Organic cotton production is better because it doesn’t use nasty chemicals, which harm the soil and people.
The normal production of cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop. As a result, 77 million cotton workers suffer from poisoning from pesticides.
The production of a non-organic cotton T-shirt uses about 120 grams of chemicals. Non-organic cotton farming uses around 16% of the world’s insecticides.
Organic cotton farming uses 88% less water and 62% less energy than other methods.
70% of our planet is covered in water but only 3% is freshwater. Just one-third of that freshwater is available for us to use. A billion people don’t have access to clean water. 2.4 billion people suffer from poor sanitation. Organic cotton is 80% rain-fed so there’s less pressure on local water sources.
Additionally, organic cotton produces around 46% less CO2e compared to conventional cotton. Organic cotton is better for you.
Are you sourcing responsibly?
So will you choose a product like an Organic T-Shirt? Yes, it might be a little more expensive but that depends on how you are measuring cost. Do you just care about the bottom line, or should brand reputation be part of your calculation?
Many people choose organic cotton. Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Jamie Foxx, Kelly Slater, and Emily Deschanel choose organic cotton products. Stella McCartney and Bono have started their own organic cotton collection.
Many promotional products are now made from organically grown cotton. Bags, caps, sweatshirts, beanie hats, and pencil cases to name but a few. As the promotions business moves to a more sustainable supply chain, we can expect to see even more organic cotton products. The question is, will farmers see the benefit of organic farming and move away from using harmful methods? Paying a little more helps.
Open and fair
Lots of products purport to be environmentally friendly. This post forms part of a series that attempts to provide an open and honest assessment of a material or product’s environmental credentials. If we’ve got something wrong, or you would like to see further points added, please contact sales@rosslyn.co.uk
Sources
http://aboutorganiccotton.org/
https://www.komodo.co.uk/blogs/blog/organic-cotton-facts
https://www.nurturecollective.co.uk/
https://www.swedishlinens.com/blogs/news/organic-vs-conventional-cotton
