WHAT IS ORGANIC HERBAL TEXTILE?
 
Organic cotton which is the base for organic textile is grown naturally using scientific principles like integrated pest management systems and biological manure  instead of agrochemicals that have low impact on the environment. Organic agriculture production system replenishes and maintains soil fertility, reduces the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and builds biologically diverse agriculture. Therefore Organic cotton has less environmental impact than conventional cotton and therefore it costs more to produce. Cotton sold as organic must be grown according to the international guidelines for organic crop production. Soil fertility practices that meet organic certification standards typically include crop rotation, cover cropping, animal manure additions, and use of naturally occurring rock powders. Weed management is accomplished by a combination of cultivation, flame weeding, and other cultural practices. 

BENEFITS OF ORGANIC TEXTILE

Apart from the environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, increased cotton yields, low consumption of natural water, organic clothing can help reduce exposure to allergens and other irritants and give a comfortable feeling.   People with allergies and chemical sensitivity especially benefit from organic cotton clothing, as conventional cotton may retain harmful toxic residues. Even if you don't have sensitive skin, organic cotton will just feel better against your skin. Children are at greater risk for pesticide-related health problems than adults. Millions of children in the US receive up to 35% of their estimated lifetime dose of some carcinogenic pesticides by age five through food, contaminated drinking water, household use, and pesticide drift.

Also manual farming and organic practices have a lower carbon footprint as the entire process consumes less fuel and energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases compared to chemical textiles. Organic Cotton is grown with natural systems rather than synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, grown from genetically modified cottonseed.

Salient benefits do account for eco-friendly processing that does not compromise workers' health and helps reduce water and electric use and toxic runoff. Farm workers working in conventionally grown cotton fields around the world suffer from an abundance of toxic exposures and related health problems. Pesticides used on cotton cause acute poisonings and chronic illness to farm workers worldwide. Acute respiratory symptoms and other health effects in communities surrounding cotton farms are correlated with high use of defoliation chemicals

Organic cotton is grown in several countries, including India, U.S.A., Turkey, Peru, Egypt, Israel and Uganda. However, this is only a very small percentage of the total cotton production in the world.

Organic Cotton Production 2004/05

• Turkey         10460  MT
•  India           6320    MT
  
• China          1870     MT
  
• USA             1968    MT
  
• Tanzania     1213    MT
  
•  Uganda       900     MT
  
• Pakistan       600     MT

HERBAL DYEING PROCESS

The herbal dyeing process is one step ahead of organic textile. The core concept of growing organic cotton is to eliminate the impact of harmful chemicals and pesticides which are used in course of growing it.

The process of herbal dyeing was developed through extensive research adopting the age-old dyeing methods practiced during Indus valley civilization. The process of herbal dyeing starts with the greige fabric passing through several stages of treatment before it becomes colorful and ready to wear. During this entire treatment only natural processes are used.

Fabric & Yarns used are certified organic cotton, natural cotton, silk, wool, linen, jute, hemp etc. and their natural blends in all the following process

Desizing -> Bleaching ->  Mordanting -> Dyeing -> Finishing -> Recycling Plant

Desizing which includes washing of processed greige cloth starts with removing sizing, gums and oils used in the course of weaving by washing with natural mineral-rich water and sea salts. Then the fabrics are exposed to direct sunlight, use of a natural grass base and animal manure starts the bleaching process. To make the colors bright and fast natural mordents such as myrballams, rubhabs leaves, oils, minerals, alum, iron Vat etc are used. We do not use heavy metal mordents like copper, chrome, zinc, tin etc. In Dyeing, only medicinally rich herbs, plant material, minerals & oils like, turmeric, myrballams, castor oil, sea salt etc for dyeing fabric or yarn. We have aspired to achieve and retained the medicinal qualities of the herbs by immersing the plant material directly in the dye bath for the same reason. In Herbal Dyeing, finishing is done by sprinkling pure water on the cloth and then stretching under pressure, using hand rolls, aloe Vera, castor oil etc. Solid and liquid waste is separated through the process of filtration and used for farming purposes as a manure & watering the fields.

HERBAL DYEING FOR ORGANIC TEXTILE

Herbal dyeing on organic grown textiles gives an extra edge in the genuineness as it complete the process. The core concept of growing organic cotton is to eliminate the impact of harmful chemicals and pesticides which cannot be accomplished if chemical dyes are used at a later stege in further treatment of organic fabric. Chemical Dyes are also known to result in problems like skin rashes, headache, trouble concentrating, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, irregular heart beat and seizures. The concept of Aura Herbal wear is to manifest herbal essence in every aspect of clothing i.e, from production to end use.

Symptoms in children include red cheeks and ears, dark circles under the eyes, hyperactivity and behavior or learning problems. Also  garment finishes for wrinkle-free, stain resistant, flame retardant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-static and odor-resistant, permanent-press, non-shrink, softening agents and the other easy care treatments that are applied to new clothing can be especially harmful for people with chemical sensitivities.

Apart from this, herbal dyed textiles can also help in preventing the diseases which otherwise are common with conventional clothing.. Clothing comes into prolonged contact with your skin, toxic chemicals are absorbed through your skin and skin pores are opened to permit perspiration. Once absorbed by humans, heavy metals tend to accumulate in the liver, kidney, bones, heart and brain. The effects on health can be significant when high levels of accumulation are reached. The effect is particularly serious in children due to effects on growth and their relatively low body mass.