All the ethicurean bags (recycled organic and fair wage) are made from unbleached cottons. Bleaching not only alters the natural colour of the textile (which here at the ethicurean we love) but is also harmful to the environment. Sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide are the most common industrial textile bleaches which when expelled into the environment(ost often into waterways) oxidizes organic matter in rivers and oceans to produce chemicals called trihalomethanes, some of which are carcinogenic. They also can form dioxins – carcinogens, mutagens, and tetrogenic compounds – which the body stores in fatty tissues almost indefinitely. Bleaching also consumes large amounts of water, primarily in the rinsing process to remove the chlorines which damage the structural integrity of the fibres. Buying unbleached textiles is obviously the more environmentally responsible choice.