I would like to start the text on the ecological approach to textile production by quoting the contemporary philosopher Roger Scruton. According to him, we should all take control of the environment and take care of it as if it were our own home and our own family. However, modern reality is far from realizing this vision.
According to many experts, the garment industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, second only to oil production. This is a result of the significant chemicalization of the garment industry in recent years. Today, about eight thousand chemical compounds are used in the production of clothes! First of all, they are used in the process of making garments from chemical fibers such as acrylic, polyamide or lycra, etc., and in the production of man-made fibers such as viscose.
For the production of chemical fibers, petroleum is used while wood is used for viscose. One can imagine how many chemical compounds and how much water must be used to make fiber from wood pulp into yarn. Unfortunately, the production of cotton has also undergone significant chemization in recent years, with the result that fabrics and knitted fabrics made from cotton fibers are also contaminated with various irritating and pathogenic chemicals.
There are many studies (also published on the Internet) confirming the toxic effects caused by chemicals found in clothing. There are quite a few examples in the literature of garment industry products causing negative health effects, including proven allergic effects and, most frighteningly, carcinogenic effects. Although we generally wash clothes after purchase before first use, we should be aware that these harmful chemicals found in clothing make their way further into the environment during washing and rinsing.
Important certificates
Currently, in all highly developed countries - including Poland - there are various campaigns to urge consumers to buy clothing from companies that use certified organic raw materials and conduct responsible production based on fair and ethical business practices.
One of the world's most recognized certifications of a product's organicness is the GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard certification. When you buy a clothing product marked with the GOTS Certificate, you can be sure that the item is free of harmful chemicals, most importantly carcinogens. All companies involved in supplying raw materials for GOTS-certified garments are subject to annual inspections by independent auditors. The GOTS certificate also guarantees that we produce in accordance with Fair Trade (fair and ethical business) principles.
Without chemical fibers
Martello, founded in Lodz thirty years ago, has been using only 100% natural raw materials for many years. The cotton we use for production is GOTS-certified, and it should be mentioned that only less than 2% of the world's production of this raw material can boast it.
In addition to cotton, in our company we use the highest quality wool, linen and silk yarns. There is not even 1% of chemical fibers in our products. In order to produce according to GOTS standards at Martello, all purchases of raw materials for production and auxiliary materials such as lubricants for machines , laundry detergents, accessories and packaging, etc. are made only at companies that have the appropriate ecological certificates.
On the Polish market, Martello is known almost exclusively as a manufacturer of personalized cotton blankets, which have been sold for almost twenty years. Martello's primary production is sweaters, mainly women's sweaters, which are 100% exported primarily to Germany. This situation is due to the fact that natural yarns and certified additives are many times more expensive than synthetic raw materials. I think that the Polish market is not yet ready to accept clothing products made from the highest quality natural raw materials.
Harmful ignorance
Many years of experience as a trade fair exhibitor and tens of thousands of conversations with customers visiting the fair show that the main motive for buying a given product is the so-called "label" and not the quality of the raw materials used. Among other things, thousands of conversations with customers in various European countries show that parents are most often unaware of how harmful chemical or artificial fiber products can be to a child. It is worth recalling that until the early 1990s in many European countries (including Poland) products for children up to the age of one had to be made exclusively of natural raw materials. At that time we were engaged in the production of children's clothes under the brands of well-known world companies, and at that time for each export it was necessary to provide the appropriate documents confirming that the production was made exclusively from natural yarn. In those years, the concept of organic cotton was not yet known, as genetically modified cotton was not yet widespread. Over time, individual countries moved away from the above requirements and advertising campaigns began for children's products made from man-made fibers. The result is that today there is an almost universal belief that for a child the best, warmest and, in addition, cheapest product is made of fleece. Meanwhile, the raw material for the production of fleece is all kinds of plastic waste (for example, the commonly used thin bags ).
Don't be a sucker
To answer the question of how it is possible that in the modern world the dishonest actions of large corporations, including corporations of the clothing industry, are accepted by consumers, it is worth looking at the book by Nobel Prize winners G. A. Akerlof and R. J. Shiller entitled To Catch a Sucker. Unfortunately, following the example of corporations, also a number of small manufacturing and trading companies are beginning to use similar "advertising tricks" to those described by Akerlof and Shiller by persuading people to make decisions inconsistent with their own interests. And what should one do to avoid being caught in the market nets of both large corporations and some of the small dishonest companies? In terms of clothing purchases (and not only), the basic way not to be a "sucker" and, on top of that, not to harm your health and the health of your family, should be to buy from manufacturers certified to the ecological standards used by the company. In the case of the apparel industry, buying good and certified clothing can prove to be not only healthier, but also cheaper.
Various information campaigns are also needed to gradually increase customer awareness. Professional literature for business people can be one source of public education. In my opinion, the role of people called "celebrities" influencing the tastes and choices made by prospective customers cannot be overestimated either. Perhaps, before signing an advertising contract, it is worth gaining some reflection on whether it is ethical to advertise products that are harmful to a child.
All those who think about the health of the child, and especially young children up to at least three years old, are advised to avoid buying clothing made of chemical and artificial fibers , while in the case of clothing and accessories made of cotton, use only those products that bear a label certifying that the product is certified by the Gbobal Organic Textile Standard. There is no doubt that, among other things, healthy food plus natural clothing for our children will return the favor in the future with a healthy generation.