With global warming on the forefront of our minds, we know it’s imperative to start global cooling. One convenient truth is that the small things make a big difference. Like a bag. Our bags are made with planet-friendly organic cotton, PVC-free materials, recycled plastics and toxic-free dyes and components. We’ve created eco-friendly bags minus the extra baggage of health and environmental risks.
WE USE AN ALTERNATIVE TO PVC
Instead of commonly used and chemical-emitting PVC, we've created bags coated with EPO, a healthy alternative. Ecogear uses this patented system called Ecoweave (EPO), which creates virtually no risk to the environment or to human health. The benefits of Ecoweave include:
• Toxic-free
• PVC-free
• Chlorine-free
• No dioxin, phthalates or heavy metals
• Carries no ozone-depleting chemicals
• Clean to recycle—creates natural occuring emissions when burned
• Safe in manufacturing and consumer use
You may not know it, but most bags—from your luggage to your backpack—are loaded with toxins and chemicals. A common chemical coating in bags is PVC, an everyday plastic that is actually toxic in nature. PVC can have long-term health effects.
PVC's entire life cycle, from production through use and disposal, has a negative impact on human health and our environment. Worker’s health and safety issues have plagued the PVC industry for decades. Many industries are aware of PVC dangers yet they are doing nothing to stop the use and production of PVC. When PVC is burned it emits toxic hydrogen chloride gas, which turns into hydrochloric acid on contact with moisure within our lungs.
PVC production fuses vinyl chloride molecules with toxic metals such as lead and cadmium, which are added as plasticizers and stabilizers. Because of the chemical properties of chlorine, the by-products of PVC production tend to be far more toxic, more persistent in the environment, and more likely to build up in the food supply and the bodies of people than otherwise similar chlorine-free chemicals. Because PVC is the only major plastic that contains chlorine, its hazards are unique.
The dangers of PVC—Polyvinyl Chloride—include:
• Inclusion of toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and phthalates (which can leach into
children’s mouths)
• Release of chemical gases
• Byproducts include carcinogens such as dioxin
• When burned or heated, PVC creates hydrochloric acid
• When buried, toxic chemicals from PVC leak into the earth
For more information on PVC and the danger it presents, visit www.pvcinformation.org.
REMEMBER THERE ARE SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO PVC!
EPO (Environment Pollution Omitting) technology is a safe alternative to the use of PVC, the complex technology of thermoplastic elastomer - the versatile and non-polluting raw material.
EPO technology development enables the highest quality fabric and material processing at cost-effective levels. The eco-friendly EPO technology serves as a secure, non-slip fix to the weaving structure of fabrics and materials, facilitating even the most complex and challenging shape and contour designs of bags.
EPO technology is among the leading innovations of environmental protection of the 21st century. Ecogear is geared towards PVC elimination and targeted to create eco-friendly bags for everyday use.
Environmentally-friendly attributes of EPO fabric include:
• PVC free
• Chlorine chemicals free
• AZO free
• Heavy metal quantity control
• Disperse dyes quantity control
• Ozone-depleting substance quantity control
• Causes no dioxin, heavy metal or phthalate pollution1
• Complies with the latest regulations