You eat organic, you use organic products, you’ve taken steps to reduce chemicals in your home, but have you given thought to your fabric choices? Honestly, this is something most of us don’t do.  Even those who live the most conscious lives, don’t always put much thought into our clothing, bedding, or other textiles. After all, it’s just fabric? Right? What could be the problem? Surprisingly, fabrics are loaded with chemicals. Today we’re just going to take a look at cotton.

Fast Facts About Cotton

cotton bloom on white background

  • It is the “dirtiest” crop in the world.  It requires more pesticides than almost any other crop.  
  • Pesticides from cotton are EXTREMELY difficult to wash out of clothing.
  • Cotton is also an extremely thirsty crop and uses massive amounts of water, especially when pesticides are used alongside this type of farming.
  • Over 15% of the world’s pesticide use, and 25% of the world’s insecticide use, goes into the production of conventional (non-organic) cotton.
    • Human breast milk, and urine, as well as tap water have detectable levels of pesticides in them- even among people who eat an exclusively organic diet!
    • The WHO estimates that 10,000 farmers die per year in the US from cancer related to pesticides and over 20,000 die worldwide in developed nations from poisoning from pesticides
    • At least 63 million birds die per year from pesticides according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Even after the cotton has been picked and processed into fabrics, more chemicals are used in the dying and textile makind process
  • Farmers growing conventional cotton are much more likely to be paid below a living wage, and not have access to healthcare
  • Of all the crops grown worldwide, according to the Rodale Institute, cotton is in the top 4 for GMO and nearly 90% of all cotton grown is GMO

Why Does It Matter?

Many people don’t think our fabric materials, or the process to create them matters much.  Let’s think about this for a quick moment together. If cotton accounts for the majority of our textiles- our clothing, our bedding, our towels- then we’re in contact with it nearly 24/7.  Now if this is a product that is accounting for such drastic pesticide and chemical use, which we can’t fully rinse out, and our skin is our bodies largest organ… you see where I’m going with this.  

We’re literally spending the entire day with the exact chemicals and pesticides we try to avoid by eating organic right against our skin. Autoimmune diseases, mental health issues, and other chronic diseases are on a rise.  Many individuals are becoming more conscious about what they’re consuming. Research is being done on the impact of wearing conventional cotton 24/7 on human health, but more still needs to be conducted.

Making the Swap to Organic 

Fortunately, organic cotton farming is on the rise! The Textile Exchange reports that only about .5% of the cotton grown worldwide is organic but that number is growing. A good amount of Organic is grown in the US, in Texas, New Mexico, California and North Carolina. Many companies now offer organic clothing and textile products, and some companies are even dedicated to ONLY selling organic textiles.  

Choosing to buy organic textiles sometimes comes with a bit of sticker shock.  However, it’s good to know that organic fabric is higher quality than conventional and will last much longer.  It’s also remarkably soft, people are often blown away by how soft organic fabrics are.

When a company takes the extra step to become GOTS certified, it assures that not only is the cotton organically grown, other steps are taken as well.  GOTS has labor standards, including child labor, pay standards, and standards for the entire processing. Sustainable practices in processing the fabric from spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and manufacturing are part of GOTS cotton.  

Keep researching, and asking questions

All we have focused on today is cotton, because it’s the main component of most clothing.  However, it’s worth it to research some of these “new & improved” and “alternative” fibers and blends.  We spend all day long in contact with some sort of fabric. For those who strive to lead a conscious, and chemical-free life, making the swap to organic fabric makes a lot of sense.

Next week, we’ll meet Gaby from the Organic Fabric Company.  She’ll share more with us about how conventional cotton impacts our health, the farmers, and the Earth.  Make sure to check it out!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *