Why shop organic cotton sheets... some key facts!
'Organic'...You've heard this word everywhere from organic vegetables to organic skin care, and now we're hearing a lot about organic cotton. It may seem like its in vogue at the moment, but what does organic cotton mean and why are we so into organic cotton sheets?
What is organic cotton?
Cotton grown without the use of synthetic chemicals is known as 'organic cotton'. Whilst this may not seem revolutionary, lets take a look from another perspective. 29 million tonnes of cotton, or the equivalent of 29 t-shirts per person on the planet, is produced every year. From this 29 million tonnes, US$2 billion of chemical pesticides is released each year. To make matters worse, US$819 million are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organisation. Severe poisoning and death from pesticides is widespread in developing countries.
We know it sounds alarming, but there is another way, and that is organic cotton. Organic cotton offers a cleaner alternative for these farmers by excluding hazardous synthetic pesticides from cotton production.
So here are some things you may have heard about organic cotton, but are they all really true?
1) Organic cotton is better for the environment
Yes it definitely is! The aim of organic cotton production is to use methods and inputs that are a lot more eco friendly. All chemical inputs must meet requirements on toxicity and biodegradability. Soil is rotated so it remains healthy. This leads to greater amounts of organic matter in the soil which helps retain water.
Biodiversity of seeds and wildlife are also protected, and so to is the livelihood of cotton farmers.
Whereas, conventional cotton production is unsustainable. It severely deteriorates soil quality through heavy use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Not only this, the run off of pesticides and fertilisers contaminates rivers, lakes and wet lands. Pesticides that are sprayed onto crops can also be blown by winds into nearby areas, threatening wildlife. This negative impact makes it difficult to create long term sustainability, not to mention, causes severe sickness and disease amongst those who work in the industry.
2) organic cotton is not necessarily fair trade cotton
You can be assured when you purchase organic bedding from us, that farmers have earned a premium price for the cotton used to make those sheets. Farmers know exactly how much they are earning and are able to plan for the future and improve the communities social, economic and environmental conditions. It also ensures protection of workers rights and the protection of children. However, not all organic products meet these standards.
3) Products are organic if you can substantiate the claim
In Australia, if a business claims to be organic, all they have to be able to do is substantiate their claim. Their is no particular standard that needs to be met. This is why when you see the GOTS certification, you can be assured our organic bed sheets meet the leading worldwide standard. Buying organic bedding goes a long way to helping the planet, those in developing countries, and your own health. Is there really any wonder why we're so passionate about it?
4) Organic cotton is better for my health
Organic cotton is much better for your skin because harsh chemicals have not been used in the cotton production process, therefore it is less likely to irritate the skin and is hypoallergenic. Also, organic cotton does not contain metals typically found in dyes.
5) 'Organic' is not just marketing hype
It can't be denied there are significant benefits to buying organic cotton, you just need to read the above, so no wonder this is a major selling point and not just hype. GOTS is the worlds leading organic textile processing standard. You can be assured that the entire manufacturing standard from harvesting of raw materials, to manufacturing and labelling are organic. Organic cotton does not allow the use of toxic heavy metal inputs, formaldehyde and GMOs. To obtain the GOTS certification is no easy task. Standards need to be maintained in order to be certified organic. So you should go ahead and 'believe the hype'.
Buying organic can help save the environment, your health and farmers in developing countries.