Category: Environmental

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REACH Compliance for Interior Fabrics: What Designers and Specifiers Need to Know

REACH Compliance for Interior Fabrics: What Designers and Specifiers Need to Know

What REACH is: A mandatory chemical safety regulation, not a voluntary sustainability certification. Retained in UK law as UK REACH and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive. Every fabric sold into the UK must comply.
UK and EU: UK REACH and EU REACH restrict the same substances in practice. They are administered separately and their restricted lists can diverge over time, so confirm which market a declaration refers to.
What it covers: Restriction of substances of very high concern, including phthalate plasticisers, heavy metal stabilisers, certain azo dyes, and formaldehyde above defined thresholds.
What to request: A specific UK REACH compliance declaration confirming the absence of restricted substances, not a general assurance.

REACH is the most universally applicable compliance point in the interior fabric supply chain and the one most commonly assumed rather than confirmed. It applies to every fabric sold into the UK regardless of any additional sustainability claim made about it. Because it is a legal requirement rather than a certification a supplier chooses to pursue, designers often assume compliance without requesting the documentation that evidences it. This guide explains what REACH restricts, which fabrics carry the highest compliance risk, and what to ask a supplier before specifying.

For voluntary sustainability certifications that sit alongside REACH, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide. For the environmental profile of coated fabrics specifically, see our faux leather types compared guide.

What REACH Is

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It originated as an EU regulation and, following EU exit, was retained in UK law as UK REACH, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive. UK REACH and EU REACH currently restrict the same substances at the same thresholds in practice, so a fabric compliant with one is generally compliant with the other. The two frameworks are administered separately, however, and their restricted substance lists can diverge over time. For a UK project, the operative requirement is UK REACH. Where a supplier’s declaration references EU REACH, confirm it also holds for the UK market.

The regulation places the burden of proof on manufacturers and importers to demonstrate that the substances used in their products are safe for their intended use. For textiles and coated fabrics, this means the fabric must not contain restricted substances above defined concentration limits. Compliance is mandatory. A fabric that does not comply cannot be legally sold into the UK market.

This is the critical distinction between REACH and the voluntary sustainability certifications a fabric may also hold. GOTS, Oeko-Tex, and the welfare standards are certifications a supplier elects to pursue and pay for. REACH is a legal baseline every product must meet. A fabric holding no sustainability certifications at all must still comply with REACH.

What REACH Restricts in Textiles

REACH restricts substances of very high concern through Annex XVII, which lists specific substances and the concentration limits permitted in defined product categories. The restrictions most relevant to interior fabrics are as follows.

Phthalate plasticisers. Phthalates are used to make PVC and some other polymers flexible. Several are restricted as substances of very high concern because they are endocrine disruptors. Since November 2020, DEHP, DBP, DIBP, and BBP have been restricted to 1,000 mg per kilogram, individually or in combination, in consumer textiles and related articles. This restriction is the single most significant REACH consideration for faux leather and other coated fabrics.

Heavy metal stabilisers. Older PVC formulations used lead and cadmium compounds as heat stabilisers. Both are restricted under REACH. Current-generation PVC uses calcium-zinc or other non-heavy-metal stabiliser systems.

Azo dyes. Certain azo dyes release aromatic amines that are carcinogenic. These are restricted under REACH. The restriction applies to dyes used on any fabric, natural or synthetic, that comes into contact with skin.

Formaldehyde. Used in some easy-care and crease-resist finishes and in certain resin treatments. Restricted above defined limits.

Perfluorinated compounds. PFOA, PFOS, and related long-chain fluorochemicals used in some water-repellent and stain-resist finishes are restricted or subject to phase-out. This affects fabrics carrying older-generation fluorocarbon stain treatments.

Which Fabrics Carry the Highest Compliance Risk

REACH applies to all fabrics, but the practical compliance risk is concentrated in specific categories.

Coated and synthetic fabrics carry the highest risk because their polymer chemistry historically depended on plasticisers and stabilisers now restricted. PVC faux leather is the clearest case: the plasticisers that give PVC its flexibility were, until recent years, predominantly the phthalates now restricted under Annex XVII. High-specification PVC faux leather now uses phthalate-free plasticiser formulations as standard, but lower-cost imported material may not. This is the category where requesting a specific compliance declaration matters most.

