Organic cotton is one of the biggest buzzwords of ethical fashion today. It has become very mainstream with shops like Marks and Spencer, Primark and even Tesco stocking organic cotton ranges. But what exactly is organic cotton and why is it important to wear it?
Organic cotton is produced without the aid of pesticides and from plants that are not genetically modified. It is also processed without the use of harmful chemicals. According to Wikipedia conventional cotton production uses more agrochemicals per unit than any other crop and accounts for over 16% of the world's pesticides. Now all that cotton has to be tended, picked, sorted and processed which requires a lot of manual labour and people coming into contact with the chemicals. This has resulted in chronic health problems in cotton farming communities.
The pesticides and insecticides are also very expensive for farmers to buy and many farmers get into a spiral of debt trying to pay for them.
Conventional cotton farming also produces more carbon from the machinery used and transportation of chemicals, and uses more water.
Personally I can't walk past organic cotton simply because of how soft it feels!
Note that not all organic cotton products are produced under fair trade conditions so this is something you should also check when you are buying things. I still don't quite get how you can buy an organic cotton tshirt from a high street shop for £3 - after the shop markup and transportation costs, how much goes to the person who sewed the t-shirt or grew the cotton?
If you want more information check out the PAN UK website which has everything you could possibly want to know about organic cotton!
There are many many options for buying organic cotton t-shirts, here are just some:
- Edun
- Katherine Hamnet's iconic slogan range
- I Dress Myself's arty limited edition tees
- Red Robot
- Customise a tee with your own slogan at Milky Moo Moo
- Oh so stylish at Organic Stereo
- Liv for lovely plain but feminine tops in various styles
- Some very cool statement tees at Feral International
- Gossypium have great sportswear basics including yoga pants
- Great basic ts and vests at Rapanui
- Seasalt
- And of course People Tree for a wide range of basic and fashion tops
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