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Sustainability Fashion
Formaldehyde • “California Proposition 65 requires that products sold in California which contain, in any amount, any chemical on what is called the "Prop 65 list" be labeled as follows: "Contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer." On that list are many chemicals including alcohol and cigarette smoke. Some products we sell bear that label because they contain alcohol. Some bear the warning because they contain trace amounts of Formaldehyde.” • http://www.dharmatrading.com/service/safety.html • “These dyes contain formaldehyde in about the same levels (under 100 parts per million) that are contained in the fruits and vegetables that you eat. Formaldehyde is generated by growing plants and is pretty much unavoidable. Many years ago, many dyes contained large amounts of added formaldehyde and because of this, could be considered an environmental or health concern. Our dyes are now made with only trace amounts of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is on California's list of chemicals that might cause cancer, but in the trace amounts contained in these dyes, should not cause problems.” • http://www.bestdye.com/health-safety.php
Natural Dye Methods • Dyes from Plants: • Red: Madder (Rubiatinctorum), cochineal (Dactylopiuscoccus), Brazilwood (Caesalpinaiaechinata) and alkanet (Alkannnatinctoria) • Yellow: onion skins, turmeric, cold tea, rhubarb, tansy, dyers chamomile and dyers greenweed. • Mordants (to get dye to stick to fabric) • Vinegar • Salt • Alum (shorthand for aluminum potassium sulphate)
Lyocell Fiber • TENCEL® is the brand name owned by Lenzing Fibers of Austria for a recently improved fabric from a fiber generically called lyocell • "the blend composition of a fabric must be a minimum of 30% TENCEL® to be able to use the brand name.“ • Lyocell fiber is eco-friendly since products made from it can be recycled and lyocell is biodegradable because it is a cellulosic fiber. • Lyocell falls somewhere in-between natural and artificial fibers
References • http://www.dharmatrading.com/service/safety.html • http://www.bestdye.com/health-safety.php • http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/clothing/404783/how_to_dye_clothes_using_natural_methods.html • http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/11/tencel_sustaina.html