Natural Cotton

Waffle weave blankets in the finest "Natural Cotton" These European favorites get softer with each washing.

How is "Natural Cotton" different from traditional cotton and organic cotton? Traditional cotton farming includes the use of insecticides, herbicides and defoliants. Typically plants are treated with a defoliant just before harvesting to wilt the leaves and lead to easier harvesting of the mature cotton boll. The result is that the cotton itself is soaked in defoliant along with other chemicals added during the manufacturing process. The purpose of these chemicals is to "improve" the fibers. This cotton is technically still a so called natural fiber because it is still grown and harvested from a plant. Without any consideration to the number of chemicals the fibers may contain. These growing and harvesting methods have a negative impact on the land, plants, cotton and on the people who work the land.The "Natural Cotton" products listed here have not been made from cotton grown in this manner. Our "Natural Cotton" has been grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, they are free of defoliants and dyes. For the past 15 years, work has been done with Pakistani farmers and manufacturers to create soft, truly natural cotton products. All of our white towels in the "Natural Cotton" collection are Peroxide-bleached. The natural-colored products are simply the color of cotton in nature. Organic Cotton is also grown without the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides and defoliants. To be certified organic means that a farmer has met strict requirements for growing, and that a certifying authority has overseen and approved the process. In Pakistan, there is no certifying authority, and so our cotton cannot be "certified organic." Our cotton is carefully grown with as little chemical treatment as possible and is not sprayed with defoliants before being picked. We use gentle, mechanical means to soften and strengthen our fabric and white products are only bleached with Peroxide.

How is Peroxide better than Chlorine?Peroxide is a much more natural bleaching process than chlorine bleaching. Peroxide has been used for years by both parents and doctors to sterilize wounds and to disinfect. In Europe peroxide is approved as a natural bleaching agent. Chlorine bleach has been used for years to bleach fabric, but it has been done with a large cost to our environment. Dioxin is a byproduct of chlorine bleach manufacturing and dioxin is an extremely harmful compound. When dioxins have been accidentally released in our environment, it has caused damage to the environment. Dioxin accumulates in the fat tissue of humans and wildlife, is known to cause birth defects, and genetic mutations, and is a suspected carcinogen. By using peroxcide bleaching we eliminate the possibility of these problems and decrease the environmental impact.