Sustainable Materials: We have employed alternative materials and manufacturing that seek to preserve an ecological balance by avoiding the depletion of natural resources. We believe our approach is a progressive one; we use organic/ sustainable materials every step of the way, while maintaining economic viability.
100% Certified Organic Cotton: Conventional cotton is the second most pesticide laden crop in the world (after coffee and before tobacco.) Organically grown cotton is grown in soil that has been certified free from pesticides, herbicides, and other cytotoxins. It is also not grown from genetically engineered seed. Organic farming methods improve soil fertility, safeguard workers’ health, and preserve the quality of our environment for future generations. All the organic fiber used in our products is certified by internationally recognized IFOAM and SKAL, and the U.S. OTA standards.
Low-Impact Reactive Dyes: We use only Low Impact Fiber Reactive dyes on our Organic Cotton fabric production. Low-Impact fiber-reactive is a process that uses far less water than conventional dying. This is more environmentally sound because all dye material is reclaimed and not released as effluent. These dyes also use no heavy metals as do conventional dyes. This method of fabric dyeing conforms fully to the Organic Processing Standards of the Organic Fiber Council of the U.S. as well as the requirements of both the ETAD and the Oeko-Tex 100 Standards recognized in Europe.
Water-Borne Finishes: Water-borne finishes are better for the environment and for the health of the workers using them than solvent-based finishes. Prior to our bringing them to India, water-borne finishes were not available in factories there. When touring the manufacturing facilities in India, we were actually thanked by a factory foreman who stated that the workers had noticed positive health related benefits since using the new finish.
Bent-Plywood: When appropriate for the design of the product (as in our step-stool,) we use birch bent-plywood. Bent plywood uses one-eighth the wood of hard wood and is much stronger. The design of the Nest stool uses fewer materials in its design than a stool made from hardwood that creates waste.
Recycled MDF: The wood components in our Jax products are made from MDF that uses recycled waste from lumber mills. While MDF does use a resin as a binder, we believe the use of this recycled product is preferable to the use of hardwood which inefficiently uses virgin wood. As in all of our manufacturing, we continue to refine our use of the best practices for wood usage.
Fair-Trade Manufacturing: We make sure that the people making our products are treated well with fair pay and benefit packages. The facilities that produce our products operate in strict compliance with the Government of India Labor Standards regulations and the workers employed are covered by labor unions. Minimum wage levels and the minimum employment age (19) are set higher than stipulated under local Government regulations. The mills and factories we use provide excellent benefits packages, including health, housing and educational programs for dependents, as well as recreational facilities. The mill management maintains a clean and safe work environment, in full compliance with Fair Trade Labor practices.
