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Category Archives: Clothing

Textile Truths: A Parent’s Guide

We are an organic company, so using organic products is a no-brainer for us.  But we have to remember that not everyone has the same immersion into the world of organics, and new parents need to know when it is essential to choose organic products.

This great info-graphic,  put together by our friends at Harmony Art, is a great visual aid for new parents, and puts the “how” and “why” of buying organic for your baby into an easy-to-digest graphic that takes away the guessing game:

TextileTruthsBaby

To read about how this piece came together, be sure to check out Harmony Art’s blog.

Crib_Stack

In case you are wondering:  OMI’s innerspring crib mattresses are GOTS certified, and our latex crib mattresses are GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certified.

Go ahead and share this graphic (download the pdf here) and help spread the word.

OTA Reports 8 in 10 U.S. Parents Purchase Organic Products

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Check out this article from the Organic Trade Association:

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“U.S. families are increasingly embracing organic products in a wide range of categories, with 81 percent now reporting they purchase organic at least sometimes. This finding is one of many contained in the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) newly released 2013 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study, conducted Jan. 18-24, 2013.

“More and more parents choose organic foods primarily because of their desire to provide healthful options for their children,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s CEO and Executive Director.

Not only are more consumers choosing organic products at least sometimes, but the majority of those buying organic foods are purchasing more items than a year earlier. New entrants to buying organic now represent 41 percent of all families – demonstrating interest in the benefits of organic food and farming is on the rise. Produce continues to be the leading category of organic purchases, with 97 percent of organic buyers saying they had purchased organic fruits or vegetables in the past six months. Breads and grains, dairy and packaged foods were also frequently cited (all scoring above 85 percent) among those who purchase organic. Families choosing organic foods are increasingly important to retailers of all types, with organic buyers reporting spending more per shopping trip, and shopping more frequently than those who never purchase organic food.

Consistent with findings from previous studies, nearly half (48 percent) of those who purchase organic foods said they do so because they are “healthier for me and my children.” Additionally, parents’ desire to avoid toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers (30 percent), antibiotics and growth hormones (29 percent), and genetically modified organisms (22 percent) ranked high among the reasons cited for buying organic products.

Awareness of the USDA Organic seal has also grown, with more consumers more likely to look for the seal when shopping for organic products. Moreover, over four in ten parents (42 percent) say their trust in organic products has increased, versus 32 percent who indicated this point of view a year ago. In fact, younger, new-to-organic parents are significantly more likely to report improved levels of trust in organic products.”

It is great to see the industry growing and more people becoming aware of the importance of organics.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA), which is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America.  The OTA represents over 6,500 organic businesses across 49 states and has become the leading voice for organic trade in the United States.  For more news, articles and insight into the organics industry, visit the Organic Trade Association website HERE.

Fashionably Organic

H&M Organic Spring Collection

There are many ways to make your life safer and less toxic, and starting with an organic mattress is a big step. Most people who are sleeping organically are eating organically also. But are you dressing organically?

Ten years ago it was next to impossible to find organic clothing options. However, with the organics industry growing every year, more and more manufacturers and designers are making the moral choice to use fabrics made from organic raw materials. Even the high-fashion and couture houses are making the switch, as we see ever so apparently in Fall fashion shows across the world.  From São Paulo to Los Angeles to New York to London, organics are taking the fashion world by storm.

Here are the top 12 brands and retailers who are “going organic” (ranking by Organic Exchange):

#12:  Nordstrom (USA) ­– stocking more sustainable lines such as EDUM and Eileen Fisher, they also have a line of men’s dress shirts, casual shirts, and boxers made of organic cotton.

#11:  Adidas – they use sustainable materials such as organic cotton in their Adidas by Stella McCartney and Adidas Grün collections.

#10:  Target – brought organic cotton into the stores by introducing limited-edition lines by Rogan Gregory and Loomstate.  They also have organic options in their “Home by Target” collection.

#9:  Levi Strauss – although the company has been using organic materials since 2006, they have paved the way for organic denim since, and have become the leader in organic blue jeans.

#8:  Greensource (USA) – mainly a t-shirt company, they have recently expanded to home and bath products as well.  They just so happen to also grow all of their own organic cotton.

#7: Coop Switzerland – although they specialize in being the second-largest coop supermarket in the world, they also purchase a large slice of the fair-trade organic-cotton textile industry.

#6:  Anvil Knitwear – the largest purchaser of U.S.-grown certified organic cotton, they also produce the world’s first carbon-neutral t-shirt.

#5:  H&M – incorporating organic cotton since 2004, this fashion retailer is making an effort to increase its use of organic materials by 50 percent every year until 2013.

#4:  Williams-Sonoma – through brands such as Pottery Barn, PB Teen, and West Elm, they have introduced organic cotton into their bedding, bath, and upholstery products.

#3:  Walmart (USA) – purchases over 12 million pounds of organic cotton to incorporate into their clothing, bath, and upholstery lines.

#2:  Nike (USA) – although the already incorporate organic cotton, the company’s goal is to have a minimum blend of 10 percent organic cotton in all cotton-containing attire by 2015.

#1:  C&A (Belgium) – although better known in Europe, this popular clothing line sold over 23 million organic cotton products in 2010.

Happy shopping!

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