Sustainable fibers: Come from rapidly renewable resources with growth and harvest cycles of five years or less. Fibers that fall into this category include alpaca, bamboo, mohair, hemp, wool, and cork.
Organic fibers: Are grown without the use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Fibers that fall into this category include organic cotton, organic hemp and organic linen. All of Robert Allen’s organic fabrics are made from certified organic fibers.
Recycled fibers: Come from post-consumer waste such as soda bottles. They also come from post-industrial waste: byproducts from the manufacturing process. Robert Allen’s post-industrial recycled fibers come from petroleum byproducts, recycled cotton, corn derivatives (PLA), recycled silk, and soybean husks.
COLOR: Robert Allen’s “eco-friendly” fabrics may simply reflect the color of their fiber content (i.e. in their un-dyed states, many fibers such as alpaca and recycled cotton come in ranges of rich hues from deep chocolates to luminous shades of gold.) Alternatively, these “eco-friendly” fabrics may derive color from metal-free or reduced metal dyestuffs and pigments. If the fabrics contain dyes or pigments, they meet the metal content standards set by the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD).
FINISHING: Robert Allen’s “eco-friendly” fabrics may be loom state, meaning that they come straight from the loom with no additional performance preparations. Eco-friendly fabrics with finishing treatments may include washing (with water alone or with a mild soap), aero-ing (tumbling), steaming and/or pressing with hot rollers. In general, it is Robert Allen’s preference not to use a stain repellant or a water repellent except in cases where they are a practical necessity, such as for certain ‘Contract’ fabrics. In these cases Robert Allen offer the most environmentally-friendly option available to suit the needs of our customers, and Robert Allen will continually seek advancements towards reducing the environmental impact of those finishes. Backings applied for Contract applications are polyester so that, in combination with a 100% recycled polyester fabric, the end product is completely recyclable.
London Stitchery has Robert Allen’s ‘Echo Friendly” fabrics available for viewing in our studio, or you can take advantage of our full “Shop At Home Sample Viewings!”
When it's warm and you want to be outside, you want your outdoor living made easy. Outdoor fabrics have vastly improved our lifestyle because they are very durable and easy to clean. However, there are some fabrics that are more durable then others, and I have often wondered why. I spoke with an expert, Garret H. Smith, VP of Operations at the Robert Allen Group.
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I'm a supporter of eco-friendly products. Keep your advocacy for a healthier tomorrow. I'm a fan!
ReplyDeleteJ. Harp
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