What is organic cotton?
Organic cotton is the version of its conventional counterpart grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals, and that makes it hugely different, especially considering that cotton (organic or otherwise) provides about half of all the world’s fiber needs. Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of insecticides on 3 percent of our arable land; that’s more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that’s just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Organic cotton is a far superior alternative to chemical-laden conventional cotton. More and more farmers around the world are growing cotton without costly, harmful chemicals. Their yield is high and the quality of the cotton they grow is equal to or better than conventionally grown cotton. Their methods support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, improve the quality of soil and often use less water.
Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and chemical free soil enhancements without the use of pestisides, fertilizers, and or chemical usage. It maintains and enhance ecological harmony. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.
Organic farming incorporates biologically based rather than chemically dependent growing systems to raise cotton crops in several important areas: Soil – Massive amounts of chemicals are used in the growing and processing of cotton. Chemical fertilizers can have a number of harmful effects on the environment, including the contamination of ground and surface water, beneficial insects, and surrounding plant and wildlife. Organic cotton farming utilizes natural compost, frequent crop rotations, and cover crop strategies in place of synthetic fertilizers. In order to achieve organic certification, cotton fields must be free of synthetically derived chemicals for three years. Pesticides – Even when used according to directions, pesticides can be extremely harmful to people, wildlife and the environment. According to one recent pesticide study in California, cotton ranked third among California crops for total number of worker illnesses caused by pesticides. In addition, fish, livestock, bi
