Organic Cotton

Cotton has a long history of being an immensely destructive crop, both ecologically and culturally, from its integral role in inciting the massive slave trade between Africa and the U.S. Colonies, to its current boast as one of the most environmentally disruptive crops on the planet.

African American Cotton Workers, Courtesy of Voices Education Project (Click on Image to Enlarge)

Traditionally farmed cotton employs the use of a massive amount of pesticides. While cotton accounts for only 2.5% of the globe’s total cultivated land, the crop uses a whopping 16% percent of the world’s insecticide. In fact, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, pesticide use for cotton runs “3 to 5 times greater per hectare than applications of pesticides to corn.” That’s a whole lot of chemical goop per acre.

Grades of cotton, Courtesy of Lowell Mills

Which is all the more troubling when you realize that all of that chemically tainted cotton will be used to make everything from baby pajamas to bedsheets – everyday items that come into direct and constant contact with sensitive human skin. One conventional cotton T-shirt, for example, uses almost a third of a pound of pesticide – practically the weight of the shirt itself. That’s 140 grams of insecticide pressed against your body.

Weighing Sacks of Cotton, Postcard, Courtesy of Textile Industry History

On the upside, this has led to a boom in organic growing alternatives; methods of production that negate the use of harmful chemicals. The transition to organic cotton begins with the seed. Certified growers must abandon genetically modified seed in favor of traditional seeding techniques. It also requires healthy soil development, and aggressive, but biologically sound pest control, including compost, mulch, hand weeding and crop rotation. The resulting cotton is markedly kinder to the environment.

Cotton Plants, Courtesy of Earth Wear

However, that is not to say it is without its drawbacks. Firstly, the majority of organic cotton is grown abroad, mainly in South East Asia, India and China. This means a hefty carbon footprint in getting that t-shirt from here to there. Thankfully, this may soon change, as states like New Mexico and California up their domestic organic cotton production. But, with 71% of our 15 million cotton acres in the States still grown with genetically engineered “Roundup Ready” and “Bt” varieties, there is still a long way to go.

Map of the “Cotton Kingdom,” Courtesy of The New York Public Library

Secondly, between the laborious growing methods, and the manufacturers’ defiance of old school industrial sweatshop production, items made from organic cotton can cost between 10 and 45 percent more than conventional cotton products. As demand grows, there’s good reason to believe those numbers will decline. Sales of organic cotton have increased rapidly in the U.S., climbing from $69 million in 2002 to $521 million in 2009, which has led major brands like Patagonia and Nike, as well as a fast-growing number of smaller, independently owned companies, to embrace the use of more organic materials. The result has not only been a boon to the few American upstart farmers who can offer certified organic, it has also helped to reduce the material’s expense.

Men opening bales of cotton at the White Oak Mill in Greensboro, North Carolina, Courtesy of National Museum of American History (Click on Image to Enlarge)

So, while difficult to produce, and an underdog on the market, organic cotton is much better for you and the environment, which means a calmer conscience all around. I admit that, “doing the right thing” does come with a price. But really, isn’t it worth it?

Article first published at COMMERCE WITH A CONSCIENCE

FURTHER READING
Commercial Appeal
Epoch Times
Green Living Tips
Grist
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Organic Exchange
Organic Trade Association