Certified cotton vs Conventional cotton
Why is certified organic cotton better than regular cotton?
We know that you know, and we know it too, but let's remind ourselves one more time why organic cotton is a better choice.
Organic cotton is much softer, long-lasting, and, more importantly, produced without chemicals. That's why it's better for our skin, farmers growing it, and the environment.
Non-organic cotton that has been treated with harsh pesticides might irritate sensitive skin. Chemicals used in producing cotton not only harm the quality of the cotton but also the land and farmers' health. Up to 25% of all agricultural chemicals and 10% of the world's fertilisers are used in cotton farming. These chemicals can contaminate the water supply and cause health problems even far from the farm.
Fortunately, none of these chemicals are used to help grow organic cotton. Even more - organic cotton is 80% rain-fed, so it doesn't exhaust the water supply.
But unlike food, there is no requirement for textile products to have any certification to be labelled 'organic'. So even if the fabric is labelled organic, perhaps only a tiny percentage of it contains organic cotton. Or it could mean that, even though the material itself is organic cotton, toxic chemicals could have been used in the dying process.
Unless a product carries a global standard certification like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), there is no way of knowing if it is organically and ethically produced. International standard certification like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) ensures that the cotton is grown organically and ethically. That means that farmers aren't exposed to the chemicals used in non-organic cotton farming and are hired to steady jobs with fair pay and work in hygienic, safe conditions. Furthermore, GOTS-certified workplaces prohibit coercion, discrimination, child labour, excessive hours, and inhumane treatment. So, every aspect of the production of GOTS-certified organic cotton is taken into account for a cotton farmer.
The choice is pretty obvious. Because today, more than ever, these choices matter.