Ideals Matter

The thing about toys is that they don't come with the list of ingredient. One can go to the grocery store and look at food or cosmetics or many other products and find out what's in them. With toys, there is no way of knowing that. 

Ecology Center in Michigan has tested thousands of toys and has identified several different chemicals in the toys that have been considered chemicals of concern. The list includes compounds like lead and mercury and cadmium as well as other chemicals known as endocrine or neurotoxins and/or carcinogenic. According to Jeff Gearhart, a Research Director at the Ecology Center, one third of the toys tested contained significant concentrations of one or more hazardous chemicals. The main concern is the frequency of lead in the toys. Acting as a neurotoxin, lead can cause several defects in the body with major interruptions in the nervous system. And children are particularly susceptible as their nervous system has not yet been fully developed. In the beginning of 2010 it was brought to the general public that in some of the toys (especially in children jewelry) manufactured in China, lead was being substituted with cadmium, a known human carcinogen, that can harm the kidneys and lungs, and can also have adverse effects on motor skills and behavior.

Though both (but unfortunately not the only ones) of the incidences to come out public were related to Chinese producers, according to Jeff Gearhart the location of the toy production does not necessarily refer to the safety or unsafety of the product. Toxic chemicals are used to make toys in many countries. Also, it should be pointed out that it doesn’t matter whether a toy is less expensive or name-brand product. Chemicals of concern have been found in all types of products from all types of stores. Even name-brand and high-end products have been found to contain lead and other hazards. 

Though the detection of some of the chemicals (e.g. lead) in a product does not necessarily mean there has been exposure to these chemicals, it is wise to choose product,that has a safe level (if there is such thing) of chemicals or doesn’t contain hazardous chemicals at all. With shop shelves being filled with a variety of goods making mom and dad colorblind and dizzy, how can one know which toy to prefer? To make it quick, the specialists recommend unpainted wood toys as“good toys”. Needless to say, these are more Earth-friendly too! The fabric (cotton) toys are also considered a good choice.

But if you have more time in your hands, I would recommend a great search tool, a database that offers tips to help mom-dad, grandparents and other potential toy buyers choose safer products. The toy ranking has been made based on test results and the intention is to help consumers make better choices when purchasing toys and other children’s products.

Fabrics For Freedom in collaboration with Vips Groups have created the project "This bag has Cloth" and was presented at the HUB showroom in Madrid.

“This bag has cloth” is born with a "nice story" behind: The choice of seed, cultivation, dyeing, her painted clothing,  packaging … were carried out according to ecological and social criteria following, environmental and economic impact of Fair Trade.

Eco bag is made from organic cotton from Vidarbha (a region of Central India). In this region, the purchase by farmers of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides associated with transgenic cotton, far from guaranteeing a prosperous future, it has plunged into a spiral of debt and economic losses which in thousands of cases has led them to suicide. As part of the project we will create two community seed banks to facilitate access of farmers in Vidarbha region to organic seed.

In Vidarbha, also known as the "Cotton Belt" of India, 4 million hectares have been the transition to genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton. Seed prices of cotton rose from 7 rupees / kg. Rp 1,700 / kg. GM after Bt cotton was introduced. The GM cotton is also vulnerable to pests, and as a result of pesticide use, ensuing in an additional cost has increased 13 times during the same period.

Farmers have been trapped in a vicious cycle of debt due to its increasing dependence on monocultures and loss of crop biodiversity, the growing dependence on non-renewable seeds and monopolies that serve them, the chemical materials needed to support GM Bt cotton, and the consequent decline in soil fertility.

The bags are made in the weaving of Assisi Garments,  a NGO founded and run by Franciscan nuns and employs a group of women at risk of social exclusion in the region Tiripur (southern India). These women also receive their fair monthly salaries, training, accommodation and meals.

Designer Sybilla successful and internationally renowned, creator of the brands Jocomomola and Sybilla is the designer of the first bag of "This Bag has Cloth."

Sybilla chairs Fabrics For Freedom, founding sponsor of this initiative. From this foundation, recently created, Sybilla unites the various aspects of their work in recent years: fashion, agriculture, sustainable development and social awareness.

The bag that has laid the foundation for fair trade from the purchase of cotton to the Indian organization Navdanya, headed by activist Vandana Shiva, an activist, pacifist, philosopher and theoretical physics. Creator of the Foundation and movement Navdanya "Diverse Women for Diversity". She is an Eager defender of the land, women, biodiversity and indigenous values. As an activist she has become the "guardian of the seeds" and the voice of farmers who are being hunted by large agro-business corporations.

This great project aims to help over 600 families in the Vidarbha region.

The foundation says the new consumer "requires an added value, social and environmental commitment that meets the hopes and thoughts of consumers" because "the younger generation while consuming organic products, driving hybrid cars and recycle their waste want to know where products are manufactured and what materials are used, without compromising design and go to fashion.

Below you will see a video of the manufacturing process of the eco bag:

Original Source: http://www.concienciaeco.com/2010/05/30/esta-bolsa-tiene-tela/

The European Union countries, including Estonia, are not fulfilling  their development obligations and are thereby threatening the international agreement to reach Millennium Development Goals. Such is the conclusion of the report that was published on the 10th of June by the confederation CONCORD which deals with organizations that work on European development cooperation.

The report that was prepared under the initiative of AidWatch "Penalty kick against poverty: more and better EU aid would help achieve the Millennium Development Goals" was published just before the EU leaders meeting at Brussels next week, where the EU positions for the UN court on Millennium Development Goals, that is held in September in New York, are agreed upon.

A week ago Ideals Matter participated in the 2010 World Day (Maailmapäev in Estonian) celebration. The event takes place every year in Tallinn on  the 22nd of May and it is mainly aimed to open people's mind to other cultures of the world, though this year the chosen theme was "Climate Change" and that meant a perfect opportunity for us to participate in it.Take a look at the main website to read more information about it (beware that most of it is in Estonian).

                                   Click on the picture to watch the video made by the people from Bioneer (part of it in Estonian part of it in English)

One of our team's core principles is to walk the talk and we are proud to say that our stand was made from bottom to top considering the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle!