Organic Cotton

What is Organic Cotton

Cotton is the natural fibre that probably makes up a large proportion of your wardrobe. It's soft, absorbent and breathable. It keeps us cool in summer and is also a good heat conductor through winter. However, it’s one hell of a greedy crop and can take a huge toll on our environment. 

Organic cotton is cotton that has been produced to standards that ensure its production leaves a lighter footprint on the earth. Farming of organic cotton uses less water and ensures no toxic chemicals and GMO’s are used so that the health of the soil is maintained using natural processes. Organic cotton promotes sustainable agricultural practices that benefit the land and the people. 

There are a few cotton certification bodies out there that set standards for organic cotton. The one that's most commonly known is GOTS. These standards not only promote sustainable practices in relation to environmental concerns but also social concerns which help to aid a safer supply chain. 

While we have worked closely with our manufacturers and have been in regular contact with our organic cotton suppliers, we haven't yet visited their farms. We hope to visit them early next year, so stay tuned for further updates on our supply chain visits!

Why We Love Organic Cotton

Soft natural hand feel 
Because organic cotton doesn't use any toxic chemicals it is arguable kinder on sensitive skin. 

No toxic chemicals 
Better for the earth, better for the farmers, better for the makers and better against your skin! No chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides are used, which not only aids in improving the soil quality, conserving biodiversity and minimising water contamination, but also ensures workers are not subjected to  harsh chemicals. 

Creating value for the supply
Currently organic cotton production makes up only 2% of the worlds cotton production. By using organic cotton we can encourage farmers who are switching to more sustainable farming practices and show that there is a market out there for organic cotton and it does have huge value! We hope this will also help by reversing rural migration into cities.

Increasing land fertility and detoxification
In order for farmers to convert to organic cotton they must detoxify the land from any chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which generally takes 3 years. In turn the land becomes rich in organic matter that allows for the soil to have better water retention and reduces water wastage. Crop rotation also helps to enrich the land with nutrients. 

Farmer Wellbeing  
The wellbeing of farmers and rural communities is enhanced, with reduced water contamination affecting both drinking water and food crops. No toxic chemical exposure for farmers and workers also reduces the potential for long term health impacts.

What's the deal with conventional cotton

Cotton is one of agricultures most water-intensive and pest-sensitive crops grown in semi arid and water scarce areas around the world

Although we know cotton as a soft, breezy, natural fibre its production can have some devastating impacts on the land, water and people within the supply chain. Rather than ramble on about some of these issues we compiled a list of facts that we think are worth mulling over. 

PEOPLE FACTS

- It’s one of the most widespread profitable non-food crops in the world, providing income for more than 250 million people making for approximately 7% of all labor in developing counties. 

- Farmers in developing countries are responsible for producing 75% of global cotton.

- More than 270,000 Indian cotton farmers have killed themselves since 1995 and it is thought that contributing factors include GM seeds and debt.

- 29 million tons of cotton are produced a year. This is equivalent to 29 t-shirts for everyone on Earth! But the consumption of cotton varies a lot. In some western countries cotton use per person can correspond to more than 100 t-shirts per person.

LAND FACTS

- Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop.

- In India, cotton accounts for 54% of all pesticides used annually – despite only occupying just 5% of land under crops.

WATER FACTS

- It takes 2,700 litres of water to make one T-shirt. Equivalent to 900 days of drinking water for one person. 

- More than half of global cotton production happens in high, or extremely high, water stressed regions. (Water stress is the ratio between water usage versus renewable supply, meaning that the higher the water stress the more users are competing for less resources).

- More than 206,478,000,000 tonnes of water have been used in cotton production globally this year alone.

Making the Switch

We would like to see a movement of the cotton industry toward more environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, such as Organic Cotton, to alleviate some of the stresses that this greedy crop has on our land.

While currently organic cotton equates to less than 2% of the global cotton production, it is exciting to see that many farmers are now making the 3 year land detoxifying switch. It's believed that these in-transition crops equate to over 50% of the current organic certified cotton land. 80% of these in transition crops are in India. 

Switching to organic cotton doesn't come without uncertainties and it has been argued that conventional cotton can produce higher yields and therefore has the potential to actually use less water than organic cotton production. You can read up more on these ideas here.

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