Benefits of Organic Cotton

In the previous post we looked at some of the problems with conventional cotton. Now let’s check out some pros of the other side – organic cotton…

Summer Infant Nature’s Purest Organic Activity Blocks

Organic cotton pros:

• SO much healthier for your health and home. Why expose your body to more pesticides and toxins when you can make the choice not to?
• Organic cotton builds a more sustainable eco-system for the planet. Organic cotton growing requires less soil irrigation and keeps toxic junk out of our air, rivers, and soil. This is great news for the animals and people who live in and enjoy the great outdoors.
• Organic cotton farmers don’t use genetically altered seeds.
• Many organic items are further sustainable because they’re dyed with natural inks and dyes – although this is not across the board.
• The workers who grow and process cotton aren’t exposed to a large amount of toxic pesticides and chemicals, as they are with conventionally grown cotton.

How can you be sure you’re getting real organic cotton?

That’s a tough one because currently organic cottons aren’t regulated all that well and there’s not one standard for certification. The organizations who do try to police organic cotton don’t all match up when it comes to organic cotton values, which makes it tough for consumers to sort it all out. Lastly, some organic organizations who do monitor cotton, monitor different areas. For example, one organization may police the growing process, ok it, and stamp their approval on say, a fabric manufacture, without following up during the rest of the process. So while your shirt may have been grown with organic cotton, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t later treated with chemicals.

Across the board, it would be nice if organic cotton was certified from the growing to the actual item creation process, but that’s not a reality right now. All that said, the following organizations and sites can offer some support for consumers when it comes to making organic cotton decisions.

• Sustainable Cotton
• Organic Trade Association
• Soil Association
• International Association Natural Textile Industry
• About Organic Cotton
• Japan Organic Cotton Association