5 Reasons You Should Wear Organic Cotton

Available data suggests that the world loves cotton. Which isn't at all surprising. In many ways, cotton is the ideal clothing material. It’s soft, absorbent, breathable, low-maintenance—all great qualities. 

But then, there’s conventionally grown cotton, and there’s organic cotton. Which one should you go for? Organic cotton, of course!

There’re five reasons why you should do so. But before we look at them, you should know a couple of things about organic cotton.

Organic cotton is actually natural cotton grown in accordance with organic agriculture standards. It has all the well-loved qualities of cotton, some of which have been mentioned above, plus some extras. The reason it has additional benefits is because it’s grown without using toxic and persistent synthetic agrochemicals (e.g. pesticides and fertilizers) and genetically modified seeds.

Now, the Big Five.

Reason 1: Organic cotton is great for your health

Research has shown that the poisonous and persistent pesticides applied during conventional cotton production can be detected in cotton clothing. Those residual chemicals can leach into your skin, causing skin irritation and harming your health.

Wear organic cotton to greatly reduce or eliminate toxicity-related health risks.

Reason 2: Organic cotton helps keep your food safe

Pesticide residues have also been detected in the cottonseed hull. This is a problem because cottonseeds are made into cottonseed oil—which makes up 8% of the world’s vegetable oils—as well as animal feed. An estimate suggests that as much as 65% of harvested cotton produce enters the human food chain, whether directly through food or indirectly through the milk or meat of animals.

Support organic cotton to help keep our food safe.

Reason 3: Organic cotton protects the health of others

Conventionally grown cotton is “the world’s dirtiest crop” because it’s responsible for the release of 16% of the world’s insecticides—far more than any other single crop. The consequences are devastating. Every year, up to 77 million cotton workers suffer from pesticide poisoning—and thousands eventually die.

Buy and wear organic cotton to protect the health and lives of your fellow human beings.

Reason 4: Organic cotton helps save lives

Every year, many cotton farmers borrow heavily to buy expensive pesticides and genetically modified seeds. And every year, there’ll be some farmers who can’t settle their debts because of crop failure. As a result, some of them end up in jail, while some tragically choose to end their lives by suicide.

Buy and wear organic cotton to help prevent the tragic suicides and imprisonments.

Reason 5: Organic cotton sustains/restores the health of the environment

Organic cotton farming contributes to environmental health in the following ways:

• Sustains soil health: Organic farming maintains soil health through non-contaminating methods such as crop rotation
• Protects drinking water: No chemical runoff into drinking water sources
• Saves water: Organic cotton needs less water to grow—approximately 3,000 m3/acre less
• Saves energy: Organic farming does not depend on synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers, which require a large amount of petroleum to manufacture and transport
• Provides a safeguard against genetic threats: No GMOs means no threats of insecticide-resistant “superbugs” and genetic contamination (i.e. the spread of bioengineered crop genes to native flora)

Buy and wear organic cotton to help protect the environment.