Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Ikeuchi Towels

Japan to China: "If we can't be bigger, we'll be better (for the earth)." Ikeuchi towels are reported as being remarkably lovely, soft and expensive. Ikeuchi are made of organic cotton with loops of bamboo fiber or pure organic cotton. The Times profiled them last year: "In bamboo ($8 for washcloth, $45 for bath towel, $100 for a bath sheet) or organic cotton ($10 for a washcloth, $50 for a bath towel)."

But the big story (from www.quote.com)is that Ikeuchi towels have a fanatic following in Japan, where their factory is run entirely on wind power and their wastewater "is treated with bacteria over a complex cleansing process lasting three days before being dumped back into the sea." They are one of the only textile companies in Japan with ISO environmental certification. Available from (212)714-3588 or bessho@ikeuchitowel.com.

posted originally from: AT:New York

KEIJI IKEUCHI, PRESIDENT, IKEUCHI TOWEL CO.(THROUGH TRANSLATOR): There`s no longer any value in making the same products as China does. We have to focus on whatever China can`t do. My answer was environment-friendly textiles.

CRAFT: Unusual for this country, the factory runs entirely on wind power. And effluent generated from dyes is treated with bacteria over a complex cleansing process lasting three days before being dumped back into the sea. One of the few textile companies here with ISO environmental certification, the label prides itself on being as transparent about its operating procedures as its clear wastewater. Despite a hefty price tag, Ikeuchi`s so-called green towels have garnered buyers in the U.S. and a fanatic following in Japan.!

http://www.ikeuchitowel.com/english/product.htm