our vision
"Being green is more than just buying 'eco'. It is an unshakable commitment to a sustainable growth".
Sustainability is the balance between the people, the planet and the environment. Its a commitments to our planet to leave behind a minimal carbon footprint when running a garment business.
We ensure to:
- Recycle our scraps
- Use natural fiber material
We undertake processes that consider the ethical and environmental impact on the planet and other human beings from creating and manufacturing a product. It aims to produce garments using fabrics that are sourced sustainably, within an ethical process and that lasts longer thanks to a higher quality.
From the cotton we source, to the dyes we use and to the packaging of our products, we take in every detail and try to minimize it's impact on the environment.
Here are a few effects that conventional cotton and synthetic dyes pose to the environment and the people who deal with them.
Cotton:
While cotton covers just 2.5% of the planet's total agricultural area, it uses 7% of all the pesticides and 16% of all insecticides with entire chemical companies neuro-toxic formulas just to support cotton. Conventional cotton rely on these chemicals for production. These strong chemicals are subsequently released into the environment and pollute and distort ecosystems. These chemicals are also said to have harmful effects on a farmer's health. These chemicals have tremendous impact on the earth's air, water, soil and the health of people in cotton growing areas. They are among the most toxic chemicals as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Both synthetic pesticides and fertilizers can sink into the soil and down into ground water aquifers, as well as runoff into streams, rivers and into the ocean. This runoff can cause water pollution and damage wildlife and more.
80% of organic cotton is rain-fed. Organic Cotton increases the soil quality through crop rotation and lowers CO2 emissions. This results in improved drought and flood resistance. It replenishes and maintains soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers and build biologically diverse agriculture. Organic farming practices leads to less fuel and energy use, which leads to fewer greenhouse gas emissions and smaller carbon footprint.
Dyes :
Due to toxicity of the dyes and chemicals used in textiles and inappropriate discharge of such waste has led to skin diseases and respiratory problems among many workers. Some harmful dyes lead to algae overpopulating water courses, preventing adequate levels of sunlight entering the water. This means flora cannot grow, oxygen levels in the water are reduced and the flora and fauna that are already there suffocate. Salt pollutes fresh water courses, kills fish and makes soil too alkaline to support crops. There are a number of fresh water lakes that have turned permanently saline by mixing with dyeing waste water. Dyes, especially dark ones, do not allow sunlight to penetrate into water. Thus bacteria are inhibited from the task of breaking down waste components of the effluent water. Heavy metals and chlorine present in effluent may be toxic to aquatic organisms. Almost all dyes that take a long time to break down can be considered ecologically unsound or environmentally hazardous.
Fiber-reactive dyes are dyes that bond to the fiber due to a chemical reaction with fabrics like cotton, rayon and soy. Coloring using these dyes do not require mordants. They use less salt, heavy metals, amine and water than normal dyeing agents. Hence they easily get decomposed without leaving any landfill in the environment.
We at Yellow Rabbit ensure the impact of the garment on the environment, by slowing down the fashion seasons which increases the longevity of our clothing.
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."
Organic cotton should be cotton that relies on natural systems and natural inputs/resource, and cotton that minimizes negative impact on the environment, humans and wildlife. To be certified as organic, the cotton should be grown from seeds that is non-GMO(Genetically Modified Organism). Plus there should be no uses of toxic pesticides. This results in healthier workers and farm communities due to absence of toxic chemicals. Hence, there is negligible amounts of synthetic chemicals hence a safer food supply chain.
Organic Cotton uses natural pest control and innovative weeding strategies. Composted manures and cover crops replace synthetic fertilizers. This leads to less toxic runoff into freshwater sources and oceans.
An infants skin is 5 times thinner, more sensitive and more absorbent than an adults'. Hence as parents we should be more aware of what kind of materials we expose them to. Using organic cotton reduces their exposure to chemicals and limit their irritants when they are developing.
The feel of organic cotton is much better than conventional cotton, as there are no chemicals being used. The cotton is more superior in quality and grown with all their natural nutrients intact. Since it can retain its natural state, cotton plant is antimicrobial, mold resistant and smooth. These characteristics allow the skin to breathe and avoid skin allergies making the babies comfortable, healthy and happy.
"As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy".
A dye is a natural or synthetic substance used to add colour to or change the colour of something. These substances with colouring capacity are widely employed in the production of consumer products, including the textile industry.
The water waste from textile plants is classified as the most polluting of all the industrial sectors. Discharged dyes can remain in the environment for a long time due to thermal and photo stability in order to resist bio degradation.
We use low-impact dyes, that can be referred to azo-free dyes or fibre-reactive dyes. The dyes are a category of synthetic or chemical-based dyes that are better for you and the environment than conventional dyes. This is because:
- They have higher absorption rates into the clothing, which means less chemical and grey water run off into the environment.
- They don't contain azo dyes, a group of dyes that contain toxic compounds ranging from chlorine bleach to known carcinogens such as aryl amine.
- They don't contain heavy metals.
Using azo-free dyes in clothing helps eliminate the risk of exposure to harmful aromatic amines, making the clothing safer for your babies and the environment. They tend to have lower levels of toxic chemicals and are less harmful during the manufacturing process and in wastewater.