NATIVE COLOUR COTTON PROJECT PERU • COMMENCED IN 1984 TO DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS FARMERS AND TRADITIONAL ARTISANS • 15000 FARDMERS CULTIVATE COLOURED COTTON • 50000 WOMEN INVOLVED IN TRADITIONAL HAND SPINNING AND HAND WEAVING • COLOURED COTTON IS PRODUCED WITHOUT THE USE OF SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES • COTTON PLANT GROWS UP TO 5 METERS HIGH YIELD 10 KG PER PLANT • REMARKABLY RESISTANT TO PEST AND DISEASES • THRIVES IN MARGINAL SOILS WITH LITTLE OR NO RAIN FALL PRE-HISPANIC GRAVE in the Chancay Valley of Peru is heaped with naturally colored cotton bolls. The ancient people of this coastal area filled the body of the deceased with the cotton, which would absorb the bodily fluids, thereby aiding in the process of mummification. The arid sands of the region preserved the cotton (which was removed from the body when this grave was looted.) SIX PRINCIPLE COLOUR VARIETIES CREAM Pista green MEDIUM BROWN REDDISH BROWN CHOCOLATE BROWN MAUVE Brown verities possess anti-bacterial and anti- fungal properties COFFEE FILTERS MADE FROM CERTIFIED ORGANIC COLOURED COTTON FREE FROM PESTIFCIDES, BLEACHES AND SYNTHETIC COLOURS Natural coloured yarns and fabrics are certified by SKAL, Dutch certifying agency PERUVIAN TAPESTRY from A.D. 1000 depicts a cotton plant complete with roots, leaves, stems, flowers and ripening cotton bolls spilling forth with naturally pigmented cotton Four species of cotton have different lint lengths. COTTON HARVESTING is done by hand in Peru Women then sort the cotton, also by hand, for color and quality. Traditional spinning bowl LINT FIBER greatly enlarged reveals the natural twist The dark masses impart the natural color. Coloured cotton bolls are hand picked Small quantity is used for craft production and domestic consumption in rural market. Large quantity is consumed in uraban market as textile products Medical remedy for over fifty somatic and psychosomatic disorders Colour cotton cultivation by traditional farmers is officially protected Large number of traditional farmers are immensely benefited No patents are held on native colored cotton, respecting and promoting the crop protection rights of the indigenous people of Peru. Today Indian descendants of ancient Peruvian cultures still harvest, gin and spin by hand the natural colored cottons of Peru. Slivers of coloured cotton Naturally coloured yarn for Kniting and Weaving Coloured cotton fabrics [...]... finishes Colour fastness Emission of volatiles Odours Thailand (Thai Green Label Korea Environmental Labelling Republic of China–Taiwan Green Mark Japan Eco Mark India Eco Mark European Union Eco- label “Flower” scheme Australia/New Zealand Environmental Choice Nordic Countries (Nordic Swan ) Austrian Eco- label Croatia (Environmental Label) Netherland Ecolabel Foundation ... conscious consumers ECO LABEL CRITERIA ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS OF THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PRODUCT CRADLE TO GRAVE ASSESSMENT 1 Production of raw materials 2 Production of the end product 3 Packaging and transport of raw materials and the finished product 4 Use of the product by companies and consumers 5 Disposal of the product e.g assessment of a T-shirt starts in the cotton field and ends in the... for tomorrow's environment ECO LABELS Eco- labels are product labels that inform consumers about the environmental impact of a product They encourage producers to switch to environmentally sound production process methods (PPMs) for advantage in the marketplace Eco- labels allow producers to differentiate their products from products that are less environmentally friendly and thus to reach environmentally... FoxFiber ® Today, Sally Fox designs fabrics with her cotton and continues research Fox has received a patent and three Plant Variety Protection Certificates for her naturally colored cottons which, in addition to browns, she now grows in reds and greens Her invention has been so popular it has sprouted two successful companies Vreseis, Ltd and Natural Cotton Colours, both operating in Arizona Natural... Central and South America had spun these strains for centuries, but the fiber qualities were not sufficient for modern machine spinning Here was Sally Fox’s opportunity to combine her concern for the environment, work in her field of entomology, and practice her favorite pastime, spinning and weaving Sally Fox in 1982 took on the challenge of improving an ancient agricultural art Fox successfully bred and. .. Athena Mills Arizona Athena Mills is recognized as a leader for two environmentally descriptive trademarks - Colorganic® and Colour-By-Nature® Both marks ensure the final product's color is from naturally colored cotton Colorganic additionally ensures certified organic growing practices for all of the cotton fibers in the final product Fox Fibre offers consumers an ecological alternative in cotton: today's... cotton field and ends in the incineration plant ECO LABEL CRITERIA •As little use as possible of chemical substances harmful to the environment •No or very few heavy metals in the product •Energy conservation during production and use •The lowest possible amounts of harmful substances in wastewater •Requirements which ensure that the product works well and will last long Opportunities for recycling/reuse... warm and rich color tones Enable our cottons to be spun from 100% solid color to any percentage of color blends Blends of Fox Fibre colors (with each other or with white) can create all of the color shades within the beige, khaki, brown, red brown, dark brown, and green color spectrums Provide a fire retardant tendency Eliminate the need for bleaches, dyes, & other costly processes during textile and . 19 84 TO DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS FARMERS AND TRADITIONAL ARTISANS • 15000 FARDMERS CULTIVATE COLOURED COTTON • 50000 WOMEN INVOLVED IN TRADITIONAL HAND SPINNING AND HAND. of raw materials and the finished product 4. Use of the product by companies and consumers 5. Disposal of the product e.g. assessment of a T-shirt starts in the cotton field and ends in the. by hand, for color and quality. Traditional spinning bowl LINT FIBER greatly enlarged reveals the natural twist The dark masses impart the natural color. Coloured cotton bolls are hand