, improving soil quality in eroded and degraded areas of land. Because it is a grass, bamboo is cut, not uprooted, helping soil stability. It’s not just good for the environment, but good for you too. Bamboo clothing is perfect for those with sensitive or allergy prone skin. The smooth, round fibre produced without harsh chemicals makes it non-irritant, breathable and naturally soft.

Check out Bamboo Clothing for affordable, ethical clothes made from bamboo.

Hemp is another material that is organically grown and sustainable. Although banned for many years because of its association with marijuana, the hemp plant is used solely for textiles, and super soft ones at that. Organic hemp is hypoallergenic and non-irritating to skin. It actually nourishes the soil in which it is grown leaving nutrient rich farmland for pollution crops. Hemp cloth is much stronger and more versatile than other fabrics as its tensile strength actually increases with age. Hemp is becoming more and more fashionable, with brands such as Armani and Ralph Lauren using it in recent products.

For more affordable hemp products, as well as other ethically sourced materials, check out Brain Tree.

If you want to do more than simply buy organic clothes, take a look at the clean clothes campaign which is striving to improve working conditions in the global garment industry. Read about current campaigns and how you can make a difference. So next time you shop ‘til you drop, think about trying something more organic in your wardrobe.

Learning from Planet Organic and The People's Supermarket

Last week we attended a conference in Oxford where the country’s organic pioneers gathered from all over the country. Speakers included Renée Elliott, the founder of Planet Organic, Arthur Potts Dawson from the People’s Supermarket, Nick Barnard from Rude Health and Paul Moore, Head of Marketing at Community Foods Ltd, who is spearheading the "Why I Love Organic Campaign". It was a group of people truly passionate about healthy living, ethical business and sustainability.

Renée Elliott kicked off the day as Keynote Speaker with her experiences of setting up Planet Organic. Launched in 1995, it is the first organic supermarket and the first Soil Association certified supermarket in the U.K.. Not only can you breeze through the aisles with a feeling of security from the certification and Planet Organic’s unique dietary symbols, they also provide service above and beyond the average supermarket. Planet Organic has a rigorous training programme for all staff, which includes time working on suppliers’ farms As a result of this, customers can get in-depth information about the product range and the supply chain direct from the shop floor.

Arthur Potts Dawson has taken customer interaction even further. The People’s Supermarket, of which he is founder and chairman, opened in 2010. Becoming a member costs £25 a year, which gives you 10% off all food, a £1 share in the company and the right to vote on company policy in meetings. They also ask for 4 hours of your time a month to work in the supermarket yourself. The customer therefore becomes a member of staff and part of the management. It is built on belief in a fair price for the producer as well as the customer. Although its primary focus is on ethical business practices, a significant proportion of the products are organic.

Sustainability was the name of the game this year. Organic products are natural partners with this concept; after all, organic farming promotes environmental sustainability by maintaining the nutritional quality of soil and waterways by prohibiting the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Sustainability in business is the next step.

With Rawganic, that’s exactly what you get – our cotton is grown organically which leaves soil untainted and waterways clean. Sustainability is our business philosophy; we believe in giving a fair price to our producers for quality ingredients with good environmental provenance.