Go Green with Organic Cotton Towels

Havlu Towels sells only 100% organic cotton fair trade Turkish towels (from Turkey!)

For centuries, Turkish towels have been the gold standard of luxury in the bath. What makes them so luxurious is that they’re made from organic cotton.

Havlu Towels are fair trade goods manufactured in Turkey with the added advantage of being green because they contain only 100% certified organic cotton. Since the demand for organic cotton towels in Turkey is low, Europe,  with its increasing green sensibility, is the company’s biggest client.

Mary Tsolak, the President of Havlu says “Havlu is Turkish for ‘towel.’ When I first approach a new factory they want to laugh when I give them my business card because in Turkish, my company name is literally Towel Towel. Of course, they never laugh until I give them permission to do so.”

Mary lives in Turkey half time since she started her business. “I do all the verification of the organic certifications myself. Every manufacturer we work with also has Oeko Tex Certification, which is a European Standard related to testing for toxic substances.”  All raw materials used to make Havlu towels are tested and certified at all stages of processing throughout the chain of manufacturing, including but not limited to accessories. 

Besides towels, Mary also carries infant crib sheets. She wants to start carrying sheets for adult beds, too. “All our products come from different factories. I approach and interact directly with the producers myself. I tour the factory and go back to inspect the product before it ships.”

Turkish labor laws are the same as we have here, she says, including an 8-hour work week, overtime and sick/maternity leave. In fact, “Their maternity leave is even better than ours. Employers provide health insurance. So there are no workers sleeping in dorms at the factories like there are in China or children working. So I am comfortable calling my products fair trade. I really believe it is important to support workers in other countries and our own. And also to support their fledging organic industry.”

Fair Trade Products

Fair trade goods or fair trade products have strong ties to a green lifestyle. Fair trade is designed to reduce poverty in developing nations by building long term and equitable partnerships between the producers in developing areas of the world and their end customers. Fair trade impacts many areas of the manufacturing process. Let’s take a look. 

• The Producer receives a minimum set price for their goods, technical and financial support, economic development of their communities, safe working conditions, and an opportunity for the education of their children.
• The Consumer receives a handmade product and peace of heart and mind that their purchase is helping preserve the environment, end child labor, and address poverty. 
• The Earth gets the opportunity for healing and health, because fair trade promotes biodiversity, animal habitat preservation, and sustainable farming techniques. 

Using fair trade practices, Mary has built an internationally trusted brand of bath towel, both Europe and in the United States. She even employs her family.

Fair Trade Is Environmentally Friendly

We all are becoming increasingly aware of the need to “go green.” For those of you who have not yet started, going green is defined as adding sustainability considerations and principles in the planning of a process, an event, or personal or organizational lifestyle. This includes reducing energy consumption, participating in recycling, increasing use of public transportation, buying products locally, and using products that implement this process.

Tagged as: fair trade goods, fair trade products, organic cotton towels, organic fair trade, Turkish bath towels, Turkish cotton towels, Turkish towels