Fabrics carrying stain-resist or water-repellent finishes carry risk from the fluorochemical restrictions. A fabric treated with an older-generation fluorocarbon finish may contain restricted perfluorinated compounds.

Dyed fabrics of any fibre carry azo dye risk if the dye source is not controlled. This is more likely to be a concern with fabrics dyed in supply chains without documented chemical management than with fabrics from established European mills.

Natural fibre fabrics without applied finishes carry the lowest inherent risk, but REACH remains relevant to any dye, finish, or flame-retardant treatment applied during processing.

What to Request From a Supplier

A general statement that a fabric is REACH compliant is of limited value because compliance is a legal requirement the fabric must meet regardless. The useful documentation is more specific.

Request a UK REACH compliance declaration that identifies the specific fabric or range and confirms the absence of restricted substances above the Annex XVII thresholds. For coated fabrics, this declaration should specifically confirm phthalate content below the 1,000 mg per kilogram limit, or confirm a phthalate-free formulation.

For projects with documented chemical safety requirements, request confirmation of whether the fabric has been tested by a third-party laboratory using gas chromatography or equivalent analytical methods, and whether batch-specific test reports are available. Established suppliers of contract-grade coated fabric can generally provide this.

Where a fabric also holds Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, that certification independently confirms the finished fabric tests below defined thresholds for many of the same substances REACH restricts, providing a second line of assurance. The two are complementary: REACH is the mandatory legal baseline, Oeko-Tex is a voluntary product test that overlaps with it.

REACH and Sustainability Are Not the Same Thing

REACH compliance is sometimes presented as a sustainability credential. It is more accurately described as a chemical safety and human health baseline. A fabric can be fully REACH compliant while having a significant environmental footprint in manufacture, and REACH says nothing about animal welfare, recycled content, or end-of-life recyclability.

Where REACH does connect to sustainability is in the specific area of chemical management. A fabric confirmed free of restricted phthalates, heavy metals, and azo dyes is safer for the people who manufacture it, install it, and live with it. That is a meaningful dimension of responsible specification, but it is one dimension rather than a complete claim.

Quick answers

Is REACH a certification?
No. REACH is a mandatory chemical safety regulation under UK and EU law, not a voluntary certification. Every fabric sold into the UK must comply with REACH regardless of any sustainability certifications it holds or does not hold. A supplier cannot choose whether to comply; compliance is a legal requirement for placing the product on the market. This distinguishes REACH from certifications such as GOTS or Oeko-Tex, which suppliers elect to pursue.

What does REACH restrict in faux leather?
The most significant REACH restriction for faux leather concerns phthalate plasticisers. DEHP, DBP, DIBP, and BBP have been restricted to 1,000 mg per kilogram, individually or in combination, in consumer textiles since November 2020. These plasticisers were historically used to make PVC flexible. High-specification PVC faux leather now commonly uses phthalate-free plasticiser formulations. REACH also restricts heavy metal stabilisers, certain azo dyes, and formaldehyde above defined limits.

How do I confirm a fabric is REACH compliant?
Request a UK REACH compliance declaration that identifies the specific fabric and confirms the absence of restricted substances above the Annex XVII thresholds, rather than accepting a general assurance. For coated fabrics, the declaration should confirm phthalate content below the restricted limit or a phthalate-free formulation. For projects with documented requirements, ask whether third-party laboratory testing and batch-specific reports are available. A concurrent Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate provides additional independent assurance.

Does REACH apply to natural fibre fabrics?
Yes. REACH applies to all fabrics sold into the UK regardless of fibre type. Natural fibre fabrics without applied finishes carry the lowest inherent compliance risk, but REACH remains relevant to any dye, finish, or flame-retardant treatment applied during processing. Azo dye restrictions apply to dyed fabrics of any fibre, and formaldehyde restrictions apply to any resin or easy-care finish.

Is a REACH compliant fabric sustainable?
Not necessarily. REACH is a chemical safety and human health baseline, not a comprehensive sustainability measure. A fabric can be fully REACH compliant while having a significant environmental footprint in manufacture, and REACH does not address animal welfare, recycled content, or recyclability. Where REACH connects to sustainability is in chemical management: a fabric confirmed free of restricted substances is safer for the people who make, install, and live with it.

For voluntary sustainability certifications including GOTS, Oeko-Tex, and welfare standards, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide. For the environmental and chemical profile of coated fabrics, see our faux leather types compared guide.

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Faux Leather Sustainability: A Specifier’s Guide to Chemical Safety, Durability and Certification

Faux Leather Sustainability: A Specifier’s Guide to Chemical Safety, Durability and Certification

The honest position: Faux leather sustainability is best assessed through chemical compliance, durability, and certification rather than a single environmental claim.
Chemical baseline: UK REACH compliance is mandatory and restricts phthalate plasticisers, heavy metal stabilisers, and azo dyes.
Durability as environmental performance: A coated fabric achieving 200,000 Martindale rubs and a service life measured in decades requires replacement far less frequently than shorter-lived alternatives.
Type matters: Silicone leather leads on most environmental measures, PU sits between, and PVC is the most durable and readily certified.

Sustainability in faux leather is frequently reduced to a single word on a specification sheet, which is of little use to a designer who has to defend a material choice to a client or a developer. A more useful approach is to assess the material against the specific dimensions that can be documented and verified: chemical compliance, durability and service life, and the certifications the material holds. This guide sets out how to evaluate faux leather on those terms.

For chemical compliance in detail, see our faux leather types compared guide and our fabric sustainability certifications guide.

Chemical Compliance: The Documented Baseline

The most verifiable dimension of faux leather sustainability is chemical safety, governed in the UK by UK REACH. This is a mandatory regulation rather than a voluntary certification, which means every faux leather sold into the UK must meet it. UK REACH restricts substances of very high concern, and several of these historically featured in coated fabric manufacture.

Phthalate plasticisers are the most significant. Since November 2020, DEHP, DBP, DIBP, and BBP have been restricted to 1,000 mg per kilogram in consumer textiles under REACH. These compounds were used to make PVC flexible. High-specification PVC faux leather now uses phthalate-free plasticiser formulations as standard. Requesting confirmation of phthalate-free formulation is the single most useful chemical safety question a specifier can ask.

Heavy metal stabilisers, historically lead and cadmium compounds in PVC, are also restricted. Current-generation material uses calcium-zinc stabiliser systems. Azo dyes releasing carcinogenic amines are restricted across all fibre types. A faux leather confirmed compliant on these three points is safer for the people who manufacture it, install it, and use it, which is a substantive and defensible dimension of responsible specification.

Where a material also holds Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, that provides independent third-party confirmation that the finished product tests below defined thresholds for many of the same substances, complementing the mandatory REACH baseline.

Durability as Environmental Performance

The most significant and least discussed sustainability factor in faux leather is service life. A material that lasts is a material that does not need replacing, and the environmental cost of a replacement cycle, new manufacture, transport, installation, and disposal of the old material, is substantial.

High-specification PVC faux leather achieving in excess of 200,000 Martindale rubs has a service life in contract use measured in decades rather than years. A lower-grade coated fabric achieving 30,000 rubs in the same environment may require replacement several times over the same period. The cumulative material and manufacturing impact of the durable specification is a fraction of the repeated-replacement alternative, even before the disruption and cost of each replacement cycle is considered.

This reframes the durability data on a specification sheet as environmental data. The Martindale rub count, the hydrolysis resistance of PU, the UV stability that prevents surface degradation, and the cold crack resistance that prevents cracking in exterior use are all measures of how long the material will last before it must be replaced. Longevity is the environmental argument that coated fabric can make most credibly.

