NEWH - June 2009 - (Page 32)

sustainability point of view Flower Power Digging into the European Union eco-label for textiles By David Mahood David Mahood IN TODAY’S CONVOLUTED, GLOBALIZED MARKETPLACE, is there a means to understanding the countless certifications in use around the world? Let’s take the category of textiles, for example. Under the EU Eco-label for textiles, sometimes referred to as the Flower standard, the certification includes requirements for the following types of fiber: acrylic, cotton, and other natural cellulosic seed fibers, elastane, flax, other bast fibers, greasy wool, manmade cellulose fibers, polyamide, polyester, and polypropylene. Each fiber material is also evaluated for manufacturing methods and ultimately for color, finish, and treatment. To synthesize the technical documentation of the Flower certification further, one can see the benefits of this eco-label due to its relatively transparent approach. For example, cotton fibers are measured for pesticide residue; polyester fiber is measured for antimony and VOCs, and viscose is measured for copper and zinc. Bast fibers are measured for all chemicals in the water that can and cannot be oxidized; polyurethanes are measured for diisocyanates, and acrylic fiber is measured for acrylonitrile—whatever that is. Additionally, under the certification, all fibers are then evaluated on water and air polluting measures during processing and finishing. Assessing the various processes in current use for preparing a textile for commercial application is somewhat alarming. A closeup image of a fiber. > 32 june 2009 www.newh.org tel 800.593.NEWH Consider the following chemicals that may be involved in the production of a fabric that you may be specifying: formaldehyde, carcinogenic dyes, toxic bleaches, heavy metals and plasticizers, toxic sizing and softening agents, and potentially, hazardous air particles due to flame retardants. One could ask the question when, from the time Homo erectus decided to add color to loincloths, did these chemicals become a mainstay of fabrics? Were we in danger of dying off as a species if our togas sun-faded or if they ignited while we were rubbing sticks together? The EU eco-label for textiles, as well as others, has properly recognized that products awash in chemical baths are not healthy to the consumer. Our overreliance on chemical shortcuts has contributed to environmental ills worldwide and hardly exemplifies an evolved species in harmony with his lone habitat. The Flower label is meritorious for providing a universal document for all fabric types that European producers can embrace and for allowing more openness in the criteria used in the certification. A consumer could reasonably contend that buying a Flower labeled fabric was a step toward a more sustainable purchase. ONE CRITICISM OF THE EU ECO-LABEL for textiles, and many others related to this category, is the void in criteria related to plant fibers. More comprehensive information is needed for an appropriate evaluation of cotton, viscose or flax-based fiber, for example. A plant that has little environmental benefit and requires a lot of chemical assistance should be assessed for its impact. A non-native plant that has dispossessed native fauna and is harvested by industrialized methods by unskilled labor versus a plant fiber organically grown by a small farmer cannot be evaluated properly by this label or many others. A plant that retains topsoil and can be grown in poor soil conditions due to its hardiness may http://www.newh.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - June 2009

NEWH - June 2009
Contents
News
Have you Seen?
Product Know-How: Lighting
Design 101
On the Scene
Sustainability: POV
Sustainability: Green Award
Sustainability: Competition
Cover Story: Magic Carpet Ride
Project: TD Banknorth Garden
Project: Ajax and Sneaky’s
New Members
Save the Date
Partner Profiles

NEWH - June 2009