prAna: Sustainable Clothing

We all clean (well most of us) and environmentally friendlier choices seem to be increasing in mainstream markets and even bigbox retailers. Here are a few of our current favorites but remember you can always make your own…

Seventh Generation is a mainstay here at prAna HQ. Here is what they have to say about themselves… Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world’s most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics. One of the country’s first self-declared “socially responsible” companies, Seventh Generation is a business that operates according to a new and different set of principles and values that in many ways are a marked departure from those long considered “traditional.” Its business practice is focused on offering people avenues to express their idealism, passion, and commitment to causes larger than themselves at every point along its supply chain—from suppliers and partners to shareholders, customers and its own staff. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day makes honest, hardworking cleaners that work like the dickens on dirt. Remember, keeping clean is easy. All you need is a sensible pair of shoes, a little elbow grease, and the right soap. We use naturally derived ingredients whenever possible from corn, sugar cane, coconut and palm. When we cannot find a plant-derived ingredient that performs to our rigorous standards, we use ingredients from the world of safe synthetics. These are materials with a long history of safety and efficacy in use for people and the environment they live in. At Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, we do our best every day to make our formulations as natural as possible without compromising freshness, and performance. Mrs. Meyer’s makes environmentally friendly, biodegradable cleaning products. All of our liquid cleaning products will biodegrade. Our powdered products do contain minerals that do not biodegrade; yet they break down into non-harmful decomposition products. Chemical Free is an impossible claim to make. Water is a chemical, air is a chemical, essential oils are chemicals, and the world as we know it is a configuration of various carbon chains. The chemists at Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day are committed to

making smart, responsible raw material choices and, whenever possible, obtaining materials from renewable plant resources such as olive, coconut, corn and soy. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day manufactures cruelty-free cleaning products. None of our products have ever been tested on animals, and never will be. We want a healthy world for ourselves, our families and our pets. That is why Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products are safe to use in the presence of children, pets, and expectant women. There are no solvents, no petroleum distillates, no bleach, no phosphates and no ingredients that could cause harsh fumes. In addition, most of our products have a near neutral pH that makes them safe for skin contact. Simply follow the directions on every product. Please keep in mind that our products are richly fragranced, and some women have increased sensitivity to fragrances during pregnancy – sometimes this creates a very positive feeling, sometimes quite the opposite.

At Method, we call ourselves “people against dirty.” And by “dirty,” we don’t just mean the stuff dust bunnies are made of. method isn’t only about cleaning up your home or your body; it’s about cleaning up the way we clean. You may not know it, but if you’re using typical household cleaners or common personal care products, you could be messing around with dangerous chemicals. Chemicals that aren’t just bad for your home and the environment, but for you and your family as well. So what can you do about it? You can change. You can take a good hard look at the way you’re cleaning, and see that harsh chemicals and toxins have no place in your home, no place in your body and no place in your cleaning products. This is where method comes in – we see a world where toxicchemicals aren’t needed to get your home sparkly clean. Our entire line of home care and personal care products are non-toxic, made with naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients that clean like heck and smell like heaven. Of course, smelling like heaven shouldn’t cost the earth. At method, we’re in business to change business. In the same way we take the dirt out of cleaning, we strive to eliminate some of business’s dirty practices. We offset carbon emissions by planting forests and by buying electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind energy – not perfect solutions, but important steps in the right direction. We design our products to meet the environmental design standard of Cradle to Cradle. We make recyclable bottles from 100% recycled plastic – karmic packaging, if you will. And we use natural materials like bamboo, corn and coconut oil in our products and packaging.

Nestled in the Mississippi River Bluff town of Winona, MN., Watkins has been America’s pioneer in natural living since 1868. As America’s original natural apothecary manufacturer, Watkins uses only the finest natural ingredients in its diverse lines of personal care, home care, remedies, and organic flavorings.
Committed to being America’s most trusted natural products company, Watkins adheres strictly to the same quality standards set forth by its founder J.R. Watkins. J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary line of personal care contains only natural, environmentally friendly ingredients from renewable resources, avoiding chemicals like parabens, sulfates, phthalates and more and, is one of very few lines to be certified by the Natural Products Association. Natural cleaners havealso been a large part of its diverse product mix as far back as 1917, when the company first introduced Natural Vegetable Oil Soap made with pure vegetable oils and no animal bi-products, fillers or colors. Almost a century ago its
advertisements boasted “Just pure soap, that’s all”… and “Pure enough to eat!” As globally-minded as its customers, Watkins now aims to make household chores a little easier with its newest line of J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care cleaning products. Made with refreshing lemon and lavender oils and highly effective plant derived surfactants, Watkins diverse line of cleaners are safe and effective for your home and your family. Responsible manufacturing processes are as important as its commitment to providing natural, consumable items for everyday life. By utilizing gravity-fed filling, biodegradable packing materials, as well as recycling programs and much more, Watkins is devoted to leaving the smallest environmental footprint possible. Since moving from Plainview, Minnesota to Winona in 1885, Watkins has consistently been one of the largest employers in Southeastern, Minnesota. It has remained a leader and responsible contributor to not only its local community in Minnesota, but also to the world at large and continues to support educational, cultural and humanitarian efforts, including the United Way, Pacers, Kidstock, and many other not-profit organizations dedicated to making the world a better place.