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IDEAL UPHOLSTERY FABRICby Emily Todhunter for O Ecotextiles |
#40-6010 |
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A classic workhorse with a lustrous look and a soft hand.
| LEED: | Eligible for credits: indoor air quality, use of rapidly renewable resources, and/or innovation. | |
| Fiber Composition: | 33% hemp, 19% linen, 21% ramie, 27% organic cotton | |
| Colorways: | 16 | |
| Width: | 57“ / 144.8 centimeters | |
| Weight: | 15.2 oz sq yard; 515 gm square meter | |
| Country of Origin: | China | |
| Cal 117: | Pass | |
| British Match Test: | Pass | |
| Abrasion: | 37,000 Martindale (no change) | |
| Colorfast to light: | British Light Fastness Standards # 2-6: 6 at 60 hrs (scale of 1-8 with 5 as no change and pass) |
Eco-Conscious Producer. The cotton is certified organic by the Control Union (www.controlunion.de). The hemp, ramie and flax (linen) are grown sustainably in northern China in fields that are owned by the Chinese mill that also spins the yarn and weaves the fabric.
The mill cleans, monitors and controls their wastewater. The mill has been certified as meeting the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 which, in this case, means that they have acceptable wastewater treatment and that they open themselves to certification by third party inspectors, including us. We have a Mandarin speaking partner, an agronomist and internationally recognized expert, who monitors the activities of the mill.
Exceptional Standards. The fabric is softened, bleached and/or dyed at our Italian dye house, which is one of relatively few houses in the world that is qualified to produce a dyed or finished fabric which can be a certified “organic textile.” Being an “organic textile," means not just that a fabric uses organic fibers in the yarn, but that every step of the production process has been certified eco-friendly.
For those who are interested, our dye house has received the Italian Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification (ICEA) for adherence to AIAB (Italian Association for Biological Agriculture) standards, which currently (summer 2008) are the most stringent in the world.
Safe, Low-Impact Dyes. We invested more than two years of research in our dyes in order to achieve color consistency, colorfastness and complete absence of toxicity. The dyes meet EU and Global Organic Textile Standards to be free of AZO colorants (a cancer causing toxin that is used in many dyes), heavy metals and aromatic amines and the dyestuffs are completely biodegradable (except for some of the blues which can contain copper).
Eco-Softness. The fabrics are softened with a combination of beeswax, aloe vera and vitamin E.
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