Yes, we totally get it. You have an organic cotton brief in your hand! Yes, we know no one will eat the fiber, but there is an excellent reason to make a big fuss about organic cotton. To understand why organic cotton is the way to go, we need to start with the sad truth about cotton.
The Heartbreaking Truth about Non-Organic Cotton
When you compare cotton to organic-cotton, you find a disturbing story taking place over the years. Producing cotton has had its effects on different things in our lives, as seen here:
It Affects the Environment
Cotton is one of the thirstiest plants found and needs 2,700 liters of water to produce one shirt. So if you look at the bigger picture, it is enough water for one person to survive for 900 days. Cotton farmers literally use up local communities’ water supplies taking the water out of lakes and rivers.
Even the production process for non-organic cotton is massive, and they use 16% of the whole world’s insecticides. This is more than in any other type of fiber crop.
The problem is that the insects keep building resistance against these chemicals, and manufacturers keep making new toxic chemicals, resulting in high costs for farmers. Furthermore, these poisonous chemicals infect our local waterways and destroy the animals and environment.
However, this is not only limited to the surroundings as it affects people as well. Our food and water get contaminated, and even local communities facing hardships drink the water. This leads to illnesses, disease, and birth defects.
While non-organic cotton is sometimes handpicked in developed countries, many places like India and Uzbekistan use kids to do the job. This takes them away from pursuing education, and the risk of getting sick or getting injured is high.
What Is The Alternative?
Organic cotton is your best alternative compared to non-organic cotton. The fiber is sustainable and grown without using toxic chemicals from when the farmer places the seeds in the ground to the harvesting.
Furthermore, the farmers use fewer resources (water and chemicals) to offer environmental sustainability. On the other hand, the chemical-free agricultural land stays fertile longer than the one filled with pesticides.
For this reason, organic cotton farming has a longer lifespan. As you can see, the benefits of buying organic cotton underwear and other wearables are enormous.
- It improves the health of the workers, as there is nearly no chemicals present.
- Communities live healthier as they have access to clean water and food supplest.
- The land has a longer lifespan as there is no chemical infestation.
Even better, it provides an excellent social front with originations such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards.) They have worked hard and still working hard to ensure that organic textiles enhance people’s lives without harming them.
They cover the processing, manufacturing, labeling, packaging, transport, trading, and fabric distribution. Furthermore, all organic manufacturers need to comply with their standards both environmentally and socially.
For this reason, when you buy organic cotton products, you help encourage natural cotton production ethically and sustainably without the adverse effects that pesticides leave behind.
Added Thoughts
We know that you are always looking for different ways to help the environment. While organic products started in food, the industry is now in fashion as well.
You can find loads of brands offering you organic options, such as our underwear line. However, while organic cotton does not yield the same fibers compared to Genetically Modified Organism cotton, it remains one of the best options to buy.
Next time you stand with cotton and GOTS certified organic cotton underwear, consider the points mentioned previously to decide which one is better.
We can tell you that the GOTS-certified organic cotton is way better than the non-organic one. Not only is the fabric healthy to wear, but it is environmentally friendly as well.
