Green Terminology
We’ve compiled a list of some of the most important green terminology and their definitions. We use these words every day as we search for the best and most eco-friendly products to offer. Understanding these words will make browsing our products easier, strengthen your awareness of the problems with conventional products and increase your connection with our vision of making green easy.
ANTIMICROBIAL- A substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites. For example, Bamboo fabric is naturally antimicrobial.
BIODEGRADABLE- Refers to the process by which organic substances are naturally broken down by living organisms.
CHLORINE-FREE- A chlorine-free product does not contain chlorine as a disinfecting or whitening agent, therefore providing a safer, less irritating and harmful alternative. Chlorine is an irritant and can also trigger negative reactions in children, the elderly, and people with chlorine-sensitivity.
ECO-FRIENDLY- is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.
FAIR TRADE- an organized social movement promoting standards for international labor, environmentalism, and social policy in areas related to production of Fair Trade labeled and unlabeled goods. The movement focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries.
Fair trade’s strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.
FORMALDEHYDE- Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and a probable human carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
HYPOALLERGENIC- describes especially cosmetics and textiles that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergic reactions.
LOW-IMPACT DYES- Low impact, or Fiber-reactive, dyes are synthetic dyes that chemically bond directly to the clothing fiber molecules. The fixation or absorption rate of low-impact dyes is at least 70%, creating less waste-water runoff and therefore a lower impact on the environment. They contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances
LOW-VOC FINISHES- low and no VOC finishes which allow the look and feel of a typical finish without the health hazards of chemical or biological pollutants found in most finishes. VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds or organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.
MDF- an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and resin, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure.
NATURAL- A natural product is anything maintaining its original form/ qualities as it was found existing naturally.
ORGANIC- A term used to describe any product grown or produced without pesticides or genetic modification. Organic agriculture uses crop rotation instead of agrochemicals (pesticides and artificial fertilizers) and biological pest control instead of pesticides. Organic usually costs more to produce, but has much less environmental impact.
PARTICLE BOARD- is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood particles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, or even saw dust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particleboard is a type of fiberboard, a composite material, but it is made up of larger pieces of wood than medium-density fibreboard and hardboard.
POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED- Post-consumer material is an end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Post-consumer materials include recyclables collected in commercial and residential recycling programs, such as office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics and metals.
PVC- polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is the only major plastic that contains chlorine, so it is unique in the hazards it creates. PVC production fuses vinyl chloride molecules with toxic metals such as lead and cadmium, which are added as plasticizers and stabilizers.
RECYCLED/ RECYLABLE- A recycled-content product is an item that contains recovered materials. Recovered materials are wastes that have been diverted from conventional disposal such as landfills for another use. Recovered materials include both pre-consumer and post-consumer wastes.
SOYBEAN FIBER-BASED- Soybean fiber is a sustainable textile fiber made from renewable natural resources. It is part of an effort moving consumers away from petrochemical textile products and turning waste into useful products.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN- (also referred to as “green design”, “eco-design”, or “design for environment”) is the art of designing physical objects to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.
The essential aim of sustainable design is to produce places, products and services in a way that reduces use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and relates people with the natural environment.
SWEATSHOP-FREE- Sweatshop is a pejorative term used to describe a manufacturing facility, usually a garment manufacturing facility, where working conditions are poor and workers are paid little. There is no single agreed upon clear definition of what a sweatshop is.
The term “sweatshop free” describes a working situation with fair treatment of laborers and adherence to age and wage regulations.
VEGETABLE DYES- Any colorant that is obtained from a vegetable source, for example, indigo or madder. These dyes are generally all natural, making them a far more sustainable, eco-friendly alternative over the typical fiber reactive/ chemical dyes.
WATER BASED INKS- pH neutral inks with a water base rather than petroleum, oil, or metal bases.