We have been hearing it for years:
Go Green!
Purchase and use environmentally friendly products! Protect Mother Earth.
Recycle. Protect our natural resources! Green products are good for the Earth!
And we understand. At InnStyle, we’re always striving to find products that will work well for the innkeepers who make up our customer base and any needs or concerns they have with those products.
We want things that are newer, better, and price friendly, but we’re also actively engaged in seeking products that are environmentally friendly. We added a green product page to our website a few years ago and continue to add items to that section.
The advantages of these products are numerous:
- Hypo-allergenic
- Anti-microbial
- Natural pest resistant (for flax-based products)
How can I tell if I’m buying a green product?
It can be very confusing to know if a product is truly green.
One way is to look at certification labels. Products obtain an ecolabel if they meet specified environmental performance criteria or standards.
These are awarded by an independent, third-party organization. There are numerous ecolabels for almost every category of product, and they can recognize environmental excellence in the manufacturing, consumer or disposal process.
Many manufacturers are developing products by looking at the entire life cycle and utilizing environmentally friendly fibers and certified sustainable processing techniques to create linens that require less water, less energy and fewer chemicals to maintain.
Earth-friendly fabrics are engineered to perform to the highest standards and to extend their useful life, without sacrificing the quality of the homeowner/guest experience.
Many products are made from recycled bottles, which are cleaned, crushed and repurposed into polyester yarn (RePET ™) to create an eco-friendly fabric. Through environmentally friendly recycling processes, RePet ™ does not depend on petroleum and thus effectively conserves natural resources and reduces environmental burden without compromising quality.
Notable ecolabels include:
Fair Trade Certified
This is a not-for-profit certification body for fair trade products. They aim to ensure that farmers and farm workers in developing nations receive a fair price for their product: a price that has been agreed upon to produce products that are socially and environmentally sound.
The Global Organic Textile Standard
Otherwise known as GOTS, this is a standard that assures the organic products you use are environmentally friendly, and fashioned in a socially-responsible manner. These are products that are:
- Free of harmful chemicals
- Created in a way that poses no threat to the environment or the communities in which they are produced.
- Made in facilities that are safe and hygienic, and offer livable wages, appropriate work hours and employ no child laborers.
The International Oeko-Tex Association
This group of European and Japanese textile representatives creates industry standards and is responsible for testing products for harmful substances.
The Oeko-Tex:
- Appraises raw materials and finished products for all stages of the manufacturing chain
- Tests consumer textiles to make sure they are free of harmful substances, irritants and toxins.
- Delivers a uniform evaluation based on scientific standards to ensure the human ecological safety of textiles
SKAL
This is an independent inspection body for organic production in the Netherlands that works in accordance with the public law, based on EU regulation. SKAL works to ensure that organic products truly come
from an organic production process.
We believe innkeepers will become more aware of why they should go green as our industry produces more of these eco-friendly and organic products.
If you’d like to learn more, please visit our green products page, or contact our sales team. We look forward to helping you and your property go green.