{
  "slug": "handkerchiefs",
  "name": "Handkerchiefs and bandanas",
  "question": "Which handkerchiefs and bandanas are plastic-free in the cloth, the hem thread and the print?",
  "status": "draft",
  "updated": "2026-11-11",
  "editor": "alex-minoda",
  "page": "https://amaterio.com/plastic-free/handkerchiefs/",
  "summary": "",
  "whyPlastic": "A square of cotton looks like the simplest textile there is, which is why the plastic gets missed. The cloth is cotton or linen, though 65/35 polyester-cotton squares and polyester neck gaiters sell under the same names. The hem is sewn in polyester thread unless the maker says cotton. A printed bandana carries pigment ink, and the binder that fixes pigment to cloth is an acrylic or polyurethane polymer. A vat dye such as indigo bonds to the fiber with no binder at all. The label is a polyester tag. The square often ships folded in a polybag.",
  "whatToCheck": [
    "Fiber: 100% cotton or linen, with nothing blended in?",
    "Hem: rolled or stitched, and with what thread?",
    "Color: woven in, vat or natural dye, or a pigment print with an acrylic binder?",
    "Label: none, woven cotton, or printed polyester?",
    "Packaging: a paper band, or a polybag?"
  ],
  "faq": [],
  "whyNone": "",
  "products": []
}