Organic Cotton fabric and Conventional Cotton facts that cannot be ignored

We live longer, have a greater freedom of movement, can experience higher levels of success, no matter our sex, male or female. But also, we live in the age of greater risks, pollution, environmental destruction. The civilization illnesses, like cancer, kill more people worldwide, year by year. Cancer alone, is among the leading causes of death worldwide, and the rate is expected to grow from 14 million new cases in 2012, to 22 within the next two decades. (cancer.gov). The growth in the number of deaths is related to stress, air quality, water and food contamination with pollutants, to the clothes we wear, building materials used during the construction of the buildings we live or work in, declining amount of time spent with others, less exercise, excessive amounts of drugs we use, etc. The trouble is, that what kills us, looks very attractive and may even be portrayed as helpful.

 

 

Even, the t-shirts we wear on a hot summer day, or pillowcase we sleep on, contribute to the total toxic contamination, and may lead to reaching the “no-return” point for the serious illnesses, like cancer. The fabrics your body is close to, interact with your skin, your largest organ. By entering your body, the chemicals are then taken to the vital internal organs, including liver, which is responsible for removing toxins. On a hot day, your pores open and absorb the chemicals from the surrounding with ease. Pay close attention to the clothes you wear especially while exercising.

 

 

The clothing industry is a $7 trillion/year industry. The fabrics are manufactured using 8,000 synthetic chemicals. To name just two, out of 8,000:

• Formaldehyde, which is released by the “easy care” chemicals, wrinkle free (waterproof, perspiration proof, chlorine resistant, anti-static, anti-shrink materials). It is also used in dyes.
• Fluotopolymers, which are used to create the water repellent effect

Formaldehyde is linked to a 30% increase in lung cancer, lung/skin irritation. When it comes to cotton, the so-called natural fabric, the situation is no different. A few surprising fats (according to Wikipedia):

“Cotton covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world’s pesticides (including  herbicides, insecticides, defoliants) more than any other single major crop.” It is grown in over 90 countries and provides 30-40 % of all global fiber requirements. Since the early 90-ties, its global production reaches 20 million tons per year.

 

 

The chemicals are used during every step of conventional cotton production, leading to

• the air and surface waters pollution,
• decreased biodiversity due to the use of pesticides
• skin irritation
• growing number of toxic chemicals in our immediate surrounding

Besides this, cotton production consumes large amounts of water, for example, the creation of a single pair of jeans needs 10,000 litres of water.

What is Organic Cotton fabric

Fortunately, conventional cotton is not the only fabrics on the market. The organic cotton, used in our shop, to create the mattress, pillow covers, is produced in growing numbers of farms, mostly in Turkey, India, China, and in the USA. There are over 18 major cotton production areas in Africa as well. It is produced from non genetically modified plants, without the use of fertilizers, pesticides. During the process of organic cotton production, the farmers use for example poisons extracted from animals or plants instead of pesticides. There are strict rules, that the organic farms need to follow: including a cleansing period of three years, during which no harmful substances are used. At times, physical barriers are built, to prevent the contact with the surface runoff from the conventionally grown crops nearby.

Organic cotton, has at least three globally recognized certificates:

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
• USDA (National Organic Programme)
• JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard

When it comes to choosing the right type of fabrics, if we think about our health and general well-being of ecosystems, for our clothes, pillows and other usages, we may want to choose those, that are either organic, or undyed, unbleached (like our buckwheat hull mattresses). There are also non-toxic dyes, like the ones used in our coloured products.

Sometimes, the transition from the conventional products to the organic ones takes time, as the organic options might be more expensive. But when we think about the chemicals, the conventionally produced fabrics include, and the impact on our health and the plant, we make our decisions more carefully.

A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, as a well-known Japanese proverb says.

 

the article used some of the facts from

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_cotton
• https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics
• http://www.organiccotton.org/oc/Organic-cotton/Standards-and-certification/Standards-and-certification.php
• http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/our_global_goals/markets/mti_solutions/certification/agriculture/cotton/