Biodegradable Cotton Dish Towel | Sustainable Kitchen
100% Biodegradable natural organic cotton towel is a beautiful addition to your kitchen for drying your hands or dishes. Hand-knitted by women in Ocean View it not only supports environmental sustainability, but also the women who make them.
Biodegradable Cotton Dish Towel
It is 100% biodegradable so that once its lifespan is over, it can be thrown into the compost. This beautiful dish cloth is reusable as you can wash it with your normal washing.
- Size: 15.75 in x 15.75 in (40 x 40cm)
- 100% virgin cotton
- 100% biodegradable
- Handmade in Cape Town, South Africa
Nadja Ernst
FOUNDER: Nadja Ernst
Hi, I’m Nadja Ernst. Founder of Pure Touch, wife and mom of two children. Although my roots are German, I grew up in this beautiful country and am always still in awe of the nature around us and the beauty of the creation.
I have always been passionate about creating beautiful things, but have an even stronger passion for helping and supporting people in need. These two passions motivated me to start a second career as a social worker.
In September 2019, after reading an article about kitchen scrubs containing microplastics that eventually disintegrate and end up in our ocean, I decided to use my knitting and crocheting skills to make my own, eco-friendly and biodegradable kitchen scrubs and dish cloths. What started off in my home kitchen as a passion for environmentally friendly products and sustainable resources soon developed into a small business. The name pure touch was born and I started selling products in a small local shop.
The name pure touch was inspired by the purity of nature and of the one who created it plus the almost silky, soft feel of our products. The cedar tree in the logo symbolizes the natural, strong and long-lasting yarns we use and the vision we have for the women and their families of our community – a beacon of hope and resilience.
My two hands quickly needed more hands to knit and crochet. Being a social worker, I felt the need to provide women in our vulnerable community of Ocean View with the opportunity to earn an income and thereby support themselves and their families.
In February 2020, this dream became a reality when Marie Mueller, who was already working in Ocean View, joined me. What started off as a small business now became much more than just that: a social enterprise selling beautifully handmade, eco-friendly products but with the focus on building relationships and a community of women that support each other, learn new skills and generate income for themselves within a business structure.
To know that pure touch products not only support the production and use of more sustainable resources like hemp and organic cotton, but that their production and sale also support and make a differene to the lives of other moms and women facing difficult circumstances really excites me. An added bonus: our products are reusable, washable and naturally decompose – adding value and beauty to any home!
An so started the journey with the women in the community of Ocean View …
Meet Our Community
“Hi, I’m Katie, mother of one daughter and a son, and grandmother of 4. My children and my grandchildren live with me in Ocean View. I moved to Ocean View from Retreat when I was 9 years old, when there were no tarred roads, just sand, bush and a few houses. The bread truck and the milkman used to come by regularly. I got married late, in my 40s, for only a very short time. I like living in Ocean View – it’s what you make of it!
Before I became a pensioner, I was a carer for 15 years, only night shift, and still visit a 93-year-old lady every second weekend. I love to walk, hike, be outdoors, do gym, walk the blisters for bread, and of course, knit and crochet. This I was taught by a guy when I was 12 years old!
When my 2 sisters joined Pure Touch, I got very curious, even a bit jealous, as it sounded like a lot of fun. Not long after, when work picked up, I could also join, and am so happy to be part of the team. It allows me to meet new people, keep busy, laugh, and get encouraged, and it puts food on the table.”
“Hi, my name is Sylvia. I have lived my whole life in Ocean View. I’m married and have two grown-up sons.
I love people. I love to meet new people, get to know them and care for them. I grew up with a caring mom that always had time for others and I can see that has been passed down to me. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy being part of pure touch.
Life has not always been easy, but I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness and I want to share His goodness and encouragement with others. And I see being a part of pure touch is doing me good as well!
“Hi, my name is Hazel. I have lived my whole life in Ocean View. I have 3 grown sons and 3 grandkids.
Although knitting is in my blood, sewing is my passion. I started learning to sew as a 15-year old, when I got a job at a factory. Since then, I have grown in my skills. I haven’t had the easiest life, but God has seen me through and I am so grateful He led me to pure touch. As long as I have my pure touch family, I don’t worry about anything.
Now I enjoy sitting on the balcony and watching life go by as I knit my things. I feel honoured to be a part of pure touch!
“Hi, my name is Levona. I grew up in Ocean View and I have 4 kids aged 11-21. I love my community and would like to give something back. One way for me to do this is to be creative and to encourage others to dare to step out in creativity.
Knitting was the normal thing to do in my family when growing up. My moma and sister taught me how to knit and crochet. I enjoy doing something useful and needed with my hands; whether that’s knitting, sewing or baking.”
“Hi, my name is Zainu. I am a widow for 4 years now. I live in Ocean View with my 3 kids and my mom.
The years after my husband passed have been difficult – he was a good man and we had a good life together. I used to work at Woolworths for many years. Knitting has always been part of our family, and although I enjoy knitting, baking and cooking, people are my passion. I want to see them having a good life.
What I like about Pure Touch is the connection in our sisterhood and… I am rediscovering my lost touch.”
More about our community
Pure Touch enables women to support their families in a sustainable and life-giving way. We journey and partner with women of the Ocean View community, Cape Town.
Ocean View is located approximately 45 minutes outside Cape Town, close to the little village of Kommetjie on the hillside with a beautiful view of the ocean. It was formed in the late 1960’s during the Apartheid regime, when all colored people were forcefully removed from their homes in the ‘white communities’ of Simon’s Town, Fish Hoek, and Noordhoek to live in this settlement.
Today some 40’000 people live in Ocean View, many of whom face the challenges of unemployment, widespread drug and alcohol abuse, gang-related crime and violence as well as prostitution.
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Locations & hours
31 Rameron Avenue, Imhoff's Gift, Kommetjie, 7975 Cape Town, South Africa
Hours: 9 am to 6 pm
Monday to Friday