Why Organic?

Organic cotton, unlike its conventional counterpart, is grown without the use of any harmful chemicals; be it pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or defoliants. These defining factors are quite significant considering that conventional cotton is one of the most heavily treated crops in the world, using about 25% of insecticides on just 3% of the world’s cultivated land.

For instance, about 1/3 of a pound of chemicals is needed to grow enough cotton to produce one conventional cotton t-shirt. And these are no ordinary chemicals. Of the 15 most commonly used pesticides, seven are “possible”, “likely”, “probable” or “known” human carcinogens according to the EPA. The World Health Organization estimates that in developing countries, 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning, many of these due to exposure in cotton farming.

Aside from the extensive use of synthetic chemicals, which undoubtably enters and adversely affects our surrounding ecosystems, conventional cotton production demands more water for irrigation and more land to sequester carbon emissions than organic cotton farming. All in all, the benefits of organic cotton greatly outweigh its counterpart, not only for its toxin-free production, but for its water-conserving ways and considerably smaller carbon footprint.

In addition to the use of organic cotton, sustainable fashion may employ other aspects that further its benefit as a whole, such as adhering to fair trade principles, the use of low-impact dyes, ensuring the garments are free of harmful substances, as well as cleaning up the production process.