Everything you need to know about Organic Cotton
A brief history on the cotton fiber
To understand why many brands are advocating for the use of organic vs. conventional cotton, we need to look at the fiber of cotton and its history. Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber on the planet. It has been used at least since 5,000 BC in every continent. It is a cellulose fiber (meaning it comes form a non-animal source), which can easily be turned into yarn, creating breathable, soft and durable cloth. It is perfect for fabric.
Cotton grows best in tropical and sub-tropical climates. It is a crop that requires much attention, irrigation, direct sun and protection from pests. Even though cotton needs much care, it is a versatile fibe and typically grown in large quantities. According to the Common Objective, “Cotton is the world’s largest non-food crop, grown for trade by more than 80 countries.” This also means that the cotton industry is a huge employer. It is estimated it gives employment to around 350 million people worldwide; mostly to low-income populations.
Cotton growing has largely become a non-organic industry. It has depended heavily on chemicals and industrialized machinery in order to produce enough volume to meet demand.
the problem with conventional cotton (non-organic)
It is not a secret that synthetic fibers (which are fibers that come from petrochemicals from polyester plastic) are very harmful for the environment. People think that just because a fiber is labeled as “natural” it is sustainable and “eco-friendly”. This is a lie. True, natural fibers are a better option than synthetics generally, but there are many problems in the way we produce “natural” fibers today. The production of conventional cotton has proved to cause a negative environmental and social impact.
One of the environmental impacts of non-organic cotton is water waste. We live in an over populated planet, and according to the UN, we are estimated to reach 9.8 billion people living on earth by 2050. That is a scary number especially when we talk about water shortages and how they play a key role in climate change. Also, water shortages are already affecting impoverished countries where drinking water is scarce. If saving water and using water wisely is a priority to the general public, then the fact that it takes up to 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton t-shirt is absurd. Most of it goes into irrigation that is largely misused and contributes to other problems like water pollution.
Yes I’m going to talk about pollution as well. Apart from poisoning local water sources and damaging soils long term with harsh chemicals and pesticides, the big problem with using strong chemicals at a large scale, is the social impact. Similar to fashion factories, large cotton fields are also known to have little to no labor rights control. Many workers are paid unfairly and are exposed to these chemical substances that end up giving them severe health conditions if not deadly. Child labor and poor working conditions have been also reported to be present in conventional cotton fields.
WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?
As we all know, there is no perfect fiber. Practicing sustainability is already complicated in an industrial world of keeping up with volume and demand. For cotton, the best immediate solution is to switch to organic cotton farming. According to the Textile Exchange research, in only water and energy consumption, organic cotton crops can use up to 88% less water and 62% less energy than in conventional cotton! This is massive. This is mostly due to the way organic cotton is harvested, irrigated and processed. For example, 80% of water irrigation is rain-fed, which means only 20% of extra local water source is needed and all of the water that ends up going back to rivers is not contaminated.
In regards to fair trade and sustainability regulations, organic cotton crops have been monitored very well by different certifying institutions such as: The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Trade Cotton, The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to name a few. The job of these organizations is to make sure that farms that want to become fair trade and organic are legitimately real. Their regulations to become certified are very strict, making sure the soils, water sources and cotton seeds are closely monitored, making sure a farm is truly organic. They also require farms to have safe working conditions for their workers and fair wages.
Many large brands have already been switching to organic cotton for their clothes, making this a huge step towards a better sustainable and ethical textile industry. Brands like Patagonia, PACT and Industry of all Nations, have made huge commitments to using only organic cotton in their products. This has lead a wave of smaller brands choosing to protect the environment and people through the fibers they work with.
The cultural importance of organic cotton in colombia
Many people from Colombia have no idea that our Guane ancestors from the region of Santander in Colombia, were actually incredible craftsman at making textiles from indigenous cotton of the region. This people group traded cotton goods with other indigenous groups prior to the Spanish conquest. How incredible! They were experts in growing, harvesting, spinning and weaving organic cotton into cloth. Sadly, with the massive destruction that came with wars during the Colonial period, Guane people and their traditions were lost and only a few wooden looms and cotton crops were left. Later, with the massive importation of cloth from Europe, Colombian organic cotton production decreased to the point of not even having commercially available organic cotton supply for the country!
Today there are only a few small farms across Santander that grow and harvest organic cotton in small batches and then sell it to artisan groups to hand-spin. This is far from ideal. Working with hand-spun cotton is very challenging for the artisans. It breaks easily and it takes up to 8 days to only produce 1 pound of cotton. This makes it extremely difficult to receive immediate income by selling a finished product that can take up to 2-3 weeks to make. But this is part of their culture! Today artisans from the Santander region want to grow organic cotton, they want to have the tools to properly spin it into yarn and practice the craft of their ancestors. Organic cotton for them is not just a sustainable fiber option, is part of their identity and their purpose is to rescue what has been lost.
What is next?
Our hope is that more brands will switch to making their products with local organic cotton. We strongly believe in the power of community, and know that our planet and people need brands to start caring about the future we want to create together. With enough demand for organic cotton in Colombia and in cotton-producing countries we know we can revitalize organic cotton production and turn from relying on conventional cotton as a whole.