Ever wonder if your clothes could do more than just look good?
Imagine fabric that feels great on your skin and even better on your conscience.
That's organic cotton for you!
Sustainable clothing is becoming the next big thing, and organic cotton clothing is leading the way.
Organic cotton is so much more than just being sustainable, so we wanted to share what makes organic cotton clothing so special.
Ready to dress in an eco-friendly, health-smart way that feels right?
What is Organic Cotton and What Makes it Different from Regular Cotton?
Simply put, organic cotton is cotton that is grown using sustainable methods, materials, and standards that have a low or beneficial impact on the environment.
There are many differences between organic cotton and conventional cotton, but the main differences are the cultivation methods, environmental impact, health and safety of the workers, economic factors, and product quality.
We are going to discuss all of these differences in detail below, but if you want to get a glimpse into the differences between
organic and conventional farming, we wrote a post about that a few months back.
Environmental Benefits
I believe that most people who are buying organic cotton clothing are doing it because they know it helps the environment. So, we are going to start here as these are realistically the main benefits to organic cotton.
Reduced Chemical Usage
One of the biggest drawbacks to planting regular cotton is that it requires a lot of chemicals like pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In fact, conventional cotton is known for being one of the most pesticide-intensive crops in the entire world.
Pesticides are used to kill insects and weeds that can damage the crops, and ultimately cost a farmers money.
However, organic cotton has proven that you can still control pests without dangerous chemicals. With organic farming, there is no use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. They don't even use
genetically modified seeds.
The way to control pests in organic farming is using methods like crop rotation, trap crops, and natural predators. As far as fertilizers go, they use things like compost, manure, and other decomposing organic matter.
Organic cotton reduces the amount of chemicals that can harm the environment, but also the health of the farmers.
Soil Health
Organic cotton farming is also very beneficial to the soil over conventional cotton.
Like I talked about above, with organic cotton we're not using synthetic chemicals that get absorbed by the soil.
This is especially harmful when synthetic fertilizers are getting absorbed by the soil. They are supposed to boost the nutrients in the soil for conventional cotton, but over time it can actually lead to soil degradation and pollution of soil and the water in the soil.
Because organic cotton uses natural fertilizers, the soil has an increased amount of organic matter, which supports the microbial life that leads to a more resilient, sustainable, and healthy soil.
Water Conservation and Reduced Pollution
We did talk a little bit about how chemicals from traditional cotton get released into the soil, but it isn't limited to just soil. Those chemicals can seep into the water around the area and pollute that too.
This can create all sorts of problems, not just with drinking water, but with the local wildlife like fish, birds, and insects.
On the human side of things, chemicals like glyphosate have been found in drinking water in the United States. If you have too much of this chemical it can cause burns to your throat and mouth, and in excessive amounts can cause vomiting and other sickness.
As for conserving water, organic cotton comes out on top over conventional cotton, because these synthetic chemicals are created using water, and also need to be washed away from the soil as much as possible using even more water.
Organic cotton does not require the same amount of water to operate due to natural farming practices. Not only does it conserve water, it also reduces the need for water treatment to remove chemicals.
Even more, because the soil is a lot more healthy it is able to act like a sponge which can soak up water during times of rain, and hold it longer during times of drought.
Biodiversity
We touched on this a little bit above about how organic cotton can protect wildlife due to not using harmful chemicals.
These chemicals can injure the health of wildlife, or just flat out kill the ecosystem in general.
And some wildlife is absolutely crucial for the environment. Where would we be without pollinators like bees and butterflies? Or spiders and ladybugs who are natural pest predators?
Another reason that organic cotton promotes biodiversity is because they use a method called crop rotation, which is the process of planting several different kinds of crops in the same area over the course of time. It creates a diverse environment for wildlife to thrive.
The ecosystem is fragile. We don't need any harmful chemicals messing it up.
Energy Savings
Finally one of the benefits of organic cotton over conventional cotton is the energy required for farming is significantly reduced.
I know I've been droning on and on about synthetic chemicals (it’s a theme here), but they take a lot of energy to create, not to mention packaging and transportation.
This energy has to come from somewhere, hopefully the sun, but probably from fossil fuels, which we all know are harmful for the environment.
