Hydrocarbon/ “Organic”

Is Hydrocarbon really “Organic/Green”?   The answer is NO!!!

Despite the lack of information on the process, hydrocarbon solvent cleaning has been touted as the “green” dry cleaning alternative and some cleaners have even called the process “organic”. This is a clear case of green washing. Organic, in this sense, refers to the carbon chains that make up everything that lives; that once lived; or that has been synthetically synthesized in a lab. Wool, oil, plastic, wood and pesticides are all organic, but the principles that most people associate with organic agriculture do not apply to this type of laundering – not in the least. To say that petrochemicals are organic is correct from a chemistry standpoint, but to apply “organic” to dry cleaning is to manipulate the common vernacular to sell the service. The truth is hydrocarbon is still a toxic substance.
A small number of dry cleaners have switched to non-perc cleaning techniques, using a hydrocarbon-based process instead. These types of cleaners mislead their customers by labeling themselves as a organic cleaner. This does not necessarily mean that these types of cleaners are truly “green”.  Hydrocarbon solvents are essentially a stable form of gasoline and the majority of hydrocarbon solvents used in dry cleaning are not yet regulated. The Canadian Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA) has yet to conduct toxicity assessments for hydrocarbon solvents used in dry cleaning and Environment Canada’s website states, “Until an assessment is done, the federal government is unable to recommend hydrocarbon solvent cleaning.” Furthermore, it is evident from the US EPA findings  that hydrocarbon-based solvents are not environmentally benign, as several of the common solvents have been classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to smog, while others have chemical additives that contribute to global warming. 

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN WHY DRY CLEANERS CLAIM TO BE “ORGANIC”. 

*REMEMBER, DRY CLEANERS THAT LABLE THEMSELVES “ORGANIC”, MOST LIKELY MEANS THEY ARE  NOT TRULY “GREEN”. THIS TERM IS LOOSLY USED TO MISLEAD  THE CONSUMER INTO BELIEVING THEY ARE BRINGING THERE CLOTHES TO A NON TOXIC DRY CLEANER.