Organic Cotton
Share
Growing up, my dad loved to use the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While many see it as simply a lesson in frugality, I took it to mean much more than that. If something works as intended, there’s no reason to search for solutions to a problem you aren’t facing currently. This brings us to organic cotton. Cotton is one of the oldest fabrics that we have a record of humans making, second only to flax/linen. 7000 years ago your great great great (x30) grandfather kept himself warm with the same fabric you might be wearing. It has recently fallen a bit out of favour with advancements in stronger or cheaper fabric, but this piece aims to prove that organic cotton can hold its weight with the titans of synthetic fabrics. While conventional cotton continues to be a widely used material, organic cotton’s production and refinement are more ecologically friendly and durable.
Organic cotton’s production process is notably different from that of conventional cotton. The largest difference is organic’s freedom from pesticides. As pests continue to become more resistant to the chemicals used to protect cotton and other crops, the stronger these pesticides have to be to maintain effectiveness. These animals have generations to become resistant to these pesticides, but humans do not have that luxury. A 2021 report showed that 42 million pounds of pesticides were used on 10.3 million acres of conventional cotton farmland. This makes it the most intensely treated crop of the major crops produced in the United States. This not only has an effect on the quality of the cotton, but the runoff has serious environmental ramifications. The land the cotton is grown on is affected and the runoff can affect a large area or even a whole watershed. As environmental regulations in the United States continue to get slashed to ribbons, this problem will only increase. Outside of a change in regime, the biggest impact the market could make on the harmful effects on conventional cotton is to show that organic cotton is the premier choice.
If conventional cotton outperformed organic cotton in terms of material strength and quality, there would be a solid argument to be made about its continued use. Unfortunately for the pesticide manufacturers, this is far from the case. Both the growth process and the harvesting process have a significant effect on the quality of the fibers. The gentleness undertaken with organic cotton consistently shows improved quality, albeit at the cost of time. Not to mention the measured impact that these chemicals and harvesting processes have on the workers. Long term exposure to many of these chemicals has caused increased rates of disease in workers and their families. Ethical organic cotton practices are much less likely to harm the workers and encourage child labour. Conventional cotton harms the whole community and ecosystem, not just those on site. The watering of conventional cotton mixed with the pesticides creates what is known as “grey water,” which is far from potable. Combining this with monocultures and soil erosion, it is clear to see that the production process of conventional cotton is at odds with nature.
If we want our children and our children’s children to be able to enjoy the same Earth that we have been able to, we must work in harmony with our environment. Currently, the only people who benefit from the popularity of conventional cotton are those that grow and produce that cotton and its pesticides. They are able to reduce costs and increase margins at the cost of the environment and the product quality. As consumers, we have an obligation to use our buying powers for good. Buying organic cotton garments or choosing to use organic cotton in your own products is a slightly larger investment than the conventional, but its payoffs in both the short term and the long term are too great to be ignored. TST is making a concerted effort to ensure our products are ecologically friendly. It is more than possible to work in tandem with nature as opposed to defiance.