How the Three Types Compare on Sustainability

Silicone leather leads on most environmental measures. It uses no plasticisers, requires no fire-retardant additives to achieve inherent flame resistance, produces low VOC emissions in manufacture, and does not break down into microplastics in the way that some coated materials can. It is derived from silica, an abundant mineral. Its environmental credentials are defensible to a degree the other types cannot match, and its exceptional durability and UV stability give it the longest service life in demanding applications. The constraint is cost.

PU leather occupies a middle position. It does not contain chlorine, and water-based polyurethane systems significantly reduce VOC emissions in manufacture compared with solvent-based systems. It is generally the more environmentally benign choice between PVC and PU. Its limitation is durability: standard PU is susceptible to hydrolysis and has a shorter service life than PVC or silicone in humid or heavy-use conditions, which works against the longevity argument.

PVC leather is the most durable and most readily certified for fire performance. Its environmental case rests primarily on that durability and on chemical compliance: current-generation PVC using phthalate-free plasticisers and non-heavy-metal stabilisers is a substantially different material from older formulations. Its exceptional abrasion resistance and long service life are the strongest components of its sustainability position.

What to Request for a Sustainability-Led Specification

Where a project brief requires documented sustainability credentials for faux leather, define the specific requirements rather than accepting a general claim.

Request a UK REACH compliance declaration confirming phthalate-free formulation and the absence of restricted heavy metal stabilisers and azo dyes.

Request Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification where available, specifying the class appropriate to the application.

Request the Martindale rub count and, for exterior or marine applications, the UV light fastness and cold crack temperature, and present these as service-life and therefore sustainability data.

Where recycled content is a requirement, request confirmation of recycled backing content and any GRS certification covering it, noting that GRS certifies recycled content origin rather than overall environmental performance.

For projects where silicone leather’s environmental profile justifies its cost, specify it directly for the applications where its properties are genuinely required rather than across the whole scheme.

Quick answers

Is faux leather environmentally friendly?
Faux leather sustainability is best assessed through specific documented dimensions rather than a single claim: chemical compliance under UK REACH, durability and service life, and the certifications the material holds. A durable, REACH-compliant, phthalate-free coated fabric with a long service life has a defensible sustainability position. Silicone leather leads on most environmental measures, PU sits in the middle, and PVC’s case rests on its exceptional durability and current-generation chemical compliance.

Is PVC faux leather safe?
High-specification PVC faux leather compliant with UK REACH is manufactured without the restricted phthalate plasticisers and heavy metal stabilisers used in older formulations. Current-generation material uses phthalate-free plasticisers and calcium-zinc stabiliser systems. Request a REACH compliance declaration confirming phthalate-free formulation, and an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certificate where available for independent confirmation that the finished product tests below defined substance thresholds.

How does durability affect faux leather sustainability?
Durability is the most significant sustainability factor in faux leather. A material achieving 200,000 Martindale rubs and a service life measured in decades requires replacement far less frequently than a lower-grade material achieving 30,000 rubs in the same environment. The environmental cost of each replacement cycle, new manufacture, transport, installation, and disposal, is substantial, so the durable specification has a fraction of the cumulative impact. Durability data is environmental data.

Which faux leather is most sustainable?
Silicone leather leads on most environmental measures. It uses no plasticisers, needs no fire-retardant additives to achieve inherent flame resistance, produces low VOC emissions, and does not break down into microplastics. It also has the longest service life under UV and temperature extremes. Its constraint is cost. PU is the more environmentally benign choice between PVC and PU, while PVC’s case rests on its durability and current-generation chemical compliance.

What certifications should I request for sustainable faux leather?
Request a UK REACH compliance declaration confirming phthalate-free formulation and the absence of restricted heavy metal stabilisers and azo dyes. Request Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification at the class appropriate to the application. Request the Martindale rub count and, for exterior or marine use, UV light fastness and cold crack temperature, which function as service-life and therefore sustainability data. Where recycled content is required, request GRS certification covering the recycled backing.

For the full technical comparison of PVC, PU, and silicone leather, see our faux leather types compared guide. For sustainability certifications across all fibre types, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide. For chemical compliance in detail, see our REACH compliance guide.

