Chances are most of the stuff hanging in your closet is at least partly made from cotton.
This natural, comfortable, durable product accounts for more than half of all the fabric sold in the world, with global production reaching about 58 billion pounds in 2009. Cotton is a major player in the production of almost every type of garment, from jeans to t-shirts, dresses to PJ’s and more; not to mention a lot of other stuff like socks, aprons, table linens, bed sheets and even the mats in your car trunk.
It’s no secret that cotton is part of our everyday lives.
But all that cotton production exacts a heavy price on our planet. And that’s not very green. Check it out....
It’s no secret that cotton is part of our everyday lives.
But all that cotton production exacts a heavy price on our planet. And that’s not very green. Check it out....
The Hard Facts About Cotton Production:
Consider the following...
• Cotton is one of the most intensively sprayed field crops in the world. Just over 2% of the world’s crop land is planted with cotton, yet that same crop land accounts for 24% and 11% of the global sales of insecticides and pesticides respectively. The runoff of many of these chemicals contaminates ground soil and water supplies, causing devastating and often irreparable damage.
• Cotton crops require intense irrigation, devouring between 2% and 4% of the entire planet’s yearly water consumption. Here’s a disturbing fact that drives the point home: In Uzbekistan, water consumption for irrigation of cotton crops has led to the virtual disappearance of the Aral Sea.
• The volume of water used to produce 600 t-shirts would fill one Olympic-sized swimming pool.
• Cotton processing employs chemical bleaching and scouring, usually with hydrogen peroxide, as well as dyeing with synthetic chemical dyes. This releases chemical pollutants into the environment which must be diluted and treated, thus using even more water.
Consider the following...
• Cotton is one of the most intensively sprayed field crops in the world. Just over 2% of the world’s crop land is planted with cotton, yet that same crop land accounts for 24% and 11% of the global sales of insecticides and pesticides respectively. The runoff of many of these chemicals contaminates ground soil and water supplies, causing devastating and often irreparable damage.
• Cotton crops require intense irrigation, devouring between 2% and 4% of the entire planet’s yearly water consumption. Here’s a disturbing fact that drives the point home: In Uzbekistan, water consumption for irrigation of cotton crops has led to the virtual disappearance of the Aral Sea.
• The volume of water used to produce 600 t-shirts would fill one Olympic-sized swimming pool.
• Cotton processing employs chemical bleaching and scouring, usually with hydrogen peroxide, as well as dyeing with synthetic chemical dyes. This releases chemical pollutants into the environment which must be diluted and treated, thus using even more water.
The Truth About Organic:
Organic cotton is a naturally step in the right direction: No synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used in the growing of organic cotton crops and that’s a great thing.
It’s definitely healthier than conventional cotton in terms of overall environmental impact. Yet did you know that because of lower yields per acre, organic cotton production uses even more water and land than conventional cotton production does? In addition, the bleaching and dyeing processes are the same as those used in conventional cotton production, in most cases. Even low impact fibre-reactive dyes are made from synthetic petrochemicals, producing pollutants that must be diluted with water.
In a nutshell, here are your options:
Conventional cotton = pretty tough on our planet.
Organic cotton = better.
Envirovert recycled cotton = best.
Organic cotton is a naturally step in the right direction: No synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used in the growing of organic cotton crops and that’s a great thing.
It’s definitely healthier than conventional cotton in terms of overall environmental impact. Yet did you know that because of lower yields per acre, organic cotton production uses even more water and land than conventional cotton production does? In addition, the bleaching and dyeing processes are the same as those used in conventional cotton production, in most cases. Even low impact fibre-reactive dyes are made from synthetic petrochemicals, producing pollutants that must be diluted with water.
In a nutshell, here are your options:
Conventional cotton = pretty tough on our planet.
Organic cotton = better.
Envirovert recycled cotton = best.
