25 August 2010 by Bali Advertiser

GREENSPEAK by Ibu Kat

ECO-TEXTILES -- THREADS TO WATCH

Humans have been wearing clothing since we came down from the trees. Animal skins and beaten bark gradually morphed into more sophisticated hand-loomed textiles. Since the first steam-driven weaving mill was invented about 1775, the industry has exploded along with the world’s population. Producing textiles to clothe the world is an enormous industry, and a very polluting one. Only now are sustainable textiles beginning to appear. Demand is high but it will take some time to achieve meaningful volume. The industry recognizes the trend, though. This October, London will host an Ethical Fashion Forum and the RITE group, an industry association dedicated to Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment. Processing textiles is one of the most chemically intensive activities on earth, and the top industrial polluter of clean water. It takes about 500 gallons of water to p r o d u c e enough fabric to cover just one sofa; and that water can contain up to 20 pounds of chemicals. About half of the world’s wastewater problems are linked to the textile industry. The clippings from conventional fabric mills, especially upholstery fabric, are so loaded with dangerous chemicals they are often handled like toxic waste. But the finished products made from these materials are somehow considered safe for use in the home. Textiles used for clothing can also contain toxic chemicals. It’s information like this that inspires people to look for alternative textiles, especially when they’re dressing small children whose skin is more sensitive than an adult’s. A nascent industry producing garments using sustainable/ organic textiles is springing up in Bali, but this is a challenging field with many gray areas. We’ve been conditioned to think that cotton is the best textile choice for clothing in the tropics. But in fact conventionally cultivated cotton is a very polluting crop. It’s also a thirsty one –- it can take up to 20,000 litres of water to produce one kg of cotton and 73% of the global cotton harvest comes from irrigated land. Some estimates indicate that cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities. Only 2.4% of the world’s arable land is planted with cotton, yet cotton accounts for nearly 25% of the world’s insecticide market and 11% of the sale of global pesticides. Many of these pesticides (Aldicarb, Endosulfan, Monocrotophos and Deltamethrin) are hazardous and toxic. Be aware that even cotton which has been organically certified may be dyed or finished with chemicals after certification. What are the alternatives? Meticulously researched organic cotton, Modal, Tensel, Bamboo and Hemp are all options. But although the raw materials they use are natural, they are usually heavily processed with a number of chemicals. Modal and Tensel are both processed bio-based textiles; sometimes they are woven together. Modal is made from reconstituted cellulose from the beech tree and Tensel from hardwood pulp; both are considered a type of rayon. Although originating from trees, the process of creating a textile from them uses chemicals. Lenzing, the Austrian company that originally developed it, adheres to strict sustainability policies. Some of the beech chippings used are from industrial timber which cannot be used for furniture or flooring; waste by-products such as wood sugars as sold to other industries. But other producers often don’t practice sustainable processes.

Janet Molloy, an Australian-born Indonesian entrepreneur based in Ubud, chose Modal as the core fabric for her garment business Goddess on the Go. “I’m designing for busy women who are rushing to meetings, flying all over the world

