It’s Earth Week so why not shop organic cotton clothing? According to Patagonia’s website, “10% of all agricultural chemicals in the US