PESTICIDED COTTON FABRICS

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Organic Cotton

Improving the Fabric of Our Lives

Cotton is the fabric of our lives. It makes our clothes, our towels, our

bedding, our diapers, as well as our currency and paper. It's even in some of

the foods we eat.

Cotton, comprised of fiber and seed, is roughly 40 percent fiber and 60

percent seed. Once cotton is separated in the gin, the fibers go to textile

mills. The seed and various by-products often find their way untreated into

the feed of dairy and beef cattle. Cotton seed, rich in oil and high in

protein, is also a common ingredient in cookies, potato chips and prepared

foods.

Globally, over 89 million acres of cotton are grown in more than 70

countries, making cotton the world's most important fiber crop and one of the

most important cash crops.

It is disturbing to note then, that cotton is also one of the most

intensively sprayed field crops in the world. In fact, cotton alone accounts

for more than 10 percent of pesticide use and almost 25% of insecticide use

worldwide. The truth behind the " cotton is natural " myth, is that when cotton

is conventionally grown, a long chain of chemically intensive, unnatural

processes are involved.

To bring this delicate plant to harvest, it is sprayed between eight to ten

times a season in extreme cases, with pesticides so poisonous they gradually

render fields barren. And that's just the beginning. To create finished

goods, fabrics are often colored with toxic dyes and finished with

formaldehyde.

To grow nine ounces of cotton -- enough for one T-shirt -- it's estimated

that 17 teaspoons of synthetic fertilizer as well as three-quarters of a

teaspoon in pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and defoliants are used. If

you extrapolate further, that means that for every acre of cotton grown, 300

pounds of synthetic fertilizers and 13 pounds of pesticides, herbicides,

insecticides and defoliants are used. In sum, conventional cotton growing

takes an enormous toll on the air, water and soil, not to mention the health

of people living in cotton growing areas.

Positive alternatives for the cotton industry and its related businesses are

emerging, however. Over the past decade, a small number of farmers and

manufacturers have pioneered the market for organically grown cotton,

producing fibers and clothing while significantly reducing toxic chemicals.

" It's been exciting to see the number and breadth of companies interested in

organic cotton, " says Marquardt, coordinator of the Organic Trade

Association's Fiber Council. The OTA is the business association representing

organic agriculture industry in North America.

" Whether a company chooses to go 100 percent organic, or blends a percentage

of organic fibers with its conventional cotton, it is making important

strides in encouraging a healthy environment by supporting organic

agriculture, " says Marquardt.

Outdoor apparel maker Patagonia is one such company. In 1996, Patagonia

converted its entire cotton sportswear division exclusively to 100 percent

organically grown cotton. Other companies have chosen to blend organic cotton

into their products. Nike, for example, blended 3 percent organic cotton into

more than 20 million T-shirts, with plans to include organic cotton in all of

its cotton products by 2003. Levi Strauss purchased over 330,000 pounds of

organic cotton to blend in with their 501 cotton jeans.

According to recent OTA/OFC estimates, organic cotton is now being grown on

approximately 16,5000 acres --a 75 percent increase over 1998's 9,400 acres--

in seven states in the U.S. (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Missouri, New

Mexico, Tennessee and Texas) and about 17 other countries throughout the

world.

The days when organic food implied gnarly, substandard fruit sold in a health

food store are over. Organic food now symbolizes the highest and freshest

quality available. Suppliers of organic cotton are not far behind.

HOW CLEANER COTTON IS GROWN

Organic farmers use biologically-based rather than chemically dependent

growing systems to raise crops. Here's a step by step look at how organic

cotton is grown.

SOIL

Organic farming starts with the soil. Compost, frequent crop rotations and

cover crop strategies replace synthetic fertilizers to keep the soil healthy

and productive. Fields must be free of synthetically derived chemicals for

three years to achieve organic certification.

WEED CONTROL

Instead of herbicide applications, weeds are controlled by innovative farm

machinery, hand labor or flame devices.

INSECT PESTS

Rather than attempting to eradicate all insects with chemicals, organic

farmers cultivate a diversity of natural enemies that prey on insect pests

and lure pests away from cotton by planting trap crops. Insect pests can be

effectively kept in balance with the well-timed introduction of beneficial

insects to fields.

HARVEST

In warmer growing regions, where the cotton plants must be killed or

defoliated to pick a quality crop before the onset of winter rains, organic

growers shut off their water supply early. They apply certified materials to

promote cotton boll opening and leaf dropping, readying the fibers for

harvest. In the U.S., both conventional and organic cotton are

machine-picked. In some developing countries, cotton is still harvested by

hand. Members, log in and save 5%. Non-members, join now for free!

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