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Cashmere and Mohair Welfare Certifications: A Guide for Interior Designers

Cashmere and Mohair Welfare Certifications: A Guide for Interior Designers

Mohair: The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS), developed by Textile Exchange, certifies Angora goat welfare through the full supply chain.
Cashmere: The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS) and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Sustainable Cashmere Standard certify cashmere goat welfare and grassland management.
These are international standards, not UK-specific schemes. They apply to fibre sourced from the principal producing regions and are recognised globally.
What they cover: Fibre-level animal welfare and, in the cashmere standards, environmental land management. None covers dyeing or finishing.

Animal welfare is an increasingly common requirement on project briefs for natural-fibre fabrics, and cashmere and mohair are the two luxury fibres where it is most frequently raised. The certifications that address welfare in these fibres are distinct from the sustainability and chemical standards covered elsewhere, and they cover the fibre at source rather than the finished fabric. This guide explains what each standard certifies, what it does not, and how to specify and verify welfare credentials on a project.

For the broader set of sustainability certifications, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide. For cashmere throw specification, see our cashmere throws page.

Why Welfare Certification Applies to These Fibres

Cashmere and mohair are both goat fibres. Cashmere comes from the undercoat of the cashmere goat, produced principally in Mongolia and China. Mohair comes from the Angora goat, produced principally in South Africa. In both cases the fibre is harvested from living animals, which places animal husbandry, handling, and welfare at the centre of any responsible-sourcing question.

The welfare concerns are distinct from the mulesing question that dominates wool sourcing. Mulesing is a sheep-specific practice and does not apply to goats. The welfare framework for cashmere and mohair instead centres on the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury and disease, from fear and distress, and freedom to express normal behaviour. The certifications assess husbandry and handling against this framework.

For cashmere specifically, there is an additional environmental dimension. Cashmere goats graze grassland, and overstocking has been linked to degradation and desertification of grazing land in the principal producing regions. The cashmere standards therefore address grassland management alongside animal welfare.

The Responsible Mohair Standard

The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) is a voluntary standard developed by Textile Exchange, the international non-profit that also administers the Responsible Wool Standard and the Responsible Alpaca Standard. It is an international standard rather than a UK or South African national scheme.

RMS certifies the full supply chain, from the farm through to the final seller in the last business-to-business transaction. Every stage must be certified and independently audited. The farm-level criteria assess Angora goat welfare against the Five Freedoms and prohibit practices inconsistent with them. Land management criteria address the environmental impact of farming.

The chain of custody requirement is significant. For a product to carry the RMS label, the mohair content must be 100% certified, and the certified fibre must be traceable through every processing stage. This is what distinguishes a certified claim from a general assurance: RMS certification means the specific supply chain has been audited end to end, not that the fibre originates from a region where welfare standards are generally observed.

The Cashmere Standards: GCS and SFA

Two parallel standards address cashmere welfare and sustainability.

The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS) was developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation. It certifies cashmere goat welfare, environmental land management, and the social conditions and livelihoods of the herders who produce the fibre. It operates principally in the producing regions of Mongolia and China.

The Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) operates the Sustainable Cashmere Standard, addressing the same three areas of animal welfare, environmental management, and herder livelihoods, with a particular emphasis on preventing overgrazing and the grassland degradation associated with it. The SFA works extensively in Mongolia, the source of a large share of the world’s cashmere.

Both standards address the combination of animal welfare and grassland sustainability that is specific to cashmere production. For a project requiring documented cashmere welfare credentials, either standard provides a recognised basis. The choice between them is usually determined by which the supplier’s source holds rather than by a material difference in what they certify.

What These Standards Do Not Cover

All three standards certify the fibre at source and through the supply chain to the point of sale. None of them covers the dyeing, finishing, or chemical processing of the finished fabric. A cashmere or mohair fabric carrying a welfare certification has documented welfare at fibre level, but the certification says nothing about the chemical management of the dyehouse or the environmental standards of the finishing process.

For a fabric requiring both welfare assurance and processing assurance, a welfare standard at fibre level must be combined with a processing certification such as GOTS or a product test such as Oeko-Tex Standard 100. The welfare standard and the processing standard answer different questions and neither substitutes for the other.

