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Amaterio

Plastic-free goods, checked part by part, with the evidence in reach.

Which handkerchiefs and bandanas are plastic-free in the cloth, the hem thread and the print?

This category is being vetted. Nothing here is a recommendation yet.

Where plastic hides in handkerchiefs and bandanas

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.

What to check before you buy

  1. Fiber: 100% cotton or linen, with nothing blended in?
  2. Hem: rolled or stitched, and with what thread?
  3. Color: woven in, vat or natural dye, or a pigment print with an acrylic binder?
  4. Label: none, woven cotton, or printed polyester?
  5. Packaging: a paper band, or a polybag?