Detox Your Wardrobe!



What great time is January! New year, new start, new chances. You probably made some New Year’s resolutions, right? A new hobby? Healthier diet? More exercise? Picking up a trash a day? Eat more veggies?

Some use January to Detox. To get rid of the toxics in their systems, to avoid sugars, fats, caffeine and other harmful substances. Detox period can be a kick-start to change something in your life permanently. 

It is also good to remember that it does not only matter what we put down our throats. It also matters what we have on our skin and what we breathe. Toxics are actually all around us, unfortunately, and they are hard to avoid. Some stay in our bodies for years or decades.  There are harmful chemicals in our furniture (yes, to deter fire, for example, but it isn’t healthy), in clothes, in cosmetics, cooking gear... These can mess up our hormonal and reproductive system and even cause cancer. Asthmas and allergies are maybe lesser evils, but they really are getting more and more common. 

And it is not just us who get harmed, it is also the workers in the factories producing these necessities for us. And they really get the short end of the stick. Many times toxic substances is only one facet of the issue. It is lack of decent pay, ban on trade unions, child labor and dangerous conditions in the factories. These workers are not able to live a healthy life. 

Luckily we all have a choice. We can choose not to support companies that use toxic chemicals. We can opt for organic or otherwise safer products. That means less pesticides  in the fields and less chemicals in the factories. We can ask about the chemical content of the product. That saves our health, but also the soil, water and clean air. And if we keep it clean, we have healthier food and so on. It is a very closed circle, and we cannot run away to new pastures (not anymore in 2013 at least).

We have a choice. We can vote with our money what kind of conditions people work in in countries like Bangladesh.  We can choose to support companies with Fair Trade and decent enviromental policies in developing countries. We can also choose to buy products that are made in Europe, where the producers have tighter norms. 

That means probably that we pay a bit of extra per item, but the quality counts as well, right? And the quality often means less chemicals, less environmental damage, less abuse, longer use thus less production. And that is better for us. In the long run we may even save a few euros in our health costs, right. And taxes. Et cetera.

And it is not all that boring either. There is a wide range of producers for all the styles in ecological and fair fashion, for example.  We love for example Studio Jux, who not only do Fair Trade, but have also committed supporting local women’s right to work, and who try to produce their collection as sustainably as possible. Still with style, and the Nepali Tailors just rock.

L’Herbe Rouge marks in their labels the environmental footprint of the garment. This way you can quickly see how big a baggage that particular garment has, and make an informed choice.

Detox or not, it is worth to look a bit more closely what we purchase this year!



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