Organic cotton. Why does it matter?
When we’re getting dressed in the morning, there’s a 75% chance that at least one of the items we wear will contain a form of cotton. This fabric, with it’s often dark history, has become a staple of modern life. Yet many of us know very little about the material’s origin; how it’s grown, who grows it, and what impact it has on surrounding communities. Knowing the difference between standard and organic cotton is an essential tool for the ethical and conscious consumer in 2021.
What’s the difference?
After the Second World War, the agriculture industry started to increasingly adopt the use of chemicals and fertilisers to grow crops. This was supported by advances in engineering and biochemistry which had popularised these substances. Since cotton is not a food, it was assumed that a heavier use of chemicals on this crop was tolerable, and so cotton became one of most intensively sprayed crops grown.
This continues to be the way that the majority of cotton is grown today. Only around 0.93% of cotton is grown organically; meaning that no harmful chemicals or contaminates are used. that’s the difference on the surface, but in reality there’s a lot more to it…
So why does it matter?
Farmers and their communities
Cotton farmers spend days spraying crops with pesticide containers on their backs.
The exposure to harmful chemicals which ensues from this practice has been proved to lead to several serious health complications including cancer, respiratory diseases, chronic kidney diseases, as well as neurological disorders. Around 300 million people work in the cotton industry. That’s 300 million people who risk their health everyday in order to grow cotton for our clothes.
On top of the harm conventional cotton causes to the farmers themselves, surrounding communities also feel the burden of this industry. As resources are re-directed to cotton farms, locals often go without basic necessities like clean water. A 2014 report showed that the water consumed by India’s cotton exports in 2013 could have supplied 85% of the country’s 124bn people (of which 100 million to not have access to clean water), with 100 litres of water every day for a year.
The human cost of organic cotton is much less significant. By taking pesticides and fertilisers out of the equation, organic cotton farmers are provided with a much safer environment to work in. In addition to this, organic cotton requires much less water (91% less in fact) and also provides a much more stable income due to the requirement for greater crop diversity in organic systems.
2. The environment
Farming practices account for 14% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If we factor in deforestation for agricultural land, this figure then doubles to around 30%. If we are to combat climate change, we need to make sure we are making choices which support effective and planet-friendly farming solutions.
The Life Cycle Assessment of cotton published by the Textiles Exchange found that compared to convectional cotton, organic cotton:
Reduced blue water consumption by 91%.
Reduced primary energy demand by 62%.
Resulted in 70% less acidification potential (process where acid gasses are released into the air).
Resulted in 26% reduced eutrophication potential (eutrophication being a consequence of soil erosion caused by poor soil management practices).
All in all, it was calculated that organic cotton has a reduced the global warming potential of cotton by 46%! Switching to buying organic cotton is a small change with BIG impact.
3. Better for you and your little ones.
On top of all that, inorganic cotton can also have a direct impact on the people who consume it. Pesticide remains on clothes have been known to cause several skin allergies and irritations. Some people with skin problems report drastic improvements in their condition once they switched to organic fabrics. Babies and young children are especially susceptible to developing such irritations.
There’s a reason that cotton has been deemed a ‘dirty crop’. Convectional cotton puts farmers and their communities at risk, and endangers the future of our little ones by polluting their planet and potentially irritating their skin. Choosing organic cotton is a simple switch, but a potentially hugely important one.