Israeli Clothing Company Goes Green

The truth hurts: that adorable sweater you found on sale at Banana Republic for $25 is no harmless indulgence. The production, transportation and washing of clothing is responsible for approximately 25 percent of an individual’s C02 emissions- -about one ton per person. In a move to green their products, Israeli clothing company Delta Galil has introduced a new feature into its RealCool Cotton brand: now RealCool garments will be treated with natural antibacterial and odor-repelling agents. These treatments counteract the growth of bacteria and odors in the fabric, so that clothing doesn’t have to be washed as often or with hot water.“Clothing is typically laundered more frequently than necessary due to odors becoming lodged in the fabric,” says Esti Maoz, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Delta Galil. “The new cotton textile treatments introduced in RealCool Cotton keep clothing fresh through multiple wears, extends the life of the product and helps protect the environment.” A cursory perusal of the site reveals that most of the garments being sold by Delta Galil are strictly utilitarian. There are undergarments, menswear, and practical clothes for children–and goodness knows how often those need to be washed. So where can you buy your eco-friendly RealCool Cotton clothes? Delta Galil sells to leading retailers such as Marks and Spencer, Victoria’s Secret, Kmart, JC Penney, Carrefour, Hema, Wal-mart, Target and Mervyn’s. Other customers include the marketers of leading brand names that include Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Nike, Tommy Hilffiger, Dim and Dolce & Gabbana. They can also be found under such brand names as Maidenform Girls, Mexx and Nicole Miller, as well as under the Delta brand name. Sounds good, though we entreat our readers to continue to wash their “intimate” garments every bit as often as they feel is necessary. Just not in hot water.