Justine Davis is passionate about the environment and owns Eco Peko, a brand of organic clothing for babies and children. We decided to find out more and asked her how she keeps green and why she decided to start an eco friendly business:
“My journey with Eco Peko started when my family and I wanted to make a tree change and moved to the Perth Hills. We were already living a healthy lifestyle eating organic food, wearing eco friendly clothing and using chemical free toiletries but… I wanted to move to somewhere where we had a little piece of land to breathe, relax, grow veggies and have fresh eggs every day from our free range hens.
After living in Roleystone for a few months, I started a stall at the Kalamunda markets selling t-shirts that I had screen printed (with baby Loli in a cot at the back of the stall, a great sales assistant!) After a few markets, I realised that I wanted to use organic cotton for my shirts and Eco Peko was born.
By approaching organic cotton manufacturers all over the world and leaning information on fabric samples, workmanship and prices, I finally found an Indian manufacturing company that suited me and so my organic line became a reality.
Our home has a compost heap, a worm farm, 8 hens, 2 rabbits and a dog. We have absolutely no green waste and we actually have neighbors who give us theirs! We use grey water on our garden and recycle as much as possible.
We have a Mulberry tree, 2 peach trees, an apricot tree, 2 orange trees and a magnificent lime tree. We grow as many veggies as I remember to water! Because we live in Roleystone, there are many orchids who sell fruit and veggies, cutting right back on food miles.
We were until recently (it had to stop due to funds) involved in an organic farm school for kids. I am also a member of the Organic Growers Association of WA. The bubs and I have attended quite a few rallies, including the Say No To GMO rally in Perth where we had a goat in our pram and chickens in the kids laps. Eco Peko has such synergy with my life, of course, and so this is the reason that I am so passionate about it.”
“My beautiful children, who have changed my life and the way I look at the world, have also made me want to protect it for them and their children. Anyway you look at it, conventionally grown cotton is pretty ugly. Not just the amount of pesticides and insecticides that are sprayed (7 times that of food crops), but the debit and death that is a result of those chemicals.
Also to the way formaldehyde and other chemicals are laden into the fabric whilst being produced. It is so far from natural, it’s not funny. I also believe that the way forward for our planet is to embrace a permaculture way of growing our crops. This is why my label started with little sayings on shirts, I thought it would be a fun way for parents to show their support with organics and a green lifestyle.
The cotton in my clothes has Control Union certification and the manufacturing process has GOTS certification (for organic manufacturing and fair working conditions). The prints are water based, the dyes are low impact, AZO and heavy metal free.
My jeans are organic denim, which has been dyed using natural indigo and the zip and button are chrome and nickel free. My bamboodies are made from bamboo (it’s like super eco fabric), and every piece in my range is of high quality, to be passed on to family and friends – reduce, reuse, recycle!”
Visit Eco Peko at: www.ecopeko.com
Beauty and Lace is an online magazine for women. We hope you enjoyed this article!