Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is cotton grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Just as with food, cotton can be grown either conventionally or organically. And just as with food, there is a certification process to ensure that organic cotton is grown meeting organic standards.
Three Reasons to Embrace Organic Cotton
Nicer for you
Organic products promote health
Nicer for the earth
Organic farming promotes healthy soil and keeps toxins out of drinking water.
Nicer for everyone involved in producing your clothes
Organic cotton clothing is made without endangering farm workers or fabric producers with exposure to harmful and toxic chemicals.
What’s wrong with conventional cotton?
Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world. It uses 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of the world’s insecticides. In the USA, one third of a pound of chemicals are used to grow enough cotton for one tee shirt.
Why we love organic cotton
Organic cotton growers use non-toxic means of controlling cotton pests. Organic practices, including the addition of compost to the soil and the use of cover crop rotations, can both reduce erosion and improve soil.
BAMBOO
Bamboo is a super grass that is the fastest growing plant on earth. It grows pesticide free. Bamboo fabric is made from the pulp of the grass.
Bamboo is an extremely soft and light fabric that feels silky. It is highly breathable and so regulates body temperature. It has double the absorbency of cotton. Bamboo is also antimicrobial and odor resistant.
Since bamboo is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and is not irrigated and rarely replanted, it is one of the most sustainable plants on earth.
MERINO
It is all natural, silky soft, lightweight, sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable. And did we mention amazingly breathable.
Merino is a fine wool from merino sheep that does not itch and is extremely light with a silky feel.
The Top 10 Reasons we love merino
It feels fabulous next to our skin
It drapes beautifully
Soft, soft, soft to the touch
Repels water and dirt
The fiber breathes
It does not hold odor
It is ethically manufactured
It requires less washing = less water used = less environmental impact
Garments last longer = less waste = less environmental impact
No oil is used in the production – it is a natural fabric
HEMP
Here are some reasons we love hemp fabric
Hemp is the longest and strongest plant fiber used in clothing.
Hemp fiber gets softer with each washing while staying strong.
And it is versatile, producing fabric of varying weights and weaves – from heavy twill to summer dress weight linen, to tee shirt knits.
Hemp clothing also protects from harmful UV rays.
Hemp clothing is trans-seasonal. Because of its exceptional breathability and insulative qualities it keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
And here are some reasons why hemp is a better choice for the environment
Hemp needs very little water to grow.
Hemp is the ideal rotation crop, putting down a taproot twelve inches long in only 30 days, thereby preventing soil erosion.
Hemp does not require chemical fertilizer.
Hemp outcompetes weeds and so does not need herbicides.
Hemp leaves the soil in better condition than before planting.
TENCEL
Tencel is the trade name for the generic fiber lyocell. It is made from the natural cellulose found in wood pulp. Most of the chemicals used in its production are recyclable. The fiber is economical in its use of energy and natural resources and is fully biodegradable.
Tencel feels like silk, cools like linen and warms like wool. Tencel garments resist wrinkles making them great for traveling, wash easily and dry quickly.
Tencel is soft, breathable, lightweight and comfortable.
LOW-IMPACT AND NATURAL DYES
Most of the clothes Birch carries are dyed with natural dyes or fiber reactive dyes.
Fiber reactive (vs. direct dyes) do not use heavy metals or other toxins and minimize the residual dye in the wastewater. These dyes have excellent color fast properties and produce bright rich colors.
Some of the natural dyes used in clothing we carry are made from clay, plants and insects.