Other things we have briefly mentioned like pumping water to wash away chemicals in the soil, or using machines to prepare degraded soil for the next crop. Of course, these things all require energy.
Organic cotton clothing also uses low impact dyes and less energy intensive manufacturing processes to create essentially the same product with less energy.
The rest of the organic cotton benefits on this page aren’t as prevalent or as important to people as the environmental benefits, but I thought it would still be a good idea to show that organic cotton has benefits outside of the environment.
Health Benefits
Like I already went over a few times above, organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides. It used natural methods without harmful chemicals.
And because of this farmers, and other people in the area, have reduced exposure to these harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about conventional cotton clothing.
Even after they have been made, conventional cotton clothes can still contain the residue of pesticides on the fibers of the clothing. These chemicals can cause skin irritations, allergies, and respiratory issues. This is especially common in infants and those with sensitive skin.
Organic cotton will not have the residue of these chemicals clinging to the clothes after they have been made. Organic clothing is better for sensitive skin and will not cause allergic reactions. If you have eczema, psoriasis, or another skin condition that chemicals can irritate, organic cotton will be better for you.
And a little side note, organic clothes can also help your mental health! There is nothing that will give you more peace of mind and positivity to your mental health than knowing you are wearing something sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and that contributes to helping both the natural and the human world!
Social Benefits
Besides being beneficial to community health and the environment that we all share, organic cotton clothing has social benefits as well.
One of the main social benefits of organic cotton clothing are fair labor practices.
This usually means better working conditions for the farmers and employees that manufacture the clothing.
Of course, without the harmful chemicals, the farmer’s and manufacturer’s overall health is better, as we mentioned above. Not having to fear for your physical health means a lot less stress in their lives.
Economic Benefits
Not only the working conditions, but also the wages for organic farming are better. Crop rotation allows farmers to get income from many different sources.
Many times organic cotton comes with the fair trade certification, which shows that the company pays fair wages and has a sustainable business. Sounds just like organic cotton clothing!
Lastly, many organic farmers are small-scale farmers who receive premiums for their organic cotton. This helps to sustain and contributes to the local economy!
Product Benefits
Lastly, we are going to go over a few of the product benefits of organic clothing.
Organic clothes are extremely comfortable. They are much softer than regular cotton clothes because the fibers are not treated with chemicals that weaken them.
That also makes organic clothing more durable! Without these nasty chemicals organic cotton fibers naturally last longer and are stronger than their conventional counterparts.
That makes it a lot more breathable too! Not only are the fibers more pure, organic clothing usually has a higher quality weave and thread count that allows for better air circulation.
Drawbacks of Organic Clothing
Now that we're done glazing organic cotton let's check out a couple of the drawbacks. I want to be as unbiased as possible.
The main drawback is the
higher cost. I did go over how farmers make better wages and the local economy can grow due to the premiums on organic cotton. However, it's the consumer who is paying those premiums at the end of the day. Most people like myself don't mind paying a little bit extra for a t-shirt because of all of the amazing benefits listed in this post.
Unfortunately, because it doesn't use those synthetic chemicals it
produces lower yields per acre. It also grows slower without chemical fertilizers. Both of these drawbacks means that organic cotton typically needs more land to produce the same amount as conventional cotton. If it isn't managed properly, less moral farmers could resort to deforestation to clear the land.
Another drawback is that there are
fewer organic farms to take advantage of all the benefits that we have listed here. In the world, only 1% of cotton harvested in 2021 was organic. Organic cotton cannot meet the demands of the current fashion world. However, sustainable clothing has been increasing in popularity, therefore increasing the demand for organic cotton. Hopefully this demand will kickstart a few more organic cotton farms around the world.
Summary
Organic cotton is cotton that is grown sustainable with low impact to the environment compared to conventional cotton.
There are many benefits to the environment when it comes to organic cotton clothing. Those are reducing harmful chemicals, focusing on soil health, reducing pollution in the drinking water, and helping the local wildlife.
Other benefits to organic cotton include health benefits for workers, social benefits, economic benefits for organic farmers, and overall a better quality product.
Learn more about sustainable fashion!
