Organic Cotton Versus Conventional Cotton - What"s the Big Deal?
The clothes on our backs can be burdening our environment, if those clothes are not made from organic cotton or other eco friendly clothing materials. It is time to discuss the large, toxic role conventional cotton production plays in adversely affecting the health of our planet.
Textiles used for the production of clothing come from three major sources: animal (silk, wool), plant (cotton, flax) and synthetic (polyester, nylon). A fourth major source of textiles is mineral (asbestos, glass fibers), but these are mostly used for construction, not clothing.
From all the major textiles, conventional cotton is the most commonly used (accounting for 40-47 percent of total textiles used worldwide), and yet it is also the most unsustainable in terms of production and pollutants. Cotton is a highly-valuable fiber grown on 76 million acres worldwide which takes roughly a third of a pound of fertilizers and pesticides to produce one pound of raw cotton, and it takes about a pound of cotton to produce one t-shirt.
On a global scale, the production of cotton uses approximately 25 percent of the world's insecticides and more than 10 percent of the world's pesticides, and three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides known to human health are used for cotton production. Even the conversion of conventional cotton into clothing uses numerous hazardous materials, such as petroleum-based scours, softeners, ammonia, heavy metals, formaldehyde and silicone waxes.
If we continue following the trail of "dirt" that impregnates conventional cotton production, we can see that the agricultural by-products of growing cotton (waste, hulls and other pesticide-infused plant matter) get sold off for livestock feed. In fact, as much as 65 percent of cotton production ends up in our food chain. There is simply nowhere for these harsh chemicals to "disappear" to; they must go somewhere once they've been sprayed and spread.
The real cause for concern, however, is that the demand for cotton is only going up. According to a recent report on Examiner.com, "the price of cotton has reached a peak not seen since 1871." And though much of the hike in cotton prices is blamed on poor crop conditions in China, any business student can tell you that when prices for a product rise, it means that production of that product won't be nearing an end anytime soon. It's simply supply and demand. If we demand it as consumers, we motivate others to supply it.
So if one were interested in curbing the production of conventional cotton, it would require reducing the demand for it and reinvesting their money in more sustainable clothing options. Organic cotton farming uses only natural fertilizers, such as compost and animal manure, relies predominantly on rainfall and used no synthetic pesticides and insecticides.
By demanding organic clothes made from sustainably produced organic cotton, consumers have grown the industry by about 10 - 20 percent each year since 2006. So here we have a strong case of effecting positive change in the environment by choosing not to support the culprits, in this case conventional cotton, with our dollars.
Textiles used for the production of clothing come from three major sources: animal (silk, wool), plant (cotton, flax) and synthetic (polyester, nylon). A fourth major source of textiles is mineral (asbestos, glass fibers), but these are mostly used for construction, not clothing.
From all the major textiles, conventional cotton is the most commonly used (accounting for 40-47 percent of total textiles used worldwide), and yet it is also the most unsustainable in terms of production and pollutants. Cotton is a highly-valuable fiber grown on 76 million acres worldwide which takes roughly a third of a pound of fertilizers and pesticides to produce one pound of raw cotton, and it takes about a pound of cotton to produce one t-shirt.
On a global scale, the production of cotton uses approximately 25 percent of the world's insecticides and more than 10 percent of the world's pesticides, and three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides known to human health are used for cotton production. Even the conversion of conventional cotton into clothing uses numerous hazardous materials, such as petroleum-based scours, softeners, ammonia, heavy metals, formaldehyde and silicone waxes.
If we continue following the trail of "dirt" that impregnates conventional cotton production, we can see that the agricultural by-products of growing cotton (waste, hulls and other pesticide-infused plant matter) get sold off for livestock feed. In fact, as much as 65 percent of cotton production ends up in our food chain. There is simply nowhere for these harsh chemicals to "disappear" to; they must go somewhere once they've been sprayed and spread.
The real cause for concern, however, is that the demand for cotton is only going up. According to a recent report on Examiner.com, "the price of cotton has reached a peak not seen since 1871." And though much of the hike in cotton prices is blamed on poor crop conditions in China, any business student can tell you that when prices for a product rise, it means that production of that product won't be nearing an end anytime soon. It's simply supply and demand. If we demand it as consumers, we motivate others to supply it.
So if one were interested in curbing the production of conventional cotton, it would require reducing the demand for it and reinvesting their money in more sustainable clothing options. Organic cotton farming uses only natural fertilizers, such as compost and animal manure, relies predominantly on rainfall and used no synthetic pesticides and insecticides.
By demanding organic clothes made from sustainably produced organic cotton, consumers have grown the industry by about 10 - 20 percent each year since 2006. So here we have a strong case of effecting positive change in the environment by choosing not to support the culprits, in this case conventional cotton, with our dollars.
Source...