We chose our linens carefully so as to ensure they were oeko-tex certified and thus do not contain chemicals that harm human health.

Most of us don’t have any idea that our clothing is coated with chemicals that harm the environment and ourselves. Toxic chemicals are not something we talk about often, and they are not a very happy topic. However it is an important issue to discuss because it is something most of us know little about. The kinds of dyes used to colour our clothes and how they are disposed of have a big impact on the health of humans and the planet.

Different synthetic dyes and chemicals can cause harm both to the environment, and to the people who make and wear the clothes that have been dyed. Because most of our clothes are made overseas, there are few laws controlling the kinds of dyes that can be used or how they are disposed of. Before I started on the Sunday Projects journey, I never would have given a second thought to this and naively believed that businesses were responsibly manufacturing the clothes I was buying.

Throughout the whole process of selecting fabrics for Sunday Projects, I was surprised to learn that the supply chains for materials (even in New Zealand) were rarely transparent, and it was near impossible to find out how your fabric was made. The only way to be certain that your fabric doesn’t contain harmful chemicals is to pay a premium for independently certified sustainable materials, including organic, oeko-tex (that’s what we use!) or just choosing to dye fabric independently. We chose to pay more (three times more than conventionally dyed linen!) for oeko-tex certified fabrics. Why? We think the cost of these chemicals on our health are not worth the cheapness of the fabric.

Research proves that toxic chemicals in clothing are absorbed into the skin of the wearer, which interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems and have hazardous impacts on the health of the wearer.

Hara the Label summed this up in one of their Journal articles on synthetic dyes:

“Synthetic dyes have endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems at certain doses. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumours, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors. The endocrine system is the balanced system of glands and hormones that regulates vital functions as body growth (including the development of the brain and nervous system), response to stress, sexual development and behaviour, production and utilisation of insulin, rate of metabolism, intelligence and behaviour, and the ability to reproduce.”

Ew!

More evidence of these health concerns was highlighted by Chih Ann Lee’s article for the Guardian – ‘Research published by Greenpeace found that some of the chemicals widely used in the textile industry are toxic to reproductive development in mammals or interfere with the hormone system. And children may be more sensitive to the effects of these hazardous chemicals than adults.’ Even Vogue Business published an article exploring why fashion needs to remove toxic chemicals from clothing:

“There is growing scientific consensus that chemicals — like those used to create stain repellency and anti-wrinkle clothing — are potentially hazardous.
Fluorinated chemicals are among the world’s most toxic materials. The evidence is damning about their long-lasting impact on the environment, and they’ve been found in the blood and breast milk of the vast majority of people who’ve been tested. These chemicals are often used in clothing.
That’s also the case with formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer, and phthalates, which can disrupt the body’s endocrine system, impacting metabolism and fertility...”

Sooo… that all sounds pretty icky… what should we do here?

Support companies who use fabrics that are oeko-tex, organic or natural. If you are not sure how fabric has been dyed, ask! By sharing that this is a concern customers have, the big businesses in fashion are far more likely to start exploring natural options.