Hey there, being a brand purely based on sustainability, organic and ethically produced garments for your sweet ones. I would love to give you some insight into the difference between organic cotton vs regular cotton. I really do hope you enjoy this and it opens your eyes into why we will not produce anything with non-organic cotton.
What's the difference between organic cotton and regular cotton? I can answer it with one simple word: production.
Picture this: You're strolling through a store and suddenly, you spot a bed sheet that would look perfect on your bed. Then, you walk over to check the label: "100% natural cotton." If it says “natural,” it must be eco-friendly, right? Well… not exactly.
Yes, cotton comes from a plant and is therefore natural, but that word has been used for decades to greenwash products in all sorts of ways. Although something may grow from the Earth's soil, the way they are grown and produced is highly questionable.
NON ORGANIC COTTON
How is Conventional Cotton Produced?
When we compare conventional cotton and organic cotton, we quickly realize that conventional cotton is produced in a very, very dirty way. No wonder why it has earned the infamous nickname of "the world's dirtiest crop." To understand how bad its production is, I'll consider three key factors: water usage, sustainable practices, and ethical practices. Then I'll compare them with those of organic cotton. Let's get started.
Water Usage
Conventionally grown cotton is THIRSTY — so much so that according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it takes 2,700 litres of water to produce a single cotton t-shirt. A kilogram of cotton (brace yourself for the shock) takes a whopping 10,000 litres of water to produce it. That’s insane!
One of the main reasons this happens is that cotton is grown on the same soil repeatedly (more on that later), which degrades its quality and removes nutrients, leading to the growth of unhealthy sprouts. These unhealthy cotton sprouts need more water in order to be properly harvested, and therefore, they have to be massively irrigated.
In a world of increased water scarcity, it seems that it's more important to grow cotton by hook or by crook than to take care of our precious natural resources. And the worst part is that conventional cotton not only drinks water left and right, but it also pollutes it.
Sustainable Practices
True to its nickname, cotton farming has one of the most unsustainable practices ever: water pollution. The use of toxic pesticides (16% of all the world’s pesticides) directly affects groundwater. The chemicals used to manufacture the cotton products that go into the homes of millions of people also flow into rivers, lakes, and other waterways.
It turns out that with the long-term use of pesticides, the pests that prowl the crop fields become resistant to the chemicals, therefore genetically modified seeds (GMO) are used to build resistance towards them. If you’re against GMOs, you probably don’t want anything to do with conventional cotton right now (and I feel you).
And as if the cotton-growing industry wasn't enough to be thirsty, it's also energy-hungry. It causes about 220 billion kilograms of greenhouse gas to escape into our atmosphere per year. Let’s just say that the term “sustainable” doesn’t get along with conventional cotton.
Ethical Practices
Ethics? Human rights? Have you seen them? Because traditional cotton hasn’t.
Cotton is often referred to as White Gold because of how lucrative it is in developing countries like Uzbekistan, but when it comes to ethics, the White Gold isn’t so golden. Manufacturers often endorse child labour and farmers often aren’t paid a fair wage. They work for long hours and are exposed to nasty chemicals almost all day long. This can cause severe health conditions like skin irritation, nausea, seizures, and even cancer.
But the consequences aren't just physical. They are also psychological.
Conventional cotton is not involved in crop rotation, which means farmers have to rely on cotton farming alone in order to survive — they can't grow anything else. Because the cotton market is volatile, some even go into debt to buy more chemicals and new seeds. And when they can't get out of this debt cycle, the worst happens. They decide to commit suicide. How? By swallowing the pesticides they're unable to pay off. Between 1995 and 2014, there were more than 300,000 farmer suicides in Telangana, India. This number is a real concern.
If you see that a cotton product is unbelievably cheap, the chances are that someone else has already paid the price.
ORGANIC COTTON
How is Organic Cotton Produced?
Water Usage
- If unhealthy crops were one of the main reasons why cotton was so thirsty, we no longer must worry about that with organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown on different soils as their location is gradually rotated, and this is what keeps them healthy and free of wild water cravings.
In fact, when we compare water usage between organic and non-organic cotton, we see that organic cotton uses up to 91% less water than its non-organic counterpart because 80% of its crops are rainfed, not irrigated. Although some skeptics claim that organic cotton consumes more water than the traditional one, this is entirely false and has been debunked several times before. Organic cotton cultivation even helps to create healthy soil, which allows it to grow without needing as much water.
Sustainable Practices
- Organic cotton and the term "sustainable" do go hand in hand, especially when it comes to water pollution and pesticide use.
No genetically modified seeds are used to control pests (in fact, GMOs are banned in organic cotton farming), but various beneficial insects are used to combat them. Nature helping nature, how lovely!
Not using pesticides also conserves our planet's water, reducing water pollution by up to 98%.
Plus, organic cotton doesn't like to hog so much energy, either. It uses 62% less energy than traditional cotton and also produces 46% less greenhouse gas. But why? Simple: as I stated above, it doesn’t need fertilizers or pesticides (which release nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere). By not using highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides, the soil also acts as a "carbon sink,” absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. And last but not least, farmers don't use as much machinery to harvest it. Do I really need to say more when it comes to organic cotton’s sustainability?
Ethical Practices
- As organic cotton is a rotation crop, farmers can also grow other food crops besides it, which gives them another source of income, ensures biodiversity, and creates greater food security.
On the topic of ethics, the non-use of toxic pesticides is also a major plus. Farmers don't have to deal with chemicals that can cause them all sorts of negative health concerns, nor do they go into massive debt to buy them.
Now, while some countries have eliminated and almost completely banned child labour and forced labor in conventional cotton fields, there's still a long way to go. However, unethical labour practices have no place in organic cotton fields.
We all love a little retail therapy, right? But that therapy should not come at the expense of people and the planet. Brands can have a huge impact by choosing what kind of cotton they use.
What Are the Main Differences Between Cotton & Organic Cotton
In a nutshell, the main differences between conventional cotton vs. organic cotton are:
- Organic cotton requires 91% less water than conventional cotton.
- Organic cotton pollutes 98% less of the planet's water because it doesn't use highly toxic pesticides.
- Non-organic cotton uses GMOs. Its organic counterpart doesn't.
- Organic cotton uses 62% less energy than traditional cotton and produces 46% less greenhouse gas.
- Traditional cotton is typically grown and harvested under unsafe and unfair working conditions, while organic cotton usually provides a safe working environment and fair wages.
In addition to the striking differences in sustainability, another of the main differences between organic cotton vs. cotton is their price range.
Like many things in life, the higher the quality and the more work a product has, the more it tends to cost. I’ll talk about the quality of organic cotton in more detail later, but basically, organic cotton is more expensive because it isn't as easy to produce as conventional cotton and the end product is more durable. But does organic cotton feel different?
Does Organic Cotton Feel Different?
Organic cotton is harvested almost entirely by hand. This preserves the purity of each fiber and ensures that none is damaged in the process. On the other hand, conventional cotton is harvested by machines to meet its high demand and save time. This makes garments less durable and less soft than their eco-friendly counterparts. Conventional cotton is soft, but organic cotton can be even softer.
The benefits are endless from increased skin health, Farm Eco-system quality to fewer negative impacts on our beautiful environment and everything in between. The sad part is only 1% of the international production of cotton is Organic. So, when you buy from us, or any other brand committed to providing at the least organic cotton in their products. Be proud of the fact you're not just supporting that business but the beautiful world we live in!
