Saturday, February 2, 2013

Just complaining...

Before we headed off on vacation in December, my husband decided he needed new sweatshirts (his favorite around-the-house garment in cold weather).  I reminded him to buy the best quality, so he came back from the store with three labeled Hanes' Premium.  But within a couple of weeks they were starting to pill alarmingly.

I've never known a sweatshirt to pill, except maybe on the inside.  (Remember when wearing your sweats inside-out was a badge of cool?  But only after you had cut off the sleeves.  Bad fashion trends of the past.)

Sure enough, closer examination showed that under the words Hanes' Premium was the word EcoSmart, which led me to believe they were made from old plastic grocery bags.  Much closer examination allowed us to find the sewed-in tag which, in 4-point type, said that they were 30% polyester.  The Hanes website says, "Thanks to its breathable, moisture-wicking cotton-polyester blend, Hanes' Premium EcoSmart cotton fleece sweatshirt is perfect for a morning jog or lounging around the house."

We're going to give the three disreputable-though-new sweatshirts to some bums and start over.

So my questions -- how can you call something "cotton fleece" when it's 30% polyester?  Is this a plot by Hanes to get us to buy new sweatshirts every two weeks?  And why is this EcoSmart?  I'd call it EcoStupid.

3 comments:

  1. Okay, so I just looked at the tag on my favorite hooded sweatshirt which unfortunately has started pilling. Sure enough, Hanes, EcoSmart. I have to agree with EcoStupid. My blend is 80/20 and has only recently started pilling. Guess I'll be shopping for 100% cotton.

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  2. Be sure to complain to Hanes too. They need to know! see if they have a Facebook page. That is where you may be able to join other comments.

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  3. Just did a Google search and discovered that EcoSmart is the new buzzword attached to all sorts of things, but found Hanes EcoSmart sweatpants are a 50/50 poly/cotton blend with "up to" 5 percent of the poly made from recycled plastic. Very smart ad agency; very dumb idea--doesn't even use up that much plastic. Better to not use all those plastic bags in the first place.

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