Wear Wholesome Clothing with Organic Cotton

Wear Wholesome Clothing with Organic Cotton


In today�s times, almost everything you buy contains some sort of synthetic fiber like polyester, nylon or spandex.  There 
are those consumers, however, who reject synthetic clothing and insist on wearing only organic cotton clothing.  Let�s hope 
they like to iron clothes.  
Organic cotton clothing can be defined as clothing made from cotton that was grown without insecticides, herbicides or 
pesticides and must be cotton that was not genetically modified.  In truth, most cotton grown in the world is grown with 
pesticides and approximately a quarter of all pesticides in the world are used for cotton growing.  This, unfortunately, 
accounts for 20,000 deaths per year due to pesticide poisoning in mostly cotton farmers.  
Farmers who grow organic cotton, on the other hand, are spared the risk of pesticides and use techniques that are 
inexpensive healthy for our ecology and sustainable to the population.  These organic farmers use crop rotation and natural 
insecticides to grow organic cotton.  It�s a more expensive process but many say it�s worth it.
Conventionally grown cotton uses more chemicals per hectare than any other crop worldwide.  Many insects have become 
resistant to the pesticides used today so more and stronger chemicals need to be applied.  This has resulted in pollution 
of local soil and water, along with soil erosion that can worsen the situations so that nothing can grow there after a few 
years.  With organic cotton growing, none of these problems occur.
The use of organic cotton avoids the skin irritation and allergic reactions seen in synthetic fibers or even in cotton 
clothing over-treated with pesticides, bleach or detergents.  Often those working in the conventional cotton industry are
exposed to toxic insecticides and other chemicals in the cotton itself.  To avoid irritation, many people wash their 
organic cotton clothing in organic soaps that aren�t irritating to the skin or mucus membranes.  
There are clearly established standards for growing organic cotton.  There is a specific certification system in place 
which uses acceptable standards for growing the organic product and helps consumers know that the product they buy has 
been inspected and has been found to be �certified organic�.  Those farms growing organic cotton must maintain extensive 
records and must be routinely inspected.  
There are several international programs designed to certify and protect the integrity of organic cotton and other organic 
textiles.  One of them is the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and another is the International 
Organic Accreditation Services.  
Although organic cotton is grown in eighteen different countries, it still makes up for less than 0.1% of the total cotton 
produced worldwide.  Part of the problem is that the yields of conventional cotton are about three times that of organic 
cotton.  Fortunately, larger textile companies are taking an interest in organic cotton and the amount of this textile will 
likely increase over time.
Currently, consumers can buy organic cotton in the form of clothing for adults and children, home furnishings, healthcare 
products, bedding and bath products, table linens, raw fabric, toys, diapers and even paper products.  Organic, it seems, 
is hitting its stride among consumers and sales should continue to increase.