Ever experienced "green-washing"? Essentially it is a marketing tactic that brands and companies use to make you feel like you're making an eco-friendly, ethical or sustainable product or service purchase, but in-fact, you are not. They can do this through play with words, or only stating the good ingredients or good products used, and not mention the bad. This makes the consumer think they are doing a good thing by purchasing a "green" product, but cannot see the whole picture.
We have all experienced green-washing to some degree. I have personally had it happen to me, so when I set out to bring By The Dunes to life, I made sure there was absolutely no green-washing. And I hope to also make others aware of this marketing tactic and what to look out for. So, when I started researching eco-friendly, completely sustainable and ethical fabric options, I made sure I thoroughly researched all my options and made the best choice for our brand. Choosing ethical fabric choices is difficult, because in a Fast Fashion world, it is hard to change a consumers mind on what a product should cost. Choosing a natural and sustainable option, over a man-made, mass produced fabric such Polyester. Almost all of the population would be wearing or using Polyester to some degree right now, because it is cheap, and society currently prioritise quantity over quality, unfortunately. Did you know Polyester contains micro-plastics, and when you wash those pieces micro-plastics end up in our water-ways?
I had no interest in starting a Clothing line if I was just adding to the fast fashion race, and was increasing the micro-plastics amount in our oceans. After months of researching, I came to the conclusion that Tencel was the most sustainable, upcoming fabric that still allowed me to make my garment designs within a reasonable price. Put simply, Tencel is a sustainable process that takes wood, such as Eucalyptus or Bamboo from sustainably managed forests, turned into wood chips, then is turned to wood pulp, which turns into fabric fibres during a sustainable process using recycled water. Tencel is such a luxurious, soft and gentle fabric that uses no toxins and is fully biodegradable once it reaches the end of its useful life. Tencel is the outer fabric of our Towel-Wear.
The inner of our Towel-Wear is 100% Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified Organic Cotton Terry-Towelling. This double layer allows for extra absorbency so when worn when wet, like it is designed for, it leaves your skin dry quickly, but the fabric is still breathable, for hot days. The Global Organic Textile Standard states that "With today's sustainability challenges and the contribution of the fashion and textile industry to those challenges, we must collectively rethink production and consumption of textiles. Organic fibres play multifaceted roles in creating an industry that actively lowers its environmental impact and prioritises human health over short term profit". Which is why it was important for us to chose GOTS Certified Organic Cotton for the towelling inner. By choosing organic fibres you can feel safe knowing there are no toxins or pesticides used during the creation of our fabrics, and won't be coming in contact with yours and your minis skin.
We hope you love our fabrics as much as we do. We are so proud of our designs and hope we can be a leader in the fashion industry to make better choices. A sustainable future for our children is our number one priority!
Find out more at Tencel