This is the same structural point that applies across textile certification generally: each standard certifies one part of the chain, and a complete sustainability claim requires understanding which parts are covered and which are not. For the full picture, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide.

How to Specify and Verify Welfare Credentials

Where a project brief requires animal welfare credentials for cashmere or mohair, specify the standard by name rather than using an unqualified term such as ethically sourced, which is not verifiable.

For mohair, specify RMS certification and request confirmation that the fibre content is 100% RMS certified, which is the requirement for the label to apply.

For cashmere, specify either the Good Cashmere Standard or the SFA Sustainable Cashmere Standard, and request confirmation of which the source holds.

Ask the supplier to confirm the certification at the point of specification, before the order is placed. A supplier able to provide welfare certification will hold the documentation; a general assurance that the fibre is responsibly sourced without reference to a named standard is not verifiable and should not be presented to a client as a welfare credential.

Where the supplier cannot provide a named certification, the appropriate approach is to confirm the country of origin and the farming standards directly, and to represent this accurately to the client as sourcing information rather than as certified welfare.

Quick answers

What is the Responsible Mohair Standard?
The Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) is a voluntary international standard developed by Textile Exchange that certifies Angora goat welfare and land management from the farm through to the final business-to-business seller, with every stage independently audited. It assesses welfare against the Five Freedoms framework. For a product to carry the RMS label, the mohair content must be 100% certified and traceable through every processing stage, which distinguishes a certified claim from a general assurance about a region’s standards.

What certifications cover cashmere goat welfare?
Two international standards certify cashmere goat welfare: the Good Cashmere Standard (GCS), developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation, and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Sustainable Cashmere Standard. Both address animal welfare, environmental land management, and herder livelihoods in the principal producing regions of Mongolia and China, with the SFA placing particular emphasis on preventing overgrazing. Neither covers the dyeing or finishing of the finished fabric, which requires separate certification.

Does mulesing apply to cashmere or mohair?
No. Mulesing is a sheep-specific practice and does not apply to goats. Cashmere comes from the cashmere goat and mohair from the Angora goat, so the mulesing question that dominates wool sourcing is not relevant to these fibres. Their welfare framework centres instead on the Five Freedoms, and for cashmere on grassland management, addressed by the Good Cashmere Standard, the SFA Sustainable Cashmere Standard, and the Responsible Mohair Standard respectively.

Are these welfare standards UK schemes?
No. The Responsible Mohair Standard, the Good Cashmere Standard, and the SFA Sustainable Cashmere Standard are all international standards, not UK-specific schemes. They apply to fibre sourced from the principal producing regions, mohair from South Africa and cashmere from Mongolia and China, and are recognised globally. This means the same certification applies whether the finished fabric is specified for a UK project or one elsewhere.

How do I verify a welfare claim for cashmere or mohair?
Specify the standard by name rather than using an unqualified term such as ethically sourced. For mohair, specify RMS certification and request confirmation of 100% certified content. For cashmere, specify the Good Cashmere Standard or the SFA Sustainable Cashmere Standard and confirm which the source holds. Ask the supplier to provide the certification documentation at the point of specification. Where no named certification is available, confirm country of origin and farming standards directly and represent that accurately as sourcing information rather than certified welfare.

For the full set of sustainability and chemical certifications across all fibres, see our fabric sustainability certifications guide. For cashmere throw specification and bespoke options, see our cashmere throws page. For mohair velvet upholstery, see our mohair velvet page.

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Faux Leather Upholstery

Brown Faux Leather Upholstery Banquette
Brown Faux Leather Upholstery Banquette

Faux (or fake) Leather offers a great alterantive to leather. With Martindale rubs of over 100,000 this is a very safe choice for high use contract areas. It’s usually made of a pure cotton basecloth with a poly-cotton visible coating. There are many other animal skins that are mimiced in the same way and in many cases the finishes are convincing.

But why not just use leather?

Much leather production has now moved away from the West to areas with less stringent environmental laws and lower wage rates. This is where the problem lies.

