Organic cotton baby clothes: which materials and labels to choose?
For our sleeping bags and sheets, we have selected washed percale cotton from organic farming and Oeko-Tex® certified.
The polyester in the stuffing of our sleeping bags is recycled GRS certified and the zip is YKK also both are Oeko-Tex® certified.
For our swaddles, we have chosen double gauze made from organically grown cotton, certified by Oeko-Tex® and GOTS.
Why organic cotton?
The cotton fibre for our percale comes from Asia and is woven and dyed in Portugal. In Europe, it is difficult to find cotton crops at the moment....
For our swaddles, the yarn comes from Turkey and the double gauze is woven and printed in France.
Organic cotton respects :
- The planet
Its cultivation requires less water than conventional cotton (divided by 2). And it uses no pesticides, insecticides or chemicals (natural compost replaces chemical fertilisers).
- Workers and residents in the areas where it is grown
The chemicals used in conventional cotton leach into the soil and water. This causes major health problems for people living in areas that are usually very poor.
- The final product
The fibres are preserved as they are not chemically treated. This makes the final product more durable.
What is cotton washed percale?
Percale is a cotton fabric woven with 120 threads per cm², whereas standard cotton has only 57 threads per cm². This tighter, higher quality weave makes the fabric very strong and soft.
In addition, our percale is pre-washed to avoid shrinkage in the wash, colour bleeding during your laundry and to give the fabric an even softer feel.
What is double cotton gauze ?
It consists of two layers of cotton gauze joined together by imperceptible stitches at regular intervals. This material is particularly soft, absorbent and light. It has been deemed ideal for swaddle. Cotton is also naturally hypoallergenic, so it's perfect for the delicate skin of our little ones. Ours becomes nicely waffled after the first wash (no need to iron).
What is the Oeko-Tex® - Standard 100 label?
Oeko-Tex® is an international association of 18 textile research and testing institutes in Europe and Japan.
The Standard 100 label defines restrictions on chemical substances in the finished product ( limit values on formaldehyde residues, pesticides in the finished product). In many cases, the Standard 100 limit values go beyond national and international requirements.
The label therefore guarantees that an article does not contain substances that are harmful to babies' health, and this for each component of the article, i.e. fabrics, zips, thread, press studs, etc.
More info on: https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/
And what about Kokùn Lab? All our products are Oeko-Tex® certified.
For official certification, it is compulsory to show the serial number and the Oeko-Tex® logo on the product label. You can therefore find the labelled information on our sleeping bags and sheets.
What is the GRS label ?
Our wadding is made from recycled polyester fibres; the fibres are of European origin and are processed in Normandy, France.
Our wadding is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified. The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a standard for tracking and verifying the recycled content of a final product. The standard applies to the entire supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labelling.
This certificate guarantees :
- Reduction of the negative impact of production on people and the environment
- Sustainably processed products
- High percentages of recycled content in products
- Sustainable production
- Recycled materials
- Traceability
- Transparent communication
- Stakeholder engagement
What is the purpose of the YKK zip?
Let's talk about our experience as mothers and our unfortunate adventures with sleeping bags that were unusable because of a poor quality zip: a zipper that was broken, that didn't slide properly or that opened if you pulled on it...
In short, the zip of the sleeping bag must be solid! I'm tired of struggling with the zip! I'm tired of finding my little koko with the sleeping bag open.
YKK is a Japanese brand that is the ultimate reference in zippers! It is therefore quite natural that we insisted with our supplier to integrate these zips in our sleeping bags.