Only now are sustainable textiles beginning to appear. Demand is high but it will take some time to achieve meaningful volume and partying at night, all out of one small suitcase. Modal is the perfect fabric… it feels luxurious, and it’s so light you can pack lots of mix-and-match pieces in hand luggage. It drapes without clinging, which makes all shapes and sizes of women look great. And it’s easy to care for, which is critical when you’re on the road and have to look good. Modal doesn’t need dry-cleaning. Just wash it in the sink and it drips dry overnight, no need to iron it. We design Goddess on the Go garments with very simple construction which helps with easy drying.” Visit the shop in Pengosekan, Ubud, near the Panorama Hotel. www.goddessonthegobali.com Kids Organic, a new children’s clothing line produced in Bali, was created because the founders could not find practical, affordable organic clothing, eco-friendly toys and other items for their baby. Long-time environmentalists Revi and Nicolay were very aware of the many toxic chemicals in baby clothes, diapers and toys. They were personally committed to dressing their child only in organics or second-hand cotton baby clothes that had already been washed many times to remove toxic residues. In Bali, they created Kids Organic, a line of certified organic cotton and naturally dyed, chemicalfree clothing and toys for babies from newborn to the age of two. “It’s challenging,” admits Revi. “Even if the distributors have certified organic cotton in stock, it still might have later been chemically dyed, bleached, or treated. This not only impacts the environment during production, it leaves toxic residues to be absorbed directly into the skin of the wearer. The distributors are not very knowledgeable. You have to be diligent, ask the tough questions and do your research throughout the process.” Kids Organic uses Turun, a natural dye studio in Gianyar. Natural dying doubles the cost of the fabric, so Revi is always experimenting with ways to keep the clothing affordable while chemical-free. Look for the brand in eco-minded retail stores such as Earth Café in Seminyak or the Yoga Store in Ubud, or visit www.kids-organic.com for national and international orders, which are shipped in –- yes –- organic cotton bags instead of plastic. Ubud’s newest natural clothing for kids shop is SEEDS, just across from Jalan Bisma on Jalan Raya. “It started when I got pregnant,” says Stacia. “My husband and I wanted to clothe our child in organic fibers. It wasn’t easy -– in 2006 we couldn’t find any certified organic clothing on Bali -- so we had to get creative with recycled and natural textiles and some self imports. Now that local suppliers are carrying organic cotton we decided to open a store to provide like-minded parents on the island with ready-made, fun clothing for their children. And I am very excited about the new women’s line that uses Tencel and naturally dyed organic cotton”. SEEDS offers organic cotton, Tencel, and linen clothing for babies,

We’ve been conditioned to think that cotton is the best textile choice for clothing in the tropics. But in fact conventionally cultivated cotton is a very polluting crop kids and women. The most popular items are children’s clothing made from recycled batik. The shop was also renovated to be environmentally friendly;’ it was stripped of its lead-based paint and finished with plantation and recycled wood. “We’re trying to keep everything as local as possible,” Stacia points out. Aisyah Syahdinar worked for several western labels which sampled and produced in Asia, and was distressed by the working conditions in some of the factories here. With her

husband James she launched Alchem1st, a ‘fairly traded’ fashion label in London in 2005. “Once we were an established name in the ethical market, it was a natural progression to start to source sustainable/ethical fabrics,” she explains. “At first we had to travel to India to find suppliers. Today we can find organic cotton jersey in Bali but our other fabrics are still imported, mainly from India and Australia. Our greatest challenge is still sourcing the fabrics and importing them into Indonesia.” Alchem1st fashion uses Ahimsa silk, low impact bamboo, organic cotton and wool and recycled leather. “We believe that people and the environment should come first, and we’ve made a conscious decision to sample and produce in fairly traded workshops in Bali,” stresses Aisyah. She and James are launching a second e t h i c a l label called D y n a m o D h a m m a which will be s o l d i n B a l i along with Alchem1st designs at Cirkelove Boutique on Jalan R a y a Basangkasa, Seminyak across from Café Moka. w w w . alchem1st. com Bamboo is probably the sexiest textile on the fabric palette these days. In fact, in early 2010, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission warned several retailers that six major manufacturers were falsely labeling rayon products as ‘bamboo’ in order to appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers. Most of the bamboo used to make bamboo fibre and bamboo clothing is grown in China by a company which holds the patent on the process for turning bamboo into fibre and produces all the bamboo viscose on the market. The bamboo is grown in the company’s own plantation in accordance with international organic standards to ensure no chemical pesticides are used. This means that every company working with bamboo starts with the same uncontaminated raw material. But it does not ensure that the processing of the fibre into a textile doesn’t use chemicals, and in fact it usually does. The processing of the cellulose pulp into fibre can be cleaner than the processing used for conventional viscose if a closed-loop process captures and reclaims all the solvents used in the manufacturing. However, this is not standard industry practice. Dragons in the Bath, a collection of Ibu Kat’s stories, it is available at Ganesha Books in Ubud and at Biku in Seminyak, and at Periplus bookstores in Bali. It can be ordered nationally and internationally through www.dragonsinthebath.com <http://www.dragonsinthebath.com>