Eco fibres and eco friendly textiles 4

NATIVE COLOUR COTTON PROJECT
PERU
•
COMMENCED IN 1984 TO
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT
INDIGENOUS FARMERS AND
TRADITIONAL ARTISANS
•
15000 FARDMERS CULTIVATE
COLOURED COTTON
•
50000 WOMEN INVOLVED IN
TRADITIONAL HAND SPINNING AND
HAND WEAVING
•
COLOURED COTTON IS PRODUCED
WITHOUT THE USE OF SYNTHETIC
FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES
•
COTTON PLANT GROWS UP TO 5
METERS HIGH
YIELD 10 KG PER PLANT
•
REMARKABLY RESISTANT TO PEST
AND DISEASES
•
THRIVES IN MARGINAL SOILS WITH
LITTLE OR NO RAIN FALL
PRE-HISPANIC GRAVE in the Chancay Valley of Peru is heaped with naturally
colored cotton bolls. The ancient people of this coastal area filled the body of the
deceased with the cotton, which would absorb the bodily fluids, thereby aiding in

the process of mummification. The arid sands of the region preserved the cotton
(which was removed from the body when this grave was looted.)

SIX PRINCIPLE COLOUR
VARIETIES
CREAM
Pista green
MEDIUM BROWN
REDDISH BROWN
CHOCOLATE BROWN
MAUVE
Brown verities possess anti-bacterial and anti-
fungal properties
COFFEE FILTERS MADE FROM CERTIFIED
ORGANIC COLOURED COTTON FREE FROM
PESTIFCIDES, BLEACHES AND
SYNTHETIC COLOURS
Natural coloured yarns and fabrics are certified by
SKAL, Dutch certifying agency

PERUVIAN
TAPESTRY from A.D.
1000 depicts a cotton
plant complete with
roots, leaves, stems,
flowers and ripening
cotton bolls spilling
forth with naturally
pigmented cotton
Four species of cotton have

different lint lengths.
COTTON HARVESTING is done by
hand in Peru
Women then sort
the cotton, also by
hand, for color and
quality.
Traditional spinning bowl

LINT FIBER greatly enlarged reveals the natural twist
The dark masses impart the natural color.
Coloured cotton bolls are hand picked
Small quantity is used for craft production and
domestic consumption in rural market.
Large quantity is consumed in uraban market
as
textile products
Medical remedy for over fifty somatic and
psychosomatic disorders
Colour cotton cultivation by traditional farmers
is officially protected
Large number of traditional farmers are
immensely benefited
No patents are held on native colored
cotton, respecting and promoting the crop
protection rights of the indigenous people of
Peru.

Today Indian descendants of ancient Peruvian cultures still harvest, gin
and spin by hand the natural colored cottons of Peru.

Slivers of coloured cotton
Naturally coloured yarn for
Kniting and Weaving
Coloured
cotton fabrics
COTTON CLOTHES in naturally occurring colors are produced in Peru
Sally Fox was introduced to colored cotton while
working for a cotton breeder, whose focus was
developing pest-resistant strains of cotton.
The peoples of Central and South America had spun
these strains for centuries, but the fiber qualities were
not sufficient for modern machine spinning.
Here was Sally Fox’s opportunity to combine her
concern for the environment,
work in her field of entomology,
and practice her favorite pastime, spinning and weaving
Sally Fox in 1982 took on the challenge of improving an
ancient agricultural art.
Fox successfully bred and marketed varieties of naturally
coloured cotton she calls FoxFiber ®.
Today, Sally Fox designs fabrics with her cotton and
continues research.
Fox has received a patent and three Plant Variety
Protection Certificates for her naturally colored cottons
which, in addition to browns, she now grows in reds and
greens.
Her invention has been so popular it has sprouted two
successful companies Vreseis, Ltd. and Natural Cotton
Colours, both operating in Arizona.
Natural qualities found in Fox Fibre:

Furnish lasting color; repeated washings intensify
colors bringing out the warm and rich color tones

Enable our cottons to be spun from 100% solid color
to any percentage of color blends. Blends of Fox
Fibre colors (with each other or with white) can
create all of the color shades within the beige, khaki,
brown, red brown, dark brown, and green color
spectrums
Provide a fire retardant tendency
Eliminate the need for bleaches, dyes, & other costly
processes during textile and product manufacturing
Sally Fox is associted with Athena Mills
Arizona
Athena Mills is recognized as a leader for
two environmentally descriptive trademarks
- Colorganic® and Colour-By-Nature®.
Both marks ensure the final product's color
is from naturally colored cotton.
Colorganic additionally ensures certified
organic growing practices for all of the
cotton fibers in the final product.
Fox Fibre offers consumers an ecological
alternative in cotton: today's purchase for
tomorrow's environment
ECO LABELS

Eco-labels are product labels that
inform consumers

about the environmental impact of a
product.
They encourage producers to switch
to environmentally sound production
process methods (PPMs) for
advantage in the marketplace.
Eco-labels allow producers to
differentiate their products from
products that are less
environmentally friendly
and
thus to reach environmentally
conscious consumers.
ECO LABEL CRITERIA
ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS OF THE
ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PRODUCT
CRADLE TO GRAVE ASSESSMENT
1. Production of raw materials
2. Production of the end product
3. Packaging and transport of raw
materials and the finished product
4. Use of the product by companies and
consumers
5. Disposal of the product
e.g. assessment of a T-shirt starts in the
cotton field and ends in the incineration
plant.
ECO LABEL CRITERIA

•
As little use as possible of chemical
substances harmful to the environment
•
No or very few heavy metals in the product

•
Energy conservation during production and
use

•
The lowest possible amounts of harmful
substances in wastewater

•
Requirements which ensure that the
product works well and will last long

Opportunities for recycling/reuse

•
The product should be as unproblematic as
possible in terms of waste
POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SUBSTANCES
pH
Formaldehyde
Heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni,
Hg)
Pesticides Chlorinated phenols
Dyestuffs (specific classifications)

Chlorinated organic carriers
Boicidal finishes
Flame retardent finishes
Colour fastness
Emission of volatiles
Odours
Republic of China–Taiwan
Green Mark
Thailand (Thai
Green Label
Korea
Environmental
Labelling
Japan Eco Mark
India Eco Mark
Australia/New Zealand
Environmental Choice
European Union Eco-label “Flower”
scheme
Nordic Countries (Nordic Swan )
Austrian Eco-label
Croatia (Environmental
Label)
Netherland Ecolabel
Foundation