Ecoleeko | Eco Materials

Ecoleeko products are made with all ecofriendly construction materials. Only plant based fabrics and stuffing is used, NO petroleum based materials. I feel proud to offer a plush doll that is totally free of plastic materials and very child friendly. The dolls bodies are constructed of Organic Cotton corduroy and Bamboo fleece fabrics. The dolls are stuffed with Zapok fiber, some have crushed Walnut shells used for bean-bag style weight, and the rattles use Buckwheat hulls. The dolls are all sewn with Organic cotton thread and embellished with a Soy/Wool blend yarn. Each doll is handmade in NY state. The fabrics are first hand dyed and printed with blocks and stamps. Then the patterns are cut, sewn, stuffed and embellished. Each doll is unique, with no two exactly alike. The Bath Buddies are made of Organic Cotton French Terry Cloth with embellished hemp yarn. The rattles are made with bamboo fleece, corduroy and embellished with a bamboo/silk yarn.
Please read on to really understand why these materials are important. As a consumer, we all need to know more about why we should support products made from nontoxic materials. Please Download the Be an Educated Consumer page to the left!!

Regular Cotton fiber, the one we all know used in tshirts, jeans,and almost everything cotton we use, uses 25% of all of our annual pesticide production and 10% of annual herbicide production. 800 million lbs of pesticides are used each year, 50 million of that in the US alone. That's alot of pesticides going into our water supply and ecosystem for a bunch of tshirts. 5 of the 9 pesticides regularly used for normal cotton are known to be cancer causing. It takes 1/3lb of chemicals to grow enough cotton to make only 1 tshirt. Regular cotton is just as bad as using a petroleum based fabric such as polyester or nylon. The fabric I use is certified Organic under Global Organic Textile Standard. See Certification Question Below for more information.
Organic Cotton is grown using NO pesticides or chemicals.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing sustainable plant grown without pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. It is a high-yield renewable resource and one of the strongest building materials. When grown, it aids the soil quality and reduces greenhouse gases. It can absorb 5 times the amt. of Carbon Dioxide and produce 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees, pretty impressive.
The bamboo fiber is 60% more absorbent than cotton fiber. It naturally wicks moisture away from the skin. It is naturally antibacterial, does not hold odor, naturally hypoallergenic, soft as silk but machine washable.

Kapok fiber is grown from the seed pods of the wild Kapok tree. It is a natural vegetable based fiber known as silk cotton. It is a very sustainable, natural pesticide free material grown in the South pacific. It is naturally like down fibers but hypoallergenic. It is also water and mold resistant, drying quickly and very buoyant.
There is NO comparison when considering the polyfil, petroleum based plastic fibers usually used in most childrens dolls.

Walnut shells crushed are a nontoxic biodegradable material. They are naturally nonabsorbent, mold resistant and dust free. The shells are usually used for other applications but they work well as a beanbag filler natural alternative to the petroleum based plastic pellets usually used in childrens toys.
Disclaimer*****Parents with Children who have any nut allergies should be aware there are shells used, although since the shells are encapsulated, they shouldn't come into direct contact with skin, It needs to be said to Please be aware if this should affect your child in any way.

Soy and Wool are both natural fibers. Soy is a vegetable based fiber created as a by product of the soy food industry, so it's an added benefit. The Soy fiber has the luster of silk, soft and very smooth. Wool is an animal based fiber sheared from sheep. The strength of both the fibers creates a great blended natural yarn, as opposed to an acrylic yarn which is totally manmade.

The fabrics come in their natural form, usually cream in color. I then dye and print them with fiber reactive dyes. The dyes are nontoxic, fade resistant, colorfast and permanent. The color pigments themselves come from a variety of means, so in no way am I inferring they are ecofriendly. But, using Fiber reactive dyes as opposed to screenprinting ink usually based in plastic from petroleum, fiber reactive dyes react with the fibers on a molecular level, actually becoming part of the fabric, leaving No harsh tactile quality of ink just sitting the fabric. One of the main ingredients is mostly plain salt! The colors and prints actually become the fabric, allowing the fabric to still have the beautiful softness it originally had.
I am still debating on whether to use all natural dyes, being they can be harmful to me the dyer as well as the labor intensiveness, the lack of colorfastness and color brightness, but we'll see in the future. For now, using fiber reactive dyes, gets me half way there, and allows me the colorfastness and color variations I want the dolls to have.

Buckwheat Hulls are a by product of the buckwheat milling industry. It is a natural, pest and water resistant product that is sustainable, hypoallergenic and pesticide free. They are naturally grown in North America and have been roasted for a more durable hull. They create a great crunchy sound when touched and when shaken, create a rattle effect. They are a better natural choice to use, than using plastic pieces in baby products.

Yes, I have linked the appropriate logos to web pages with Certification Information for the Organic Cotton and information for the Bamboo fabrics. The Organic Cotton Fabric is certified organic under the Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS.

I use 100% recycled tissue which I hand stamp with the Ecoleeko Logo. The US Postal Priority Boxes are made with recycled paper with a cradle to cradle certification. All invoices and literature is only printed on 100% recycled paper. If I need any padding, I only use crumpled recycled kraft paper or newspaper.
I am proud now to offer 100% recycled boxes and holiday gift wrap as well, with biodegradable cotton paper curling ribbon on packages.