Safer Fabrics

I love organic fabrics but if I can't find the, the Oeko-Tex label helps me feel a little better about what fabric I am bringing into my home. "The Oeko-Tex label is a recognized benchmark for the consumer and also serves as an additional quality assurance tool for the manufacturer. The concept has become established as a safety standard throughout the textile manufacturing chain... and enables checks to be made for any harmful substances at each stage in the production process. The test samples are tested by the independent Oeko-Tex institutes for their pH-value, formaldehyde content, the presence of pesticides, extract-able heavy metals, chlorinated organic carriers and preservatives such as pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorophenol. The tests also include checks for any MAC amines in azo dyestuffs and allergy-inducing dyestuffs. The use of flame retardant and biocidic finishes is also prohibited in the clothing sector."