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From finding the right produce at the grocery store to buying clothes online, we’re always told that “organic” is better. It tastes better, feels better, is better for our bodies, and is better for the environment. But organic clothing can be confusing. What does that word really mean? Today we’re breaking down organic cotton, one of the most well-known organic textiles.
What does “organic” even mean?
Organic is a pretty broad term, but when it comes to consumer products in the US, it has a specific legal definition set out by the United States Drug Administration (USDA). In order for fruits, vegetables, meat, other food products, and textiles to be called “organic,” they must consist of 95% organic content and meet other production and processing requirements set out by the National Organic Program (NOP).
When we look at the specific requirements set out by the NOP, we can come up with more specific definitions of any organic product. So a good working definition for organic cotton is cotton that’s grown without synthetic pesticides or genetic engineering through methods that are healthy and sustainable for the environment and for humans.
So why exactly is “organic” better?
To best understand what makes organic cotton better, we should take a look at what’s wrong with conventional cotton (read: not organic) and the industry in general.
- Cotton crops use 6% of the world’s pesticides, which is more than any other single crop
- Pesticide poisoning among farmers leads to 20,000 deaths annually.
- Conventional cotton is one of the “thirstiest crops,” along with rice, sugar, and wheat
- Conventional cotton cultivation in India consumes 541 cubic meters of water per ton of seed cotton.
- It can take 1,600 litres of water to make one cotton shirt.
- Cotton production is one of the 5 top contributors to biodiversity loss within the fashion sector.
You may have noticed that some of these statistics apply to the entire cotton sector. It’s challenging to find data that explores the impact of conventional cotton on its own. But conventional cotton has that title for a reason; it’s the traditional and standard method of production. Plus certain negative impacts of conventional cotton are fully divorced from organic cotton. For example, there is no pesticide usage in organic cotton farming, so organic cotton cannot be responsible for any of the cotton sector’s pesticide usage.
On the other hand, there has been more research into organic cotton as a textile isolated from the rest of the sector. Let’s take a look at some of the statistics below.
- Organic cotton uses 62% less energy than conventional cotton.
- Organic practices can reduce water consumption in cotton production by 92%.
- Organic production saves 1,982 gallons of water per T-shirt
- Organic cotton production has a lower global warming potential than conventional cotton
Overall, organic cotton is more sustainable than conventional cotton. Plus, organic cotton is good for workers because it is the product of organic farming practices. These practices allow farmers to plant multiple crops as part of the organic cotton system, which increases food security. They also ensure that farmers will have a steady and sustainable income.
What do different organic labels mean?
Once organic cotton is transformed into a consumer product, it becomes a bit more complicated. This is because organic cotton products are regulated -and labeled- by a variety of organizations, each with their own standards. Most organic cotton products you buy will have a label from the USDA or the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
The USDA has two labels for organic textiles, “100% organic” and “organic.” Cotton products with the “100% organic” label are made solely of organic cotton and processed only with organic processing aids. Cotton products with the “organic” label are made of at least 95% organic cotton and up to 5% of certain non-organic substances.
Breaking down the USDA labels a bit further, we can see that they’re generally focused on the materials and textiles that make up a product. These labels guarantee that sustainable and ethical harvesting practices and organic processing aids have been used. However, the USDA has very little regulation for processing because their organic regulation is generally focused on food products. This is where the GOTS comes in.
The GOTS is the gold standard certification for organic textiles, including organic cotton. Their validation process, which is approved by the USDA, has four key features: the verification of the origin of natural fibers; evaluation of various social and ecological factors; evaluation of all stages of processing; and finally, certification. Essentially this means that they look into how products are made from harvesting to hitting the shelves before giving out their stamp of approval.
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For a cotton product to be labeled “organic” by GOTS standards it must consist of 95% certified organic cotton, just like any USDA-labeled organic product. (For the record, the GOTS has the same definition of organic cotton as the USDA). However, GOTS organic products must also meet a variety of processing standards. For example, they can only be colored with approved colorants, their processing facilities must properly manage their wastewater, and they can’t be produced by child labor or precarious employment practices.
The GOTS is unique amongst third-party validation organizations for textiles because it solely focuses on organic materials. Other organizations like Textile Exchange, bluesign, and Oeko-Tex offer validation for organic textiles, like cotton, as well as recycled textiles, synthetics, leathers, and various other textiles that can be produced sustainably and ethically.
Generally speaking, all of these certifications are a good thing to look out for. They each have their own standards so it’s important to double check exactly what they guarantee when you buy a product containing their label. That said, they are well-respected within the sustainable lifestyle world and you should feel at ease buying products that carry their labels.
The big green elephant in the room
So you feel great about what organic means, why it’s better for the environment and people, and what the labels and certifications on your cotton products mean. Time to start shopping. It should be pretty simple right? Well before you start, let’s talk about greenwashing– clever marketing tactics and specific language to make a product or brand seem more sustainable or ethical than it is.
As we’ve talked about above, “organic” isn’t a one-size-fits-all label. If something meets the USDA definition of organic but isn’t certified by the GOTS or another validation body, it’s hard to know what ethical or sustainable processing practices were involved in the making of that product. There’s a big difference between a product that you only know the origin of versus a product whose entire production history has been evaluated.
Of course the flipside is that it’s challenging to achieve a certification for organic cotton. Some brands may not be trying to mislead consumers when they call their cotton organic because it really is organic legally and it just hasn’t been certified by a third party yet. This is why we always encourage you to look into a brand’s messaging about sustainability. Are they being transparent about where their cotton comes from and if they’re trying to get certification? If so, you may not want to write them off. If not, you might want to dig a little deeper or move on. No brand is perfect, but transparency matters.