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Online MARKETPLACE for sustainable lifestyles


Reduction of pollutant

Reduction of pollutantUse of environmentally friendly materials and raw materials.

Nowadays more and more people suffer from allergies and intolerances. All the more important it is for them to pay attention to the fact that they use safe and low-pollutant products. This applies to textiles and clothing, foodstuff, cosmetic and care products, household cleaners, furniture and home accessories, household items etc. The same goes for small children, there has to be taken a close look especially at clothing and toys.

Health is our most valuable asset.

The criterion "Reduction of pollutant" aims at the usage of environmentally friendly materials and commodities in production. Hence, the products concerned become important especially for people with allergies and small children. But even those who lead a conscious lifestyle and keep their minds on the materials with which they surround themselves and on what they eat or drink will make a find. And finally the people who produce low-pollutant products benefit, because even during the production process less harmful substances are incurred. This in turn has a positive impact on the environment.

Quality Seals for Textiles and Clothing

A guarantor for low-pollutant textiles and clothing are the three quality seals NATURTEXTIL, NATURLEDER and GOTS issued by the International Association of Natural Textile Industry (IVN).They are all characterized by their high standards of ecology, social responsibility and quality.

The highest standard is represented by the label “Naturtextil certified BEST”, which is far above the legislation of the European Union. In all stages of production throughout the textile processing chain hazardous substances can be used but are banned or severely restricted at BEST certified textiles.

Products marked with Demeter fulfill a comparably high standard. These are the only two labels which are awarded exclusively to products made from 100 percent natural fibers.

According to IVN natural textiles should meet as minimum standard the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). GOTS is well established internationally and sets standards worldwide for environmental and social compatibility in terms of textiles.

The statement of the seal "Confidence in textiles – tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has to be rated significantly lower. Here raw materials, intermediate and end products are tested for harmful substances. The fabrics can also be made of synthetic fibers. Ecological criteria, such as cultivation of raw materials, energy consumption and recyclability are not taken into consideration.

For products that are labeled with the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 seal, polluting dyes and auxiliaries are excluded.

Similar to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 the European eco-label "Euroblume" (Euro Flower) certifies fabrics of synthetic fibers (man-made fibers) and allows critical substances within limitation values determined. For people with allergies these two seals provide less safety.

The FAIRTRADE-label known from the food sector has existed also for textiles since 2007. The prescribed conventions of the International Organization must be met and thus provide security in the field of pollutant reduced production of garments.

Quality Seals for Health and Care

Especially in the field of natural cosmetics the use of natural resources and the further processing without addition of pollutants is of great importance. After all we want to do something good for our skin and not put an additional burden. Here the BDIH standard and NaTrue label. give security.

The BDIH standard describes requirements which refers to the extraction or production of cosmetic raw materials and their processing. At this the interests of animal welfare and species conservation are given special consideration. Materials from the following groups of substances are not allowed: organic-synthetic dyes, synthetic scents, ethoxylated raw materials, silicones, paraffin and other petroleum products.

TheNaTrue label guarantees that the product is as natural as possible. It contains natural and organic ingredients, undergoes a gentle manufacturing process and environmentally friendly practices. No synthetic scents or dyes, no ingredients from petrochemicals (paraffin, PEG-propylene, alkyls etc.), no silicone oils or derivatives, no genetically modified ingredients (based on EU regulations), no irradiation of end products or herbal ingredients, no animal testing.

Also in the field of cleaning agents the two mentioned labels help along.

Quality Seals for Furniture and Living

For furniture and mattresses the label Oeko-Control provides information about that the products are environmentally friendly and health-compatible and do meet the high requirements in terms of freedom from hazardous substances, material properties, origin, production and recyclability.

Furniture that are marked with the “Golden M” of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM) can not contain disease-causing ingredients.The production process is not taken into account, though. Thus, it is more of a weaker label.

In various product areas the Blue Angel can be found as an indicator for eco-friendly, pollutant-free products. Environmental and health-related properties are considered. Examples are residential furniture and mattresses.

The label natureplus awards building products with high standards of environmental, health and usability qualities.

Seals of Approval for Toys

The Toy Safety Standard EN 71, which is mandatory for all manufacturers and distributors all over Europe, gives parents assurance that nothing will happen if children and babies do not only play with their toy but also take it to pieces, lick it and bite into it. Good toys in the broader sense are labelled by spiel gut (good toy). "GS Geprüfte Sicherheit" stands for minimum standards of safety.


Disclaimer
Please note that the English version of the criterion “Reduction of pollutant” is only a translation of the German criterion “Reduction of pollutant”. The translation has been made to the best of the translator’s knowledge and belief. The German version of the criterion “Reduction of pollutant” always prevail shall in case of doubt.

 

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