Money Date With Coyuchi
/Every Friday I recommend having a money date…with a mimosa. Hence the name of my blog, Money & Mimosas.
Your money date is your special time to review your finances, celebrate your wins, and reflect on how you used your money to make a difference. Feel free to do it alone or with your money buddy. If you’d like a step-by-step guide for your money date, click here to download your free checklist.
In these money date articles, Money & Mimosas features small to medium-sized businesses that are aligned with our values. This fall, we are focusing solely on eco-friendly beauty and home brands to help you make more conscious choices to help the environment.
This week we are featuring Coyuchi, a company founded in 1991 who has been paving the way in the creation of sustainable home products.
It was originally founded by designer Christine Nelson in Point Reyes, California; who strived to create products that were both eco-friendly and inspired by the Pasific Coast.
The President and CEO today, Eileen Mockus, continues to push this mission forward using her plethora of textile and clothing industry experience. After receiving a bachelor of science degree in textile and clothing from the University of California, she worked for companies like PB Teen, North Face, and Patagonia, which allowed her to gain experience in entrepreneurship and product development. Since arriving at Coyuchi in 2011, these experiences have helped her create new products and sustainability practices to get the company where it is today.
Additionally, Eileen is involved in many organizations that promote ethical and sustainable textiles. This includes being the board chair of the Chetna Coalition (an ethical textile and fashion value chain community), representing Coyuchi on the Fiber Council for the Organic Trade Organization, and being an active member of the Textile Exchange. With all this in mind, it is safe to say that Eileen is committed to creating high quality sustainable products at Coyuchi.
Now, what products does Coyuchi offer? While their main focus is on linens; like bedding and sheets, they also offer mattresses, bath towels, throws, pillows, apparel, and more. All products arrive at your door in a box made from 100% recycled cardboard and come in either a reusable cotton bag or degradable plastic bag. These plastic bags have been tested and are proven to break down into basic elements after three years, so you don’t have to be worried about it sitting forever in a landfill.
Every product is also made with either organic cotton, linen, or latex, all of which are never mixed with other synthetic materials or substitutions. These organic materials have lots of sustainable properties, but organic cotton in particular is the most notable to mention. Not only is it both soft, durable, and free from pesticides, but it also requires less water and energy to grow than regular cotton. In fact as of writing this, Coyuchi has removed the emissions of 54,417 cars off the road per day and saved 395,437,545 days of drinking water by growing organic cotton alone. If you add what all their other organic materials save on top of that, the impact is truly astronomical.
Organic materials are not the only thing Coyuchi does to be sustainable however. Additionally, they have their own takeback program called 2nd Home. This program aims to help reduce the USA's annual 21 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste by repurposing and recycling materials from well loved Coyuchi products.
Customers use a prepaid shipping label to send their products back for 15% off their next purchase. Once received, it’s cleaned, mended, and resold at the physical Coyuchi store located in Point Reyes Station, California. If the item cannot be renewed, the material from it is either upcycled or recycled responsibly. The program has taken back over 34,694 lbs of fabric so far, 83% of which has been resold. Compared to the life of traditional textiles, the circular initiatives Coyuchi has developed are next level in terms of sustainability.
Taking everything into account, we encourage you to give Coyuchi a try next time you are looking for new home products. Not only do their organic materials have a positive impact on the environment, but their take back program also ensures that their products have as long of a life as possible. With their wide range of options in a variety of patterns in colors, you can surely find something that fits your sense of style.
Want to bring some organic textiles into your home? Visit Coyuchi’s website today!
