Pesticides, fertilization, genetic engineering, enormous water consumption, exploitation: all problems in the cultivation of cotton. Here are 10 cotton facts that show you why you should look for organic cotton in your clothing.
Cotton fibers are one of the most important raw materials for textiles of all kinds. As natural fibers, they are in principle more sustainable than synthetic fibers, because cotton is a renewable raw material and biodegradable. But cotton production and processing often has massive effects on the environment and the people involved in the production process.
Even if it cannot solve all problems, organic cotton is better than conventional in many ways. Here are 10 facts about (organic) cotton that everyone: r should know.
1. The textile industry is a dirty business
The textile industry has a huge impact on the environment and the climate: According to various studies, it is one of the biggest polluters and causes enormous CO2 emissions. The entire textile industry could be responsible for around 20 percent of global water pollution and 10 percent of global CO2 emissions.
That means: The figures apply to the textile industry as a whole – the cotton industry is only part of it. Nevertheless, they show: A switch to more sustainable production methods and materials would massively relieve the environment and the climate. Organic cotton can help.
Whether the switch will be attractive for textile manufacturers also depends on your consumption decisions – for organic textiles, for example.
2. Cotton is found in half of all textiles
According to WWF , around half of all textiles worldwide are made of cotton. In the EU, this natural fiber makes up 43 percent of all textile fibers for clothing .
This means: A switch to the more ecological methods of producing organic cotton could make a huge difference in view of the sheer amount of natural fibers produced and processed worldwide.
3. Cotton grows in emerging and developing countries
Cotton is currently being produced commercially in at least 50 countries around the world – but organic cotton is only growing in 19 countries ( as of 2017 ). The world’s largest producers are India, China, the USA, Brazil and Pakistan. Europe sources a lot of cotton from Turkey. The fiber also grows, for example, in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Argentina and several countries in West Africa.
In many emerging and developing countries, cotton is an extremely important economic asset. Millions of people are directly or indirectly dependent on the cotton industry.
This means: How sustainably the plant is grown, whether organic cotton is preferably produced, what prices and wages are paid in the industry – all of this has a direct impact on the lives of an extremely large number of people in the growing countries, both positively and negatively.
4. Cotton plants are often genetically modified – organic cotton is not
The cultivation of genetically modified (GM) cotton plants is extremely widespread worldwide. Such genetically modified cotton plants are resistant to certain pests, pesticides and / or more resistant to certain environmental conditions.
According to the TransGen database, genetically modified varieties are currently growing on almost 80 percent of the world’s cotton cultivation area. In India alone, around 95 percent of the cotton grown is genetically modified (as of 2019 ).
Whether the use of genetically modified cotton actually increases yields or not is controversial – it is clear, however, that the use of genetically modified plants always involves risks: loss of genetic diversity, uncontrollable spread, development of pest resistance, dependencies on the part of farmers from the seed and pesticide manufacturers. Genetically modified plants are prohibited in organic farming.
That means: In contrast to conventional GM cotton, organic cotton produces seeds from which new plants can grow. This saves the farmers enormous costs for new seeds inside. However, in many countries it is now very difficult to obtain conventional, non-genetically modified seeds. This shortage of organic seeds is considered to be one of the greatest obstacles to expanding organic cotton cultivation.
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5. Organic cotton needs less water
Cotton plants need a lot of water. The numbers vary depending on the source and the countries considered (which use different amounts of water), the WWF , for example, assumes around 11,000 liters of water, which are necessary to produce a single kilogram of cotton. One kilo of cotton is roughly equivalent to a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
The cultivation of organic cotton also requires a lot of water – but the water consumption is lower than with conventional plants . Firstly, due to the crop rotation (changing plants) common in organic farming, the soils contain more organic matter and can store more water. And secondly, rainwater is collected, stored and used more frequently on organic fields for irrigation.
An analysis by the Textile Exchange organization in 2014 found that around 95 percent of the water required by organic cotton is covered by so-called “green water” – rainwater and moisture stored in the soil.
What that means: The same analysis came to the conclusion that the consumption of fresh water for organic cotton fibers is around 91 percent lower than for conventional ones. Organic cotton cultivation methods are therefore particularly useful in growing countries where water is scarce anyway.
6. Organic cotton does not need chemical pesticides
Cotton is one of the plants that are most heavily treated with pesticides of all kinds. “Every season, cotton is sprayed an average of 20 times with all kinds of agricultural toxins,” writes the Munich Environment Institute . Cotton cultivation is responsible for around 10 to 20 percent of the world’s pesticide use (the numbers vary depending on the source) – even though cultivation only accounts for around 2.5 percent of the world’s agricultural land.
The enormously high use of pesticides endangers biodiversity and damages the soil – and traces of the pesticides can sometimes still be found in the finished textiles.
The fact that so many pesticides are used in conventional cultivation is at least partly due to the monocultures that are common there, which promote the spread of pests. Conventional farming also has to use a lot of chemical fertilizers for fertilization.
Chemical-synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are prohibited in organic farming. The farmers fight pests with traditional methods and thus protect the environment and their own health. In organic agriculture, on the one hand, changing crops are grown in the fields (alternating farming), which keeps the number of pests low. On the other hand, other plants are placed between and next to the cotton plants, which are even more attractive for pests. In addition, dispensing with synthetic pesticides ensures that the natural enemies of cotton pests survive and help with pest control.
Incidentally, pesticides are not the only poison problem in cotton: thousands of different chemicals are used around the world to bleach, dye, tan and refine natural fibers such as cotton, many of which are potentially harmful to health and the environment.
This means that organic cotton can not only be grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, it also saves many dangerous chemicals in further processing. In the end, this is also healthier for the people who wear the finished clothing on their skin.
7. (Organic) cotton often comes from small businesses
Around 75 percent of cotton producers are smallholders who work just a few hectares. Their income is by no means always sufficient to feed themselves and their families.
In organic cotton cultivation, the farmers and pickers not only come into contact with less toxic substances, they usually also get slightly better prices and wages – this is guaranteed by recognized labels (see below). The cultivation of organic cotton also supports smallholder structures – and the independence of the farmers: internally from the large seed and pesticide companies.
8. The proportion of organic cotton is increasing – slowly
Although global organic cotton production has been increasing for years – by around 4 percent in 2019/2020 compared to 2018/2019 – the share of organic cotton in global cotton production is still below one percent . Around 50 percent of this organic cotton comes from India, around 12 percent each from China and Kyrgyzstan and just under ten percent from Turkey .
So there is still huge potential for the further expansion of organic cotton cultivation. Our buying behavior also determines whether the proportion of organic cotton will continue to rise – by buying sustainable clothing .
9. There are reliable seals for organic cotton
A significant seal for organic cotton is the globally widespread and recognized GOTS seal , which certifies textiles made from natural fibers along the entire supply chain. The German IVN seal is even stricter . But even if products are labeled with “kbA” (= controlled organic cultivation), you can usually rely on the fact that the cotton plants come from organic cultivation.
10. There are reliable seals to protect workers
The labeling of organic cotton is primarily a statement about organic cultivation. However, GOTS and IVN also guarantee minimum social standards for cultivation. Avoiding pesticides in organic farming also protects workers. Additional certifications such as the “Fairtrade Cotton” or “Fairtrade Textile Production” seal and the company’s membership in the Fair Wear Foundation serve as reliable information (also on the working conditions in the processing of cotton plants) .
