Organic Cotton

After searching the mall for 3 hours, you finally find the perfect T-shirt. You check out its content label and find it marked 100% Cotton. What does this mean to you? You would probably like the T-shirt more because cotton means something soft, comfortable, and, mo st of all, natural.

Cotton originates from India dating back some 5,000 years. Now about 50% of the world’s garments are made in cotton. We feel easy and comfortable wearing cotton because it is made from a natural substance found in plants-cellulose. It has other excellent properties: white color, soft touch, and superior absorbency.

Behind this goodness, however, lies the dark side of cotton farming. Since growing cotton exhausts soil’s nutrients, a lot of chemical fertilizer is used. This type of unnatural nurturing weakens plants against harmful insects. Therefore, pesticides become necessary. Popular demand for cotton textiles has increased the use of pesticide. Cotton is now the most pesticide-dependent crop in the world, accounting for 25% of all pesticide use.

So is your favorite cotton T-shirt full of pesticide? Of course not! Harmful substances are removed and clothes are tested before they are placed in stores. According to FITI, a testing organization, cotton fabric contains less than 0.1% of pesticide. Dye solutions for cotton are also made safe by removing formalin and azo.

Therefore, it is not the degree of safety that organic and non-organic cotton differ in because both have to have almost 0% pesticide to be sold. The true purpose of organic cotton is to save environment. Every year in the United States, 25 million kilograms of pesticide is used. This is polluting water and earth. In order grow organic cotton, not a drop of pesticide should touch the ground for 3 years and natural fertilizers have to be used.

It has been more than 15 years since organic cotton farming started. Although the present amount of demand for organic cotton is only 10% of total due to its high price, it is gradually increasing with more concerns about environment.