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Organic cotton: why it is the better choice
Cotton is a natural fiber from the cotton plant that is grown in over 80 countries. The large bushes bear pretty flowers, from which the fruit initially forms in the form of a hard capsule, which finally bursts open and bears a tangle of white fibers. Cotton yarn is spun from the long fibers and pulp is made from the short fibers.
Cotton clothing is particularly characterized by its robustness and high tear resistance. At the same time, it is very soft and wrinkles less than linen. The fiber releases excess heat well to the outside and is permeable to air. That all sounds good, but why should you prefer clothing made from organic cotton? To do this, we first have to shed light on the dark side of the cotton industry.
The problems with conventionally grown cotton
With a share of 22% of global fiber production (source: Statista), cotton is an important factor when it comes to resource consumption and pesticide use. Because growing cotton is very water-intensive. Due to high demand on the global market, large amounts of pesticides are also used in conventional cotton cultivation. Added to this are the often poor working conditions and low wages in the growing areas.
According to WHO estimates, 20,000 people die every year as a result of the high use of pesticides in agriculture. For this reason, many sports brands such as Fjällräven, maloja and Patagonia rely on the use of organic cotton in their lifestyle collections.
The benefits of organic cotton
Clothes shouldn't just keep us warm and make us look good - we want to feel comfortable in them too. And who wants to snuggle up in a pesticide-laden T-shirt?
Picture and header ©Patagonia
Organic cotton has several advantages over conventionally grown cotton:
> Much lower water consumption
> Almost half the CO2 emissions
> Less soil acidification
> Significantly reduced energy consumption
> Ban on pesticides - organic pest control is used instead
> Ban on genetic engineering
> Use of plant and animal fertilisers
Because of its better image, brands are increasingly promoting the use of organic cotton. However, its share of the global market is still very small and demand is growing, leading to supply shortages. Seals such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or bioRe provide information on whether the claims are being kept. Some brands have introduced their own labels and provide information on their websites. You can find out more about materials and seals in our materials glossary.
The use of organic cotton also plays a role in our Wir Denken Um label. Brands that use certified organic cotton and meet several other product and company-related criteria receive our WDU label. The assessment process includes a number ofcriteria in the areas of responsibility and fairness, environment and climate, and transparency and reporting.
