Why Use Organic Cotton?

Conventional cotton farming has been labeled one of agriculture's most environmentally destructive activities, but fortunately, positive alternatives for cotton apparel have emerged, and with it, a growing market for organically grown cotton.

What is Organic Cotton?

Organic farming incorporates biologically based rather than chemically dependent growing systems to raise cotton crops in several important areas:

Soil - Massive amounts of chemicals are used in the growing and processing of cotton. Chemical fertilizers can have a number of harmful effects on the environment, including the contamination of ground and surface water, beneficial insects, and surrounding plant and wildlife. Organic cotton farming utilizes natural compost, frequent crop rotations, and cover crop strategies in place of synthetic fertilizers. In order to achieve organic certification, cotton fields must be free of synthetically derived chemicals for three years.

Pesticides - Even when used according to directions, pesticides can be extremely harmful to people, wildlife and the environment. According to one recent pesticide study in California, cotton ranked third among California crops for total number of worker illnesses caused by pesticides. In addition, pesticides can negatively impact fish, livestock, birds, beneficial insects and soil microorganisms. In organic cotton farming, farmers cultivate a diversity of natural enemies that prey on insect pests, and introduce them to the fields at well-timed intervals. Hand labor or flame devices rather than herbicide applications control weeds.

Harvest - In most areas, cotton plants must be killed before harvesting. Organic cotton practices use certified materials and lack of water rather than chemical applications to achieve this ready-for-picking state. Though some organic farming operations use machines for harvesting, many rely on the hand-picked method, ensuring a higher quality of cotton and also a higher standard of living for developing countries that produce cotton.

Benefits of Organic Cotton

• No apparel-related health risks for your baby or yourself
• Biodiversity: Organic growing techniques involve crop rotation, which encourages diversity and a healthier ecosystem.
• Soil Fertility: the use of cover crop rotations help to reduce erosion and improve the quality of the soil.
• True Economy: Buying organic means you don't have to sacrifice the environment's health and well-being- or your own- for the clothes on your back

Problems with Conventionally Grown Cotton

• Growing conventional cotton involves the indiscriminate spraying of chemical toxins
• It takes about 1/3 pound of chemicals to make one standard t-shirt
• Accidental pesticide poisoning causes 20,000 deaths and 3 million non-fatal poisonings every year, worldwide. Originally formulated as nerve gases for warfare, at least 107 active ingredients in pesticides are carcinogenic
• Pesticides are responsible for birth defects, respiratory problems, behavioral changes, infertility, sterility, hormonal imbalances and a variety of short-term maladies.
• Besides killing pests - which eventually become immune to the chemicals - pesticides are toxic to an array of beneficial wildlife. The poison is then passed along the food chain.
• Pesticides contaminate ground water in at least 32 states. Half of the U.S. population relies on ground water for its primary source of drinking water.
• Millions of children in the U.S. are exposed to carcinogenic pesticides through food, contaminated during watering, household products and children who live near agricultural areas are affected by pesticide drift.

How fast is the organic fiber market growing?

U.S. and Canadian manufacturers of organic fiber products saw their sales grow by an average of 22 percent annually from 1996 through 2000, according to the Organic Trade Associations 2001 Manufacturers' Market Survey of its membership. The non-clothing sector (linens, other household furnishings, and personal care products) experienced 39 percent annual average growth during that period, while the clothing industry experienced an 11 percent growth in sales. The non-clothing sector anticipates 67 percent average annual growth in sales between 2000 and 2005, while apparel manufacturers anticipate 39 percent average annual growth during the same period.

Note from Shannon: Many thanks to Janice Masoud of Under the Nile for allowing us to reprint this article!