At Natural Collection we’re working to increase our organic cotton range, making it an accessible option whether you need clothing, homewares or bedding. But why should we be choosing organic cotton?
Organic cotton is more than a passing fashion. Last year Marks & Spencer pledged to raise their organic cotton use to 5% by 2010; H&M has already set standards by sourcing 5% of its cotton from organic growers. Fashion designers like Katherine Hamnett work exclusively in organic cotton. Seems like it’s not just a minority choice…
What’s happening?
The world’s non-organic cotton crops are beginning to cause serious concern. Cotton has always been extremely prone to insect attack and, since insects started building immunity to pesticides, the situation has worsened. This means growers have increased their use of chemical pesticides simply to ensure crop survival. Cotton crops in India, America and China demand thousands of tonnes of pesticides, which are sprayed on fields from the air.
Just one t-shirt takes an estimated 150g of pesticide to cultivate (Pesticide Action Network). No wonder cotton growers refer to cotton fields as the pesticide ‘sink’ – chemicals are literally poured onto the cotton at a horrific rate. These toxic chemicals rid the crops of insects – but at what cost?
> Barren soil
As any gardener knows, pesticide use can make soil barren and useless, especially if the crops are not rotated. Pesticide use and poor irrigation is rendering hundreds of acres of land infertile, and drinking water supplies are becoming contaminated.
> The tolerance trap
Over-use of pesticides forces insects to build immunity, which means that farmers are compelled to use more and stronger chemicals on crops. Nicaragua is a prime example of the problem, where pesticide over-use in the 1970s worsened the pest epidemic. By the 1980s farmers were spending half of their production budget on toxic pesticides, poisoning themselves and seriously contaminating drinking water in the process. As a result, Nicaragua - previously one of the world’s biggest cotton producers – has almost entirely lost its trade to pesticides.
> Hazards to growers
It’s not just the land we should worry about – the World Health Organisation estimates that about 20,000 people die each year as a result of pesticide use. Some of the pesticide groups commonly used by cotton growers – organophosphate compounds – are classified by the World Health Organisation as ‘highly hazardous’. They are causing damage to the nervous system and – in some cases – death. The presence of these pesticides in drinking water is also being connected to childhood blood disease and birth defects.
> Flora and fauna
Many plants which provide shelter for wildlife are wiped out in non-organic cotton production. Nature’s own pest-control system is destroyed by clouds of toxic pesticides which – sprayed from aircraft – kill almost anything in reach.
Choose organic:
For You
Organic Tops and shorts for kids
Organic Bikinis
Organic Dresses
Organic Fitness Kit
For Your Home
Organic daisy bedlinen
Contemporary sateen bedlinen