Chromium based compounds are used in the tanning and curing process of real leather. They are thought to be carcinogenic as, in some European tanning factories, cancer rates were found to be up to 50% higher in workers than in the population as a whole. Furthermore there were higher incidences of Leukemia in children living in areas near the tanneries. Environmental problems are exacerbated by the siting of factories next to rivers; the significant amounts of discharge that are produced are fed into the water courses and then dispersed over wide areas. In more lowly regulated economies it is not unreasonable to believe that the situation is probably worse.

Moving towards a better leather requires that chromium use is stopped completely and that the water used in production is cleaned and re-used in the factory. Any tanins and dyes uses would preferably be plant based.

Food for thought: If you wear leather clothing on sweaty skin then chromium residues in the leather can rub off and enter the skin.

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Bleached Fabric & Environmental Impact

Black Mohair Velvet Contemporary Chair
Black faux leather upholstery
Black faux leather upholstery

Most of us are familiar with household (chlorine-based) bleach, which is sodium hypochlorite. It is a very powerful bleaching agent and, like similar agents used in the industrial bleaching of fabrics, it has by-products that include; dioxins, furans and organochlorides.

An alternative to a chlorine based bleach is Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). This has medical uses and domestic uses such as for bleaching hair.

Hydrogen peroxide occurs naturally by the action of sunlight on water and is simply water plus an extra oxygen molecule (2 lots of H20 plus one lot of 02 equals 2 lots of H2o2 for all you chemists). Hydrogen peroxide is quite reactive and so easily gives up some of its oxygen to revert back to water. This act of giving up oxygen to something else, like fabric, causes the fabric or impurities in it to be oxidised. The oxidised parts of the fabric are chemically changed and lose their colour. They remain there but their colour is changed. That’s what makes it a bleach and so the end products are just the oxidised fabric and water.

Natural linen has a light brown or beige colour. To go lighter than this it has to be either bleached, or bleached and dyed.

If your clients are environmentally conscious and concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy from you, it would be prudent to ensure that your linen is hydrogen peroxide bleached rather than chlorine bleached.

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Upholstery Linen

Upholstery Linen Chair Bibendum Eileen Gray

LinenPinksUntil recently the finest linen was made exclusively in Western Europe. Whilst many of those producers still exist, much production has been shifted to the Far East. At KOTHEA, we endeavour to use European linen partly for sentimental reasons as we love the fabrics our mills have continued to deliver to us but also becuase the enviornmental impact of them is good and the quality fantastic.

Many of our natural linens are hydrogen peroxide bleached which is less environmentally damaging than the traditional use of the stronger chlorine-based bleach. Then, when colour is required, we typically only use dyes from natural materials.

Linen

Elegant, beautiful, durable, this luxury fabric is the strongest of the vegetable fibres and has 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free and ensures that it only gets softer and finer the more it is washed. Linen comes from flax, a bast fibre taken from the stalk of the plant. The lustre is from the natural wax content, with it’s colour ranging from creamy white to light tan. Linen does wrinkle but also presses easily when damp. Linen, like cotton, can also be boiled without damaging the fibre.

The decrease in use of linen may be attributed to the industrialisation of cotton production (a cheaper fibre), the increasing quality of synthetic fibers, and a decreasing appreciation of buyers for very high quality yarn and fabric. Very little top quality linen is produced now, and most is used in low volume applications like hand weaving, as an art material, or table and bed linens.

Although the actual growing of linen is free of the extensive spraying and use of pesticides used on cotton, it is the production process that can be environmentally damaging – the extensive water consumption and the chemicals and mordants used in the dying process. Our Eco linen is of the highest grade, is hand loomed in Latvia and is undyed. It is bleached using low impact hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine. See also Dye and Bleach, above, for further details.

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Can cotton ever be environmentally friendly and at what cost?

SP34_2Your beautiful cotton shirt or luxurious cotton curtains may hide an environmental time bomb.

Vast amounts of pesticides are used to grow cotton. By weight, it has had more pesticides used in its production than just about any other crop on the planet. To make matters worse, many of the chemicals used in production, such as cyanide, are cancer causing. A sobering fact is that cotton represents approximately 3% of the world’s crop production yet uses 25% of all pesticides.

