What is Organic Cotton?
Cotton, one of the most commonly used fibers in the textile industry, remains consumers’ preference for its versatility and natural comfort. I bet you’re wearing a shirt or using a bag made of cotton as you read this, but are you aware of the ugly truth about how cotton is grown, harvested, and produced has so much unpleasant impact on our planet and us.
Conventional Cotton
Cotton is considered to be the thirstiest crop in the world. It requires 2,700 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton fabrics (which is just enough to make one T-shirt or a pair of jeans). The water required to have one kilogram of cotton is enough for one person to drink for over three years. Growing conventional cotton consumes too much water, which exacerbates the problem of inadequate global freshwater resources.
It is estimated that 200,000 tons of pesticides and 8 million tons of fertilizers are consumed annually in the production process of conventional cotton, which is more than any other crop in the world.
Pesticides and fertilizers chemical badly pollute local water sources, destroying the environment and harming the animals.
"You are what you eat" brings people's attention to food sources. The pollution on water and soil from pesticides badly affects the food and water supplies, which sometimes can cause disease, illness, and even congenital disabilities to the local communities.
Conventional cotton production is a labor-intensive industry. To cut costs, companies mainly produce conventional cotton in developing countries, where children and underprivileged workers are harvesting. These workers are taken away from pursuing life-changing education opportunities while running the risk of injury and illness.
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It is about time to raise our attention to "You are what you wear" with the awareness of environmental sustainability to the clothes we wear.
BUT...
We see that many fashion brands have been promoting their usage of organic cotton. Still, we must be careful as the slogan "Organic" can be used conveniently. Sometimes some products are not 100% organic cotton, even if the material label is 100% organic. Also, before cotton is woven into fibers to your favorite clothing, it requires a lot of processing and dyeing, which is very chemically intensive. Unless the garment has passed the GOTS certification, it is difficult to determine whether the dyes used in the production are organic.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has strict standards and controls for the process of planting, spinning, weaving, processing, packaging, labeling, import and export, and distribution of organic cotton. GOTS ensures the planting process is environmentally friendly and does not harm the planet or affect people's health.
The production and processing of organic cotton products should be an environmental topic and a social topic. Fair labor and sweat-free factories are considered to be necessary conditions for obtaining GOTS approval.
We agree organic cotton is an amazing alternative to conventional cotton, as long as it is sustainable and ethically produced.
But, if you want to have a better impact on our planet and the people, we always recommend buying less and buying better.
The sustainable alternative:
Organic cotton
As per what it’s called, organic cotton is grown organically, meaning the cotton plants are not genetically modified. No harmful pesticides or fertilizers are used in the process.
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According to the figures from the Soil Association, it only requires 243 liters of water to plant organic cotton. Compared to conventional cotton, the cultivation of organic cotton reduces water pollution by 98% because it does not use artificial chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers.
Moreover, organic cotton emits 46% fewer greenhouse gases than conventional cotton.
The benefits to the local communities are obvious. The fewer pesticides and chemicals used, the better and healthier the workers’ and the residents’ environment becomes, and access to clean water and food supplies.