About Us

Organic

Why Organic

Traditional cotton t-shirts are made with cotton which has been grown using acutely toxic pesticides and insecticides in its production. Organic cotton is obtained from plants that are not genetically modified or treated with pesticides.

There are a number of environmental effects of conventional methods of cotton production that are avoided using organic farming methods.

Here are some facts and figures about conventional cotton farming:

• Conventional cotton farming uses only about 3% of total farmland but consumes 25% of the chemical pesticides and fertilisers used globally
• According to WHO estimates, at least 20,000 deaths and 1 million long-term acute poisonings are caused by pesticides each year
• A typical conventional cotton t-shirt uses about 150 grams of acutely toxic pesticides and insecticides
• Cotton pesticides can enter the food chain through processed foods that contain cotton seed oil, and also through meat and dairy products as cows are often fed cottonseed meal and graze on contaminated land.
• Exposure to pesticide and fertilisers directly causes illnesses and diseases
• Many chemicals used in cotton production are carcinogens
• Chemicals used in conventional cotton farming contaminate the water table
• Conventional cotton farming damages and disrupts the natural biodiversity of an area, often irreversibly.

How is organic cotton grown?

Before organic cotton can be planted, the soil must be free of toxic chemicals for at least three years. Organic cotton farmers do not use artificial pesticides or herbicides for pest control and instead of chemical fertilisers a variety of natural growth stimulators are utilised. Natural pest predators like birds, bees and ladybirds, as well as beneficial bugs and viruses, will be encouraged by the farmer to protect his crops from attack, and soil quality is maintained by crop rotation. Instead of chemically feeding the plants, the organic farmer will also apply nitrogen-rich manure and plant nitrogen-fixing cover crops.

The benefits

In addition to the long term benefit for the environment through the reduction in pollution and the increase in biodiversity, organic cotton farming methods reward the people that really matter...the farmers, their families and the local communities.

The processes involved in obtaining organic cotton and ensuring that the cotton obtained is wholly organic are complicated,

Some of the great ‘organic cotton’ brands that we are associated with include:

Okarma

Continental Clothing

American Apparel

Fruit of the Loom