About Organic Cotton

So most of us have been using cotton all our lives – cotton sheets, towels, clothes... It’s supposed to be a natural product, isn’t it? So what’s the difference with organic cotton?

Food and clothing are two major product groups that have direct contact with our bodies, so understanding exactly what kinds of processes and ingredients go into making these products is important. 

Conventional cotton is grown using lots of toxic chemicals, like pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Organic cotton is not. 

The term organic describes a method of farming without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides or fertilisers, sewage sludge, irradiation or genetic engineering, and are certified by an accredited independent organization. It is a system of farming that strives for a balance with nature, using methods and materials that are of low impact to the environment. (Courtesy of Organic Exchange)  

The differences between conventional and organic cotton are most obvious at the farming level. The basic premise behind the farming of organic cotton is the facilitation and support of what the earth already does naturally.  

Conventional cotton growing creates a dependent cycle of chemical use which hinders nature from doing its job, and therefore creates the need for more chemicals to compensate. With conventional cotton, the pesticides and herbicides used to keep pests and weeds at bay takes all the good nutrients out of the soil in which the cotton is growing. Then in order for the cotton to grow, the soil needs more chemicals in the form of synthetic fertiliser in order to boost its nutrients.

In contrast, the organic methods use such as to farm the organic cotton fibre, including crop rotation and hand hoeing mean that weeds and pests are kept at bay naturally, and the soil is nutrient rich with organic matter.

Did you know that conventional cotton growing accounts for approximately 25% of the world’s insecticide use? Staggering. We can do better.