Because we kept all the properties we liked and tried to eliminate the properties we didn’t like and evolved plants to our taste. It’s Less Land Efficient – Per qz.com: To get the same amount of fiber from an organic crop and a conventional crop, you’ll have to plant more organic plants, which means using more land. Pesticides and insecticides used in cotton production contaminate the soil we use to grow crops, the air we breathe and the water we drink. As cotton began to gain high popularity, in 2009, a group of entomologist from Monsanto corporation found and confirmed the pink bollworm (a major cotton pest) has developed resistance to bt cotton in 4 states in India {Monsanto}. The cotton might have been grown organically, but might have been dyed with all the extremely toxic chemicals, and it can still harm your skin when you think it wouldn’t. But again, I have seen cotton shirts too that are smooth. The risks of cotton farming. The exposure to these toxic chemicals is taking its toll mostly in developing countries, such as India and Uzbekistan. And this stuff can be absorbed by your skin if you don’t them off before the first wear. In 2012, a joint Chinese-French study on GM cotton showed that insecticide usage more than halved, and the survival of beneficial insects had a positive impact on pest control. Yield efficiency for farmers? Per sourcingjournal.com: With organic cotton, the potential for soil erosion drops 26 percent. Per fashionhedge.com: More recently, a study … titled Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture revealed that – The average organic-to-conventional yield ratio from our meta-analysis is 0.75 … that is, overall, organic yields are 25% lower than conventional. Is Fashion Sustainable, & Can It Become More Sustainable? These pros and cons could be useful for example when comparing organic cotton to conventional cotton, but also other fibres, and materials. 14 Meaningful Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Food. Or something else? Due to these long fibers, organic cotton clothes feel better on your skin. Per qz.com: particular chemicals used in conventional farming have raised serious concerns, such as glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that’s the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller brand, which the World Health Organization has deemed a “probable carcinogen” based on studies of workers who used the product. Is Recycling Good Or Bad For The Environment? But sadly, organic cotton is not perfect, and it doesn’t solve all our problems. Organic cotton produces around 46% less CO2e compared to conventional cotton. They appear to be smoother and comfier. in dying, bleaching and printing etc. Let's keep in touch! Potentially Less Air Pollution – From the reduced use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. Per swedishlinens.com: GOTS certified organic cotton for example places and emphasis on social/ethical cotton – where workers have access to a safe and fair work environment … About 100 million households are engaged in growing and producing cotton and 300 million people work in the cotton sector as a whole … The majority of [non-organic] cotton farmers and workers live in developing countries, work extremely long hours, are exposed to poisonous substances daily and earning very little in wages … In fact, many of them have unsustainable debts because they are unable to keep up with employer demands. Better Soil Health & Soil Water Retention, & Less Soil Erosion – This is due to organic farming practices such as cover crops, crop rotation, organic fertilizers, and an overall focus on soil health, soil moisture retention, and so on. Per qz.com: It will take you about 290 gallons of water to grow enough conventional, high-yield cotton to produce a t-shirt … To grow the same amount of organic cotton for a t-shirt, however, requires about 660 gallons of water. Per sourcingjournal.com: In drought years, yields were higher in organic systems, and an analysis … found that yields in organic farming systems with “good management practices” can almost match conventional cotton yields. Again, this is something we’ve been doing for thousands of years. This run off can cause water pollution, acidification, eutrophication, damage to wildlife and a range of other issues. Lower yield, less efficient and less revenue. So if we want to compare the sustainability of organic cotton and regular cotton, we might add the environmental cost of deforestation it can cause. A summary of what they found from farmers who converted to organic cotton farming was: In the Chihuahuan Desert in North America, GMO cotton has provided the following benefits on one particular farm: It’s possible organic cotton is better in some areas compared to regular cotton, but worse in others. A Possible Lower Yield For The Same Area Of Land – This can be farm and location specific, but, lower yields from organic cotton might result from a lack of modern science and technology based improvement being applied at the growing stage/on farms. Organic cotton production doesn’t mess up water quality and biodiversity as much as conventional cotton. the timeliness of payment and market access …, the risk of investment made by the farmer … [, are all] challenges [organic cotton is having] in growing its market share and making a strong business case for companies to shift to organic …. In recent years, many of us have started to think more about the food we put in our bodies every day. Fair-trade Cotton. A decrease in secondary pests. Some Case Studies Of Small Organic Cotton Farmers. That’s probably cotton’s biggest weakness. The exposure to these toxic chemicals is taking its toll mostly in developing