If all cotton were grown organically, the use of insecticides could be reduced 25 percent. In working toward that end, Coyuchi has been recognized for its role in bolstering the production of organic cotton. They have received the United Nations Second Annual Fashion Industry Award for Environmental Excellence. Every fiber of cotton used is produced in accordance with the standards set forth by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Individual organizations handle the actual certification of cotton fiber produced in different regions: SKAL, a Netherlands-based certifier, oversees the cotton grown for Coyuchi in India.

Standards for coyuchi cotton to be certified as organic .

At the top of the list outlined by IFOAM in its Growing and Processing Standards are the following: seeds must be non-genetically engineered; insects should be controlled by methods that simulate what occurs in the natural environment, where "good" bugs eat "bad" bugs. There must also be an emphasis on keeping plants healthy- healthy plants are more resistant to infestation-fields are usually weeded by hand. Organic farms are not allowed to use any chemical fertilizers or chemical inputs, such as herbicides or other pesticides. All COYUCHI organic cotton is grown in India by family farmers organized in cooperatives. Coyuchi willingly pays premium prices to these small-scale growers for their organic cotton fiber because this encourages organic practices that protect not only the environment, but the farmers, their families, and their communities from exposure to toxic agricultural chemicals. By purchasing their cotton at a better price per kilo, we help support local and economically sustainable production. Next, the yarn is woven into sheeting fabric. To do so it is immersed in a wheat-starch solution, a sizing, which both strengthens the yarn and makes it easier to weave. The woven yardage, greige (pronounced gray), goods are sent to a processor for finishing. Finishing removes the wheat-starch sizing, cleans, softens, and then pre-shrinks the fabric so it feels and looks "finished." Some of the fabric is put through a hydrogen peroxide bleaching process to whiten it. Up until this point neither our cotton fiber, yarn, nor fabric has come into contact with any chemicals. A number of chemicals are used in the various steps of finishing, though we feel we've made the best choices we could make, and use only chemicals that are approved by certifying organizations, both in the US and Europe. Pre-shrinking itself is a wholly non-chemical process that involves compacting the fabric using rubber pads and steam. Pre-shrinking fabric results in finished products which keep their original measurements even after repeated washing and drying.

Technical Information Ivory, natural, fabrics are processed with the following: - An amylase enzyme removes the sizing, (wheat starch). - Two detergents, one an anionic surfactant and the other a fast wetting agent, clean the fabric. - A defoamer controls the sudsing of the detergents. - White, bleached, fabrics are also treated with: - Sodium silicate a sequestering agent and Ph stabilizer that aids the bleaching process. - Caustic soda removes the natural wax from the fabric (yarn, actually), and activates the peroxide. - A non-ionic surfactant acts as a cleaning agent and silicate dispersant. - Bleach itself whitens the fabric.

CHECK COYUCHI FOR WONDERFUL ORGANIC SHEETS

No smell of formaldehyde or other petro chemical hazards. What a great gift. Don't share a bed with bed with pesticides and formaldehyde. Organic and chemical-free cotton bedding is environmentally safe. Nirvana Safe Haven organic bedding is gentle and washes well getting softer with every wash. Keep your bed and home as pure as you can .Sleep safely . An ideal wedding gift for the new couple.

No one is certain where the first cotton cloth originated. Archeologists have found that people in India and in Central and South America were weaving cotton into fabric as long as 4,000 years ago. And we know that by 1500 A.D., cotton was being cultivated throughout the warmer regions of the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa. Until the late 18th century, cotton was grown, harvested, ginned, spun, and woven-all by hand. Cotton cloth was a luxury only the wealthy could afford. Two significant inventions changed all of this: Sir Richard Arkwright's water-powered spinning machine, and, just twenty years later, Eli Whitney's cotton gin. The cotton gin, a hand-cranked device that stripped the plant's fibers from its seeds allowed a worker to clean fifty pounds a day instead of one. After the invention of the cotton gin, the US became the world's foremost supplier of cotton fiber. Unfortunately, as the cotton industry flourished so did slavery. Though historically India led in the manufacture of cotton fabric, with the advent of the industrial age, England soon dominated the market. The prosperity generated by large-scale cotton fabric production did nothing to benefit textile workers in England who fared little better than did the slaves in the US. Eventually, Indian mills were able to purchase the new machinery and regain control of the marketplace. But, once again, as volume grew and profits rose, workers suffered. It was the plight of India's textile workers that inspired Ghandi's first fast in 1918 and India's eventual independence in 1947. Throughout its four-thousand-year history, cotton had always been grown organically. Then, as a result of the development of pesticides and chemical fertilizers during WWII, the cultivation of cotton changed dramatically. Coyuchi is now back to organic growing ..

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Next, the yarn is woven into sheeting fabric. To do so it is immersed in a wheat-starch solution, a sizing, which both strengthens the yarn and makes it easier to weave. The woven yardage, greige (pronounced gray), goods are sent to a processor for finishing. Finishing removes the wheat-starch sizing, cleans, softens, and then pre-shrinks the fabric so it feels and looks "finished." Some of the fabric is put through a hydrogen peroxide bleaching process to whiten it. Up until this point neither our cotton fiber, yarn, nor fabric has come into contact with any chemicals. A number of chemicals are used in the various steps of finishing, though we feel we've made the best choices we could make, and use only chemicals that are approved by certifying organizations, both in the US and Europe. {In the spirit of open disclosure, their names and purposes are listed in our Technical Information section.} Pre-shrinking itself is a wholly non-chemical process that involves compacting the fabric using rubber pads and steam. Pre-shrinking fabric results in finished products which keep their original measurements even after repeated washing and drying.

SEE PRICES - CHECK COYUCHI FOR WONDERFUL ORGANIC SHEETS

Chemical-free, formaldehyde free, pesticide-free bedding is healing, safe, gentle, comforting and soothing to itchy skin and burning eyes. Sleep free of chemicals. Don't go to bed with pesticides or formaldehyde. Polyester, dioxin, and formaldehyde-laden sheets are not good for you. Itchy skin, runny nose,burning eyes, and other discomforts from bedding can be avoided. Rashes, allergies, and eczema are alleviated when the chemical load is less. Organic sheets by COYUCHI are a dream to sleep with. The COYUCHI line of organic sheets and organic cotton duvet covers are free of seams on the center or the sides and are on a class of their own. Elegance, charm, comfort and safety. Organic sheets can be ordered as a single if required.

Allergic, asthmatic or chemically vulnerable? Our clients have less symptoms of itchy skin, burning eyes, allergies and asthma.