At Bhumi we have made a conscious choice not to work with any textiles that hurt or harm animals, the Earths resources or Her people.

Silk may look and feel beautiful, but it is unfortunately a very cruel way to get a fabric. PETA (People For Ethical Treatment of Animals) estimates that around 6,600 silkworms are killed just to make 1 kilogram of silk. The silkworms are killed in boiling water and the silk then extracted.

Photo courtesy of Edgar’s Mission

Down is the soft layer of feathers closest to the birds skin, primarily in the chest region where there are no quills. While most down and other feathers are removed from ducks and geese during slaughter, birds in breeding flocks and those raised for meat and foie gras may be plucked repeatedly while they are still alive. PETA describe that typically, ducks and geese are lifted by their necks or delicate wings, their legs are physically restrained or tied, and their feathers are ripped right out of their skin whilst they are alive. The struggling birds are often plucked so hard that their skin is torn open and the wounds are hurriedly sewn using needle and thread with no painkillers. Plucking begins when the animals are just 10 weeks old and be repeated in six-week intervals until the birds are slaughtered for meat long before they would naturally die.

We prefer to leave the feathers on our feathered friends as nature intended for them.

Photo courtesy of Edgar’s Mission

Contrary to popular belief, bamboo uses a lot of toxic chemicals and processing in highly unsustainable environmental methods. We do not use bamboo or its derivatives in rayon/viscose/lyocell as these fabrics are not made organically. They may be grown organically but to get it from a beautiful sturdy plant to a silky fabric is a very different not talked about enough story. At this stage, there is no strict organic certification that covers the full process of bamboo textile production.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) the leading global gold organic standard will NOT certify bamboo. Why not? GOTS state that "...the natural bamboo is used but it is melted and regenerated in a viscose / rayon process and can therefore not be considered as natural or even organic fibre, even if the bamboo plant was originally certified organic on the field."

It turns out that bamboo requires a lot of chemicals, like carbon disulphide, sulphuric acid or formaldehyde, to turn a beautiful hard woody fibre in to a silky soft fabric and then on top of that it is dyed and finished with more toxic chemicals for that silky smooth feeling and colour. Nothing organic left in what was once a beautiful plant.

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as the leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers worldwide. It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire supply chain of organic textiles and requires compliance with social criteria as well. Independent third party certification is required along the whole supply chain from seed to finish, which enables legitimate ‘organic’ claims to be made on final products and strict fair trade regulations.

To put it simply, certified organic cotton is produced without the use of any harmful chemicals, insecticides and pesticides. At Bhumi we do not use any animal products or by-products, we do not use genetically modified seeds, we do not use any toxic dyes, bleaches or finishes. Overall, this results in having the lowest environmental impact, a deep sense of social justice with fair trade practices and also the purest cotton, which is extremely soft yet resilient, gentle on the skin and good for your health.

There are many materials available that do not cause harm to other sentient beings or the land or humanity at large. We like to work with textiles that work with the land, work with the seasons and work with nature.

About the Author: Vinita is the Founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and passionate about an Earth Life Balance