Ethicalbabe was founded in September 2006 Although there are plenty of other sites which sell organic, fair trade and natural products for children and parents, we really wanted to have a go ourselves and make our own site really special.

We are still at the early stages but have big plans for Ethicalbabe, so please stick with us and if you have any suggestions then please let us know! You can email us at enquiries@ethicalbabe.com.

We hand pick all our products, use them ourselves and recommend them to our friends, so we really hope you'll like them too.

Below are some of the reasons why we choose to use and pass onto our customers organic, fair trade and natural products.

ORGANIC

You have probably already heard plenty about organic food and organic agriculture, but leading an organic life doesn't have to stop there - is it also important to consider the benefits of organic toiletries and organic cotton.

ORGANIC COTTON

Did you know that producing everyday conventional cotton products accounts for some of the highest pesticide usage? For example to make one cotton t-shirt you would use about 150 grams of acutely toxic pesticides and insecticides, the size of a cup of sugar.

By choosing to use products made from organic cotton you will not only be keeping harmful chemicals away from yours and your baby's skin, but will also be supporting our natural ecosystem and small farming communities around the world.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 20,000 deaths occur in developing countries each year from pesticide poisoning, many of these are attributed to cotton production

ORGANIC & NATURAL TOILETRIES

As our skin will absorb up to 60% of what we put on it we have taken great care to stock cosmetics that are free from harmful toxins and many of which have been made with organic ingredients.

Friends of the Earth estimate that our bodies are now contaminated with more than 300 man-made chemicals and that 86% of these have not been properly assessed for safety when used in combination with each other.

Skin conditions such as eczema are on the increase and it has been suggested that some of the chemicals we use on our bodies contribute to it.

Most of the chemicals which go into conventional toiletries are no different from the harsh toxic cancer causing chemicals used in industry.

• E.g Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) used in toothpastes, shampoos and just about every personal cleansing solution, is a harsh detergent commonly used as an engine degreaser.
• Propylene glycol (PG) a petro chemical that is also the main ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid.

None of our products contain any harmful ingredients and are completely free of Sodium Laureyl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Laureyl Sulphate (SLES), Parabens, Phthalates, Urea, Ammonium Laureth Sulphate, AHAs and Retinol A, and free from synthetic perfumes.

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WOODEN TOYS

Wooden toys are better than plastic ones!

Certain cancer causing substances such as Phthalates have been found in toys made of PVC plastic, which can easily leach over time.

All our toys are made using the highest quality non-toxic paints and dyes, and are perfectly safe for tiny babies.

We have been given assurances from all our suppliers that all of our wooden toys come from sustainable and managed forests.

Rubberwood, recognised world wide as an environmentally friendly material, is also used in the manufacture of several of our wooden toys.

Rubberwood, is sourced only from replenishable forestation and is regularly replanted.

IT'S BETTER TO BUY FAIRTRADE

When you are buying clothes or toys for your baby, international trade may seem like a remote issue but by choosing carefully, you could make all the difference to someone else's life.

Farmers in the developing world are ill-equipped to cope with dramatic changes in commodity prices, which are caused by factors outside the control of the individuals most concerned.

By buying fair trade products you can be assured that all workers receive a fair wage and good working conditions!

Parents are being offered an increasing range of fairly or ethically traded products, including clothes, shoes, toys, toiletries and nappies. Sales of "Fairtrade" marked goods are now well over £100m per year in the UK alone, up 46% on last year!

NATURAL NAPPIES

Modern disposable nappies contain super absorber granules which puff up to absorb the urine when they come into contact with it.

This creates a gel which can end up on a baby's delicate, thin skins as well as in the earth.

Disposable nappies form 4% of all household waste costing the tax payer £40 million each year to dispose of them.

Approx. 8 million disposable nappies are used in the UK everyday, of which around 7.5 million end up in landfill sites.

No one really knows how long it takes for a disposable nappy to biodegrade - they've only existed for 20 years or so and it hasn't happened yet!

Estimates range from 50 to 200 years and that's before you seal it up in a nappy sack!

As well as the impact on the environment, disposables are expensive. The average premium brand disposable nappy costs around 20p. Say you use around 6-8 nappies a day, that's around £11.20 a week... for two and a half years. We did the sums - that's £1,270! It's possible to buy cloth nappies, wraps and the necessary accessories for around £300 - a lot less if you use simple terry nappies or opt for a cheaper prefold system.

Disposable nappies contain chemical gels that soak up moisture to help keep your baby dry.

Obviously a certain level of safety testing has to be carried out before products containing chemicals can be made available to the public but we're not sure we like the idea of potentially harsh chemicals being that close to our babies bottoms.

Hope all this information has helped!