Plover is stylish, sustainable home textiles. Take care and tread lightly: buy organic.
The cotton
Plover bedding is produced from the best quality 100% organic cotton, making it better for you and your family, for your home, and for the environment.
The organic cotton in Plover's linens comes from non-genetically engineered seeds grown in soil that is free of pesticides, herbicides or other cytotoxins--keeping those poisons away from those you love and out of the ecosystem.
Plover is stylish, sustainable bedding.
Take care and tread lightly: buy organic.
A few things you should know about conventional cotton crops: they currently account for 25 percent of all insecticides used worldwide. Nearly one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides (some of which are among the most toxic classified by the Environmental Protection Agency) are applied to every pound of cotton harvested.
Growing cotton organically means avoiding those toxic chemicals and their fallout, improving soil fertility and protecting farming communities at the same time. Buying organic supports environmentally and economically sustainable production, which is vital to the welfare of the planet.
All organic fibers used by Plover are certified according to the standards of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in the United States, and by those of IFOAM and SKAL internationally
The colors
Plover uses a hydrogen peroxide bleaching process and only low-impact, fiber reactive dyes. These dyes form a strong bond with the cotton fiber and have excellent colorfastness, but contain no heavy metals. The dyeing process uses less water than conventional dyeing, and all dye material is reclaimed and not released as effluent. By comparison, roughly half of the chemicals used as conventional dyes on cotton end up as waste in rivers and soil.
Plover's method of dyeing conforms fully to the American Organic Fiber Processing Standards (AOFPS) recognized by the OTA, as well as the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard and that of the Environmental Technology Advancement Directorate (ETAD) recognized in Europe
The manufacturing
Plover practices Fair Trade manufacturing. The facilities that produce our linens operate in strict compliance with the Republic of India's labor standards, and workers employed are covered by labor unions. Minimum wage levels and the minimum employment age (19) are set higher than stipulated under local government regulations. Our mills and factories provide excellent benefits packages, including health, housing and educational programs for dependents, and recreational facilities. Mill management maintains a clean and safe work environment in full compliance with Fair Trade labor practices.
The variations
Plover's textiles are block-printed by hand, so color and print variations sometimes occur. We believe this is part of the one-of-a-kind charm of Plover's textiles, and we hope you agree!
The certifications
Plover Organic's linens are certified by Oeko-Tex and by GOTS
The care
Plover recommends washing all products in cold water, with like colors. Do not bleach, and do not dry clean. Iron on low heat. All Plover products may be put in the dryer on low heat, but we recommend line-drying whenever possible, to save energy. (Note that washing in cold water, and using the dryer as little as possible, will help prolong the life and color of any item.) Plover also recommends washing with products that are biodegradable, non-toxic and plant-based.
The plover
The plover is a short-billed shorebird that has been a cherished inspiration in the arts for centuries. Unfortunately, plovers now also symbolize the conflict between the natural world and coastal land use and development, their numbers dwindling dangerously as a direct consequence of human interference.
Help protect the threatened plovers, and all species in danger of becoming extinct, by being watchful in your interactions with nature. Understand how the destruction of habitat -- and the human role in it -- leads to loss of plant and animal diversity.
- Plovers living along the Great Lakes and the Pacific and Atlantic coasts are endangered due to recreational and commercial development and dune stabilization along the shorelines. In the Great Plains, damning and channelization of rivers have also eliminated sandbar nesting habitat.
- Plovers nest between the months of March and September, digging shallow depressions in open areas of dry sand, often on the upper beach close to the dunes or in other shoreline habitats. Their eggs are difficult to spot, so limit your use of dry sand areas, walking on wet sand instead. Leash your pets or leave them at home (cats and dogs disturb nesting plovers even more than human presence), and always pick up your trash, which can attract predators like skunks, raccoons and gulls.
- Recreational pressure and pedestrian and vehicular traffic can seriously affect breeding success. In the past 40 years, the number of vehicles and people on beaches has increased significantly. The traffic can crush eggs and chicks, or leave them trapped and vulnerable.