Environmentalist Paul Hawken, asked to comment on the “new green consumer” by the Washington Post said, “The phrase itself is an oxymoron.” I suppose that makes “green” luxury goods even more of an oxymoron.
However … we all want us some luxury, sometimes. The way I get around the inherent lack of sustainability in Americans’ conspicuous consumption (including mine) is by trying to hold out until I absolutely need to replace something. And then, when I do replace things, I try to buy “green” products so I can feel better about buying something (that I honestly feel I need)—and I try to buy the best quality (that I can afford) on the market (because I want it). This admittedly self-serving technique works best with the items that we take for granted around the house and rarely replace: sheets, towels, and furniture.
Absorbency, fabric feel (or “hand”), appearance, and durability are the qualities to look for in towels. I also prefer natural materials. I took a new “luxury” towel for a test drive: MicroCotton, the brand used at Las Vegas’s upscale Bellagio hotel. MicroCotton towels are 100 percent cotton. The company has trademarked its unique cotton yarn, developed and made in India using exceptionally long staple fibers from a very high grade of cotton that is virtually identical to “Sea Island Cotton.” According to the company, the yarn is the result of over two years’ research and development in pursuit of fabricating a truly superior, high-performance cotton terry towel.
Absorbency and Hand
The towel is fine, soft, and light. It is very absorbent (the company claims their towels are three times more absorbent than the average towel); my towel didn’t feel wet after use and air-dried almost immediately. New towels tend to leave bits and pieces of fabric all over one’s body during (at least) the first few times they are used. Not so with this one.
Appearance
I’m a designer and a visual critic, so I’m a sucker for good-looking home items. If something looks luxurious and rich, it make me feel luxurious and rich. My towel looks beautiful, I must say. Microcotton towels are available in a wide range of colors that change seasonally. Currently there are twenty available; I’m partial to the darker tones, which have a density and saturation I don’t often see in towels.
Durability
My test towel still looks great after being washed five times—in a commercial washing machine using the regular cycle, with hot water wash/rinse—and being dried an equal number of times—using the high-heat drying cycle. Each time the towel was washed with other items, both light and dark in color. There was no bleeding of the towel’s color onto other items; no shrinkage or color fade in the towel itself, and no loss in its ability to absorb. (It is worth noting that some users have complained online about experiencing discoloration and bleach-like spotting on their towels after a number of washings.) Most towel manufacturers add softeners during their final production phase, so the towels feel nice and soft in the store but rough after being washed a couple times. This was not the case with my MicroCotton towel, and the fabric shows no signs of pilling. Note: the manufacturer suggests washing towels without detergent from time to time, to maintain optimum softness. All four sides of the towel have sewn hems for durability.
Now for the Green Part
The average household uses 13,500 gallons of water each year doing laundry. According to company literature, MicroCotton towels are 30 percent lighter than the average towel; a typical wash-and-dry cycle can hold thirty MicroCotton towels versus about twenty regular towels. Since they require less water and detergent to wash and less energy to dry, MicroCotton towels help conserve resources. The manufacturer calculates that an individual household can reduce the amount of water used in washing laundry by 4,000 gallons of water each year. In addition, MicroCotton’s manufacturing process tries to use materials and procedures that conserve resources, aiming for “avoidance of petroleum-generated energy in the manufacture of the towels and recycling of 100 precent of manufacture by-product.” The towels are colored with eco-friendly AZO-free dyes.
Finally, the Socially Just Aspect
The MicroCotton towels are made by a family-owned company in India, with over seventy-five years of experience in textiles. The company uses no sweatshop labor.
The MicroCotton line includes bath sheets, bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, bathrobes, bath rugs, and mats. The towels are sold at Bed Bath and Beyond, Macy’s, Dillards, and Belk, both in stores and online. Prices range from $6.99 for a washcloth to $80 for a bath sheet. You could pay a lot more for luxury, and it wouldn’t necessarily be “green.”