The New Year...and a note on new consumer safety laws

Well, here we are on the last day of a memorable year, 2008..... tumultuous is probably a better word. Frankly I'm excited about ringing in the New Year, and welcoming all the possibilities: a new president who is completely on board with fostering a green economy, a stock market that just might be getting off the rollercoaster it's been riding since the fall, new growth opportunities for our own small green company.....and for good measure, WORLD PEACE.

Since there has been a plethora of OTA Fiber Forum postings lately regarding
the new stringent requirements of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.html
We wanted to just list some important points.
--The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 is a US law
signed on August 14 2008 by Bush. It imposes new testing and requirements
on manufacturers of apparel, shoes, personal care products, accessories,
home furnishings, bedding, toys etc..
--This law is targeted mostly toward children's products.
--The legislation reduces the limit of lead allowed in products for children to:
* 600ppm by Feb 10, 2009
* 300ppm by August 14, 2009
* 100ppm by August 2011
--There is also legislation for Pthalates, DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP, DnOp:
Levels must be set at 0.1 percent.
--The burden falls primarily on the retailers' end product(to the consumer)They
are being asked to "retest" their products(every SKU) to prove that the limits
are as stated above even if they are using certified organic goods, as our fabrics are; and ideally, GOTS certified fabrics. GOTS maximum lead allowance is .2ppm....far below what this CPSA ruling allows.
This new CPSA really seems excessive and, needless to say has upset 1000's of small green businesses who cannot possibly meet these new deadlines and requirements. We, here at Oliveira Textiles will gladly sign petitions and/or take part in a plan of action to revise these new regulations. Stay tuned.
HEALTH & PROSPERITY in 2009!!
Dawn & Deb

Time Travel - Domino Magazine - March 08

Ok, so we recently discovered after some serrendipitous web surfing that our "Shellgame" fabric was featured on The Today Show with Al Roker way back in March 08 coinciding with the release of Domino Magazine's second annual green issue (in which our fabric was also featured as draperies)....we were just tickled to see Al, and Domino's Contributing Style Editor, Chassie Post, fondling our 100% Hemp fabric..ooh la la...click on the video below. (Oh and YES, we would have loved it if our company had been mentioned...next time around, oh yeah!)
Dawn

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Green Drinks Newport

Good morning..I have to share:

I attended another Green Drinks Newport (RI) event last night; this month, hosted by a company called Farmaesthetics, http://www.farmaesthetics.com/ (Green Drinks is an international organization that allows people in the “green” and environmental community to come together. Through this network people have made friends, found jobs, exchanged information, developed new ideas and have helped others in the field with special projects. Most of all, people have fun!)

The gathering was in their very first retail shop located at 144 Bellview Avenue,

a pristine, and inviting space....where, last night they were offering "endangered cocktails"...a turn of the century recipe for a kick ass cocktail.....yummmm. The owner, Brenda Brock just couldn't be nicer

and what a wonderful success story. Growing up in a 7th generation farming family from rural texas, she had always created these unique recipes ..a 'trailblazer in "green" skin care..... She started selling her product at a tiny farmstand in Portsmouth, RI,,,and with luck and determination has grown her business into a nationally recognized brand....

Committed to "Sustainable Beauty®", all Farmaesthetics products are 100% natural utilizing certified organic herbs, flowers & grains from American family farms. Today her full line of 100% natural skincare products for face & body are used & sold in the finest spas & retailers in the world, including Golden Door Spas, Four Seasons Resorts, Terrain & ABC Home & Planet in NYC.

Farmaesthetics was recently named to Women's Wear Daily's 2007 "It List" of "The Green Brands Defining Organic Skincare".

And I can speak from experience..her product is really incredible...the truly intoxicating aromas alone are enough to keep you coming back....fabulous!

And on another exciting note, I have agreed to teach a class on Sustainable Textiles next summer at RISD...I am really looking forward to sharing all that we've learned here at Oliveira Textiles over the past few years with future textile designers, manufacturers and interior designers....

I'll keep you posted.

Have a great weekend...

Dawn

Pleasant Surprise

Ok first and foremost, we want to say thank you to Harmony Susalla of http://www.harmonyart.com/ for graciously promoting Oliveira Textiles on her blog. Your generosity is an inspiration.
Hope you overindulged on your 40th birthday....!!

And, though we don't normally see our fabrics used in fashion because the weights are a bit heavy...Sarah Waldo, a talented, local Providence Designer of children's wear (Parsons alum) has done a lovely job with our MysticBlue and Redcoral Anemone prints for her Spring 09 collection. See her "Sadie Coat" below or go to her website at http://www.sarahwaldo.com/. I am just so excited to see how adorable these coats turned out...thanks very much Sarah!

P.S. We do not have our new prints diplayed on our website yet, but we will....I'm working with my webdesigner to figure out a way whereby I can load all these new pics and info 'myself'....appreciate your patience.
All the best
Dawn