countries, such as India and Uzbekistan. The organic dying method is, again, more eco-friendly than the non-organic. Dying, Bleaching & Printing – certified organic cotton may use naturally derived chemicals in the processing stage i.e. swedishlinens.com: GOTS certified organic cotton for example places and emphasis on social/ethical cotton – where workers have access to a safe and fair work environment …, About 100 million households are engaged in growing and producing cotton and 300 million people work in the cotton sector as a whole …, The majority of [non-organic] cotton farmers and workers live in developing countries, work extremely long hours, are exposed to poisonous substances daily and earning very little in wages …, In fact, many of them have unsustainable debts because they are unable to keep up with employer demands. The problem is when they try to pass something as organic and sustainable which actually isn’t. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The world’s leading producers of organic cotton are India, China and Turkey. The final pros and cons of organic cotton products all depend on individualised factors such as where the cotton is sourced and grown (the country is grown in, the farm it’s grown on, and supply chain it’s sourced through), how it’s processed (dyed, bleached, printing on, and so on), how it’s transported, etc.. frankandoak.com: Conventional cotton might involve … leaves removed by toxic chemical defoliant … [but]. What I realized from this post so far, is all of the advantages of organic cotton come from the fewer amount of toxic chemicals it uses. This is the consequence of the more effective (or too effective) pesticides but it’s also because non-organic crops are genetically modified to produce more cotton per plant. Obviously, a smaller amount of toxic chemicals dumped into nature is already a huge pro of organic cotton. Countries With The Most Expensive, & Cheapest Electricity Prices (Electricity Prices Around The World), Most Common Types Of Waste Found In Landfills (What’s In Landfills), What Grows Well In Clay Soil (& Heavy Soils), Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, GDPR & CCPA Notice, No synthetic agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) at the growing stage, No synthetic chemicals in the processing stage (in bleaching, dying and printing). whether the cotton is irrigated or rain fed), and then how the cotton is produced into a cotton product (dying, bleaching etc). Atmospheric Water Generators (Air To Water Machines): FAQ & Buyer’s Guide, Pros & Cons Of Atmospheric Water Generation (& Harvesting Water From Air), Pros & Cons Of Rainwater Harvesting/Collection. oecotextiles.wordpress.com: The energy used (and therefore the CO2 emitted) to create 1 ton of spun fiber is [higher for conventional cotton than organic cotton]. How do cotton and organic cotton compare to other materials? Per swedishlinens.com: Global organizations estimate thousands of people exposed to the chemicals used in non-organic cotton production die of cancer, poisoning, and miscarriages each year. Regular cotton fibers might be damaged by the chemicals which result in a lower quality textile. sourcingjournal.com: [of all cotton production methods] organic cotton [production] has the lowest environmental impact as it doesn’t use any toxic chemicals or genetically modified seeds. You know I prefer innovation over tradition, and being “natural”. The use of natural/organic pest control chemicals and methods may reduce this, or eliminate it from happening. Because of this, organic cotton may have a slower time meeting increased demand and scaling up compared to regular cotton… [There might be] Higher costs of organic cotton (due to subsidies for regular cotton) … the system that put control of inputs like seeds into the hands of a few big companies — organic seeds are difficult to procure and distribute to farmers. The question isn’t why organic ‘costs’ more, it should be why conventional production is allowed to avoid taking responsibility for so many costs [such as environmental and social costs]. Hey there! Growing organic cotton is a more sustainable process while regular cotton is more effective in terms of the use of land and water. But about half of cotton crops globally—organic and conventional—get their water from rainfall, … The most water-efficient option is … rain-fed cotton, but there’s no way to know whether the cotton in the t-shirt you’re buying was that variety, or whether it required additional water. Disadvantages of Organic Cotton. For a pair of jeans, organic takes around 2641 gallons, while regular takes around 1135 gallons of water … [Some sources also say] organic cotton actually requires less water over time, in large part because soil with more carbon from organic matter stores water better. Better Crop Diversity, & No Monocultures – Conventional cotton farming has produced cotton monocultures. However, this is just 2% of the country’s cotton acreage. Even when they are available, getting them to farmers in developing countries where most cotton currently comes from is a challenge, as is building the capacity of these farmers to be able to go organic farming and receive necessary certifications … the timeliness of payment and market access … the risk of investment made by the farmer … [are all] challenges [organic cotton is having] in growing its market share and making a strong business case for companies to shift to organic …  Companies can’t just purchase more organic cotton; they need to work with suppliers to ensure both quality and transparency along the entire chain. These cookies do not store any personal information. 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