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Choosing alternative natural fibers, like bamboo, hemp, and organic wool, is a green alternative to conventional cotton toys, which may be treated with pesticides, bleach, and other dangerous chemicals.

Find it! Vendors that sell toys made from natural fibers

We've gathered just a sampling of some of the toys made from natural materials that are available. Other natural toy vendors include: Bamboo Arts and Crafts Gallery, Fair Trade Family, The Happy Hippy, Global Kids, and Rosie Hippos.

Before you buy

• Similar to purchasing other natural products, making the eco-friendly choice isn't always the cheap choice—expect elevated prices when choosing between synthetic toys and toys made from hemp, wool, or other natural fabrics.
• It's possible that a toy made from natural fibers may still contain toxic chemical dyes and printing inks or may have been bleached with chlorine. Check the label or ask the merchant if you are unsure how a product has been colored.
• For organic wool toys, check to make sure the wool is certified organic. In the US, organic wool production must meet the same standards as certified organic meat, dairy, and other animal-fiber products set by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Federal organic livestock standards prohibit chemical inputs at every stage of production.

Choosing alternative natural fibers helps you go green because…

• The production of bamboo and hemp fiber does not require the vast amounts of water that cotton production requires.
• Alternative fabric sources, like bamboo and hemp plants, grow and regenerate more quickly, and are more sustainable crops.
• Organic cloth products do not use pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals that pollute groundwater, harm ecosystems, and contaminate the environment with health-threatening chemicals.

There are a variety of fibers and materials used to create toys, each with their own eco-advantages. Bamboo can be used like wood or refined into soft fabrics; hemp and wool can be used like cotton or employed as stuffing for a variety of plush toys.

Eco-friendly toy materials

Bamboo

Bamboo fibre grows rapidly, with low water demands. Some subtropical species of bamboo are capable of growing from a foot to more than 3 feet per day, and it's not unusual for them to reach 100 feet or more during their lives. Proper harvesting causes no more harm to the plant than mowing does harm to a lawn because only the shoots are removed—the root system will continue to grow new shoots. The procurement of bamboo does not contribute to deforestation and is harvested and processed by a low energy process that creates little to no emissions.[1][2] When processed into fabric, bamboo fibre does not require the petrochemicals and toxic fungicides, pesticides, flame retardants, and water and stain repellents that many conventional fabrics require.[3]

Hemp

Hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly fibers in the world, growing abundantly without pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and with very little water.[4] Hemp is considered a high-yield crop and produces significantly more fiber per square foot than do cotton or flax and two to four times more fiber per acre than trees.[5] Conversely, synthetically treated fabrics contain petrochemicals and toxic fungicides and pesticides which were used during the growing process, and flame retardants, water and stain repellents that were added during processing. Hemp, like wool, is a natural fire retardant and UV, mold and mildew resistant.[4][6]

Wool

Wool is a sustainable resource because the sheep’s fleece is shorn each year and will grow back.[7] Organic wool is produced without using hormones or pesticides in the animal or its food.[8] It is a good fabric for children’s toys because it is naturally stain-resistant and flame-retardant, so it does not need added chemical treatments.[9] However, if the wool used is not certified organic, it may contain pesticides. To control parasites such as lice, ticks, and mites, sheep raised with conventional farming practices are dipped in pesticide baths, which can pollute ground water and damage ecosystems with insecticides.[10] This procedure also creates health risks for the sheep and farm workers. Further, wool is traditionally processed with toxic solvents and detergents.[11] Conventional wool production also uses pesticides on pastures and chemicals in the feed.[8]

Controversies

Even with all of their environmental benefits, bamboo, hemp, and wool also possess some drawbacks.

Concerns about eco-friendly fibers

Bamboo

Bamboo is not always managed in a sustainable fashion. While it's true that it naturally regenerates, forests are being cleared to grow it and bamboo is becoming a monoculture, making it more susceptible to disease and therefore a more fragile ecological system, and discouraging biodiversity. In bamboo cultivation, there are no guidelines comparable to FSC certified wood, which insures that the forest has been harvested in a sustainable fashion.[12] Because the majority of bamboo crops are located in China, western consumers need to factor in the environmental costs of transportation.

Hemp

The conversion of hemp fiber to hemp fabric, like many textile processes, often involves the use of water and bleach.[13] Hemp is another word for cannabis sativa or marijuana, but is used these days to refer to those varieties that lack the intoxicating properties of marijuana. Industrial hemp is generally defined as hemp that has less than 0.3 percent THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, while marijuana has a potency range range of 3 to 10 percent THC. Some states and the federal statutes define marijuana in a way that includes its leaves and flowers, and excludes hemp stalks and its sterile seeds. In these states, hemp cultivation is still illegal, however, because cultivation produces leaves and flowers. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) oppose domestic hemp cultivation because they say hemp looks too much like marijuana and could therefore be used by pot growers to hide illegal marijuana. However, advocates of hemp legalization argue that the two plants are easily distinguishable.[14]

Wool

Because animals produce wool, there are concerns about sustainability. In a report by the Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative, the authors note that livestock is a significant contributor to the most serious environmental problems: land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.[15] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has targeted Australia’s sheep industry with a Save the Sheep campaign. The organization notes that the sheer size of the sheep industry (100 million sheep) makes it impossible for the sheep to receive individual attention even for medical emergencies.[16]

Related health issues

Various chemical treatments used both in the production of raw materials and the manufacture of toys pose health threats to humans. Chemical fabric treatments, pesticides, artificial colors and dyes, and toxic flame retardants may have negative health effects, from headaches to serious allergic reactions to cancer and other serious illnesses.[17] The pesticide sheep dip that is used in conventional wool production has been linked to health risks. Farmers who are exposed to some of the common dips show symptoms such as excessive tiredness, headaches, limb pain, disturbed sleep, poor concentration, mood changes, and thoughts of suicide.[18]

Fabric toys that are bleached pose additional health risks, as chlorine bleach creates organochlorines. One hundred and seventy-seven organochlorines have been found in the fat, mother's milk, semen, blood, and breath of the human population in Canada and the US. Health effects of organochlorines include hormonal disruption, infertility, disrupted immune systems, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and damage to the skin, liver, and kidneys. Newborns, infants, children, childbearing women, and the elderly are most vulnerable to these health impacts.[19]

Glossary

• organochlorines: Organochlorines are compounds that contain carbon, chlorine and hydrogen. Their chlorine-carbon bonds are extremely strong, so they do not break down easily. They are insoluble in water, and are attracted to fats.[20] They have been linked to various health problems.

External links

• American Bamboo Society
• Environmental Bamboo Foundation
• Hemp Industries Association
• North American Industrial Hemp Council
• Organic Consumers Association
• Statistics, Reports and Fact Sheets on Hemp
• The World Bamboo Organization