What are they made from?
Organic cotton for the patterned side, the towelling reverse side of the wipe is also organic cotton. The thread used is 100% Tencel aka lyocell.
Where do they come from?
These reusable face wipes are sewn together right here at ABP’s office in Glasgow. The organic cotton towelling fabric is made in Turkey, which is sourced from GOTS certified mills. This also means that checks are made to make sure working standards are abided by for safe working conditions. The company we source our fabrics from pays the weavers fairly. The organic cotton towelling is oxy-bleached rather than using hydrogen peroxide which is safer and complies with the GOTS standard.
Are they sustainable?
Organic cotton – Cotton needs a ridiculous amount of water to grow. It is also very labour intensive because cotton attracts lots of pests. In terms of sustainability, cotton is not the most sustainable, however, many of the alternatives, like hemp, aren’t grown on the same scale (hemp requires fewer pesticides and water). Cotton is much better if it is organic. Organic means no pesticides for one. If you spray pesticides all over your cotton, they are going to get into the water, which will be absorbed by the soil, resulting in pesticides in the water supply. Not to mention all the other toxins used in the production and manufacturing of non-organic cotton. Buy organic cotton or cotton that has been reused or upcycled, because the alternative is appalling.
Viscose/’Tencel’ – A material made from natural sources of cellulose fibre such as wood. Although viscose is considered a ‘natural’ fibre, its production process is not very eco-friendly as some quite poisonous gases are given off as a by-product during its production. These days, these gases are mostly captured and neutralised, but worker safety in developing countries that produce this fibre can be an issue. The lyocell process, (branded as ‘Tencel’), however, is a closed-loop system and allows no by-products to escape, making the manufacture of viscose in this way ‘neutral’ from an environmental standpoint.
How about ethical?
These reusable face wipes are handmade by our very own Núria from Team ABP 😊.
We now have a sewing machine in the office, which is exciting, because it means that we can make some of our own products now. The machine originally belonged to Jenny’s nan, so it is around 50 years old. It was built before the age of planned obsolescence, so having been recently serviced, it works as well as ever!
The cost of labour - phew! Núria is bleeding me dry with these face wipes… I am joking of course. These wipes are handmade with tender loving care right here in Glasgow, not a sweatshop, so Núria is being paid properly for her skills. This is a very relaxed workplace and Núria was a willing volunteer to make products on the sewing machine. (Sewing is a hobby of hers, so she was well up for this). We adhere to all the laws and standards regarding the workplace just as all businesses should, and try to go above and beyond to make ABP a fab place to work. 😊
Extra good stuff:
This is a homemade product by Anything But Plastic, so all the good stuff we do normally is our extra good stuff. You know why you are here. 😊 Check out our Impact page for some examples of this good stuff.
Conclusion –
Wipe away some more single-use plastic by reverting to the time-tested, good old wash cloth to clean your face with.
