CottonMyth
A rock is a rock, a tree is a tree, but is cotton actually what we believe it to be? Gone are the days of “100% Cotton” labels holding enough weight to serve as a brand’s only sustainable contribution to the fashion industry. While cotton is no stranger to the Gen-Z hype, this crop, fiber, and textile comes with its own set of pros and cons. Almost nothing deemed organic is entirely safe from corporate greed, thus perpetuating unsustainable practices to yield profit. Unfortunately, neither opting for organic cotton or conventional cotton gives the environment a total break from land destruction and decay.
The sound methods to harvest organic cotton includes using fewer gallons of water (mainly pulled from rainfall), freedom from GMOs, and using fewer natural (or zero) pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Its properties include durability, which allows it as a textile to be reused and recycled and is biodegradable. It’s hydrophilic (easily absorbs water), comparably soft, breathable, and hypoallergenic. Why aren’t all clothes made from this holy grail fiber?
However, Professor Cao at the University of Delaware said that even though organic cotton is comparably more eco friendly to its conventional sister, it still has flaws. “Although cotton is biodegradable, it won’t degrade in landfills. It requires the proper balance of air, humidity, and temperature,” Cao said. What’s more, if faced with the question of quantity versus quality, reality rules organic cotton better for quality, which isn’t always profitable. Cotton is intensive to grow and such ethical growing methods that are set in stone ultimately yield less crop at a slower rate. Organic cotton additionally demands 25% more land, which promotes deforestation. It is crucial to bear in mind that what comes from nature doesn’t mean it’s good for nature. For instance, the natural pesticides used to harvest organic cotton can sometimes be more harmful than synthetic ones. Organic cotton is also strictly grown from non-GMO seeds, however, the bad rep of GMOs isn’t quite a one size fits all situation. In fact, as technology improves, GMOs prove to facilitate the ability to pick and choose desirable qualities to enhance the fiber’s performance and growth (a lower need of using pesticides, harvesting more crops with less water, etc).
When it comes to ethics of producing organic cotton, Cao says the rules in the U.S. are more strict than in other parts of the world.
“The U.S. has strict rules on what type of cotton can be labeled as organic and if violated, there are consequences. In other countries, there are fewer strict rules and some [manufacturers] even fake certification for organic cotton.” It takes 3 years to practice organic farming in order to earn an official certification to grow organic crops. He mentions that while organic cotton does use dryland water (rainfall water), it also uses irrigation thrice more, but requirements for how much use of either methods aren’t specified. “Water, land, and chemicals are crucial resources that can [even] cause war,” Cao said.
Conventional cotton can easily be scapegoated for organic cotton, as clothing labels often avoid discretionary details. Conventional cotton is the mass market of cotton fiber and textiles. About 11% of the world’s pesticides are used to produce the fiber, which entails chlorine, ammonia, and formaldehyde. These additives matriculate their way into human’s bodily systems, either for those wearing the clothes or those producing them.
“After spraying the pesticides, farmers have to leave the field for a certain period of time and then re enter the field safely,” Cao said. “But sometimes farmers don’t follow that rule and bring in pesticides [to their body and homes] in higher volume. This causes health problems and can harm the nervous system.” These prevalent side effects resulting from producing a more abundant crop at faster speeds may additionally include fainting, hallucination, or even Alzheimer’s. Cotton is also an “agricultural commodity” and the more land used to harvest cotton, the less space there is for other valuable, consumable crops.
On top of all of this, runoff water containing harsh additives (either through irrigation or dryland) will make its way into river ecosystems and spoil healthy soil, causing soil erosion. Thus, pesticides/herbicides/insecticides will presume their rounds again back into our bodies via the food we harvest either from that now polluted river or toxic soil.
“When I visited a small farm in South Africa, the yield of the product was related to climate. Those farmers have to borrow the money to buy chemicals and seeds and machines. Weather and pests can kill the plant and reduce yield, resulting in debt and bankruptcy. I imagine this is the same for small farm household farmers in America… You have to predict your yield. Weather can wipe out all of your efforts, too,” Cao said.
Environmentally conscious childrenswear designer and entrepreneur, Taylor Harris is incorporating sourcing organically. She is young with vivacious tenacity driving her exploration and incorporation of unconventional methods to design eco friendly children’s clothes in her line labeled, “Olive and Oats.” Attending numerous fashion panels pertaining to the discussion of sustainability, some of the textiles her brand utilizes includes conventional cotton gauze and hemp, which she organically dyes with plants and vegetables.
“For my brand specifically, I have to work with those natural fibers if I'm planning to dye on them because synthetic fibers don't hold natural dyes very well,” Harris said. Opting for conventional cotton, as it was readily available to her, she would have preferred organic cotton, yet she said, “It’s hard to find manufacturers producing 100% organic cotton in wovens in the U.S. Usually, the businesses work with overseas partners in China or Vietnam, which even that isn’t sustainable at the end of the day.”
While Harris may be experimenting with the latest environmentally friendly practices the industry has to offer, she wants consumers to know that her designs are still very much fashion driven (not just “greenwashed”). “I have a sense of pride when I use organic cotton or any other organic natural fiber in my line because I feel like it really enhances the brand's mission to be as sustainable as possible,” Harris said. “Olive and Oats” will be coming soon to two new boutiques in the U.S.
Needless to say, it’s hard to pin sustainable practices down to a perfect T, but as the internet allows everyone to become more aware and connected, there will always be opportunities for betterment. Especially now with such a high level of everything being technology based due to COVID, new advancements are in the making. When it comes to harvesting cotton, where Cao mentions the defoliant chemical, distributed via machine, which prevents the mixing of cotton leaves into the cotton yield (cotton used to be handpicked and often its leaves made their way into the cotton textiles, which decreased quality). According to Fibershed.org, farmers in California are reevaluating how they yield their cotton and are instilling crop rotations (a balance between growing cotton and then a different crop in its plot), using a variety of organic materials for soil fertilizers, and even utilizing livestock to improve cropping systems. Both Cao and Harris encourage other alternatives to counterbalance a heavy usage of cotton-only textiles and its current environmental effects. Hemp and flax are fibers unsusceptible to pests and produce a higher yield. Even synthetic fibers, like polyester, can offer certain benefits to its consumer given its performance abilities that differentiate from those in the organic family.