Truly organic cotton is free from all chemical treatments. It further benefits from having no further treatment after harvesting. Usually there are no further bleaching processes or additional insect repellents (for example to counter moths). Where bleach has to be used, hydrogen peroxide (whilst sounding awful), is actually the most environmentally friendly bleaching option.

Maybe you don’t feel so good about your curtains now. Sorry! But seriously how much more would you be willing to pay in the future for organic cotton?

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Eco Friendly Transport For Fabrics/ Home Textiles

Keep Calm Interior Designer

2Unfortunately for us in the interior design industry many fabrics are imported from exotic locations all over the world. Sometimes this can be by air freight which is one of the largest contributions to global carbon emissions – perhaps in excess of 600 million tonnes per year.

The best environmentally friendly alternatives to air are by truck or by sea. Clearly these options have limites. Like many fabric manufacturers, KOTHEA endeavour to freight all goods woven in Europe by truck; as well as being the most environmentally freindly option, it is the cheapest option for European-sourced goods and is usually as quick as by air. Fabric from further afield, such as silk from Asia, is an attractive proposition for a manufacturer as it usually costs less to produce; it is much more cheaply shipped by sea but this can add weeks onto the delivery time.

Unfortunateley when designers simultaneously demand quick delivery and lower prices this can often involve air freight from Asia and the associated enironmental cost. One thought would be for fabric suppliers to ship in advance by sea and hold larger stock levels in the UK – there is of course then a significant amount of capital tied up in extensive collections across multiple colourways sometimes for long periods of time, that would raise the price.

Is the only environmental way forward for designers and their clients to demand environmentally shipped fabrics and be prepared to pay the premium and wait the extra time for delivery? Should suppliers take a hit and hold higher stock levels?

Is there a better way?

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Inspiring Blog Award – Interior Design

Inspiring Blog 2013
Interior Design 2013

A big thank you to Kiki for our nomination for the Inspiring Blog Award. It’s always great to know that we are reaching out to new generations of Interior Designers.

Following the rules of this award, I have to tell you a little bit about myself.

1. Many years ago I danced with Brad Pitt. Well; I was in the same nightclub and I sort of manoeuvred myself into his general vicinity. That counts right?

2. One of my scariest moments is travelling at over 230kmh in a sports car. I wasn’t driving (luckily someone else was) and you will be relieved to know that we were on a race track.

3. I inadvertently inherited a collection of 1980s vinyl ‘LP’ covers. After years of sitting in a box, I discovered that when framed then made a great art installation next to my work area at home.

4. The first paint I chose was for my own bedroom. Dark green. Hmmm.

5. I like people, dogs and cats. In that order.

6. Most interesting party venues: On a rooftop in Manhattan and some bizarre, mostly uninhabited, island somewhere near Comodo that even now I can’t quite remember the name of.

7. Most stupid question, “Do you like chocolate?”

Inspirational Blogs (I’d like to nominate!): Here are some that I enjoy:

Pippa Jameson

Kelly Hoppen

The Style Files

Anne Sage

Design Geek

Apartment Therapy

Tevami

There are a few rules to accepting this blog award…

1. Display the award image on your blog page.

2. Link back to the person who nominated you and ‘like’ the post

3. State seven facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.

5. Notify your bloggers of their nomination and link to their posts.

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Raffia Wallcovering

Tatami Wallcovering And Upholstery Fabric TextileRaffia adds texture as a wallcovering. As a natural product it has many benefits for the interior designer including a degree of thermal insulation and the ability to be adhered directly to wall surfaces or fastened to wall surfaces or ceiling when wrapped around wooden panels.

With Wyzenbeek rubs of 40,000 KOTHEA’s 2011 Raffia (Raphia) are also eminently suitable for a wide range of upholstery uses.

Raffias can usually be fire treated to meet a wide range of contract requirements including hotels and marine installations.

This type of raffia weave has been used for thousands of years perhaps most famously as Japanese Tatami mats. They are of course one of today’s modern day design staples for a clean, modern look.

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