QUICK FACTS
- We’re in the process of changing the fabric composition in our Luxe Terry Collection to be more environmentally friendly (without sacrificing quality or comfort!)
- The fabric now includes 23% Certified Organic Cotton
- All products maintain their prior OEKO-TEX MADE IN GREEN certification
One Of Your Favorite Fabrics Recently Received a Sustainability Makeover
We know materials matter, so we periodically reevaluate all our collections to ensure they align with our evolving sustainability goals.
With that in mind, we’re proud to announce that our Luxe Terry Collection is now made with an environmentally friendlier alternative to bamboo viscose, modal.
Read on to learn why we changed our terry fabric composition and other essential collection updates (but don’t worry—you won’t notice a difference in the feel or quality of your robes and towels).
Why Did We Ditch Bamboo Viscose in Our Most Popular Products?
Fishers Finery has always been a sustainability-minded brand, so we initially thought bamboo viscose was a slam dunk. Because bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, it seemed like the perfect choice as a renewable fabric for our terry cloth. Coupled with its natural antibacterial properties and silky-soft texture, we thought it checked all the boxes.
But, as it turns out, bamboo-derived fabric wasn’t as green as we thought.
While bamboo is inherently sustainable, the chemical processing required to transform it into viscose involves harsh chemicals (like sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, and carbon disulfide), posing environmental risks.
Patagonia made a similar change after learning the process used to make most bamboo fabric turns it into rayon, and “there is no chemical difference between rayon fabrics made from different fibers;” and the recovery of toxic solvent used in “most viscose factories is around 50%, which means that the other half goes into the environment.”
Since learning more about the negatives of the viscose process (even for bamboo!), we’ve been searching for a greener alternative for some of our fabrics—while ensuring our customers still get the high-quality products we’re known for.
Why We Switched to Modal for Our Luxe Terry Collection
We switched to modal because it’s an excellent improvement on bamboo viscose.
With the rayon process, more harmful chemicals are produced and emitted into the surrounding air and water. While both processes use chemicals to break down the plant, the main difference is that the method used to make modal keeps the chemicals used within the process secure and doesn’t emit them into the environment like bamboo viscose.
Plus, we don’t have to sacrifice renewability because our new modal fabric is made from sustainable beechwood trees.
Oh, And We Switched to Organic Cotton, Too.
As we phased out bamboo viscose, we also wanted to ditch traditional cotton in favor of organic cotton. What’s the problem with “regular” cotton?
Sustainable Jungle has a great article, “Benefits of Organic Cotton: Exploring Regular Cotton vs. Organic Cotton,” in which the author explains just how toxic traditional cotton production is.
Regular cotton has earned a problematic nickname: the world’s “dirtiest crop.” It requires heavy amounts of toxic pesticides and one-third of a pound of synthetic fertilizers to grow enough conventional cotton to make ONE t-shirt...[meanwhile] at the processing level, there are none of the toxic chemicals (think: formaldehyde, heavy metals, flame retardants, softeners, ammonia) commonly found in conventional cotton. All of this means organic cotton fibers are significantly better from a health and environmental perspective.
In addition to being produced in a toxic way, regular cotton clothing has been proven to “contain formaldehyde, which is responsible for allergic reactions and other more long term health problems.” Organic cotton is safer for skin because it’s free from harmful substances and toxic pesticides. It boils down to us embracing organic cotton because it’s better for you and the environment.
The Bottom Line? We Know You’ll Love the Changes.
Our Luxe Terry Collection is cleaner and softer than ever before. We’re proud to have changed our terry cloth fabric from bamboo viscose to modal and ditched regular cotton for organic cotton.
Other Important Collection Information:
- Our terry loop is now made with a warp-knitted construction, preventing excessive pulling and snagging.
- Because we’re now using untreated organic cotton, our bathrobes will appear oversized before washing and then shrink slightly after drying —our size guide is based on the after-wash fit to reflect this.
Experience our new, improved, and cleaner Luxe Terry Collection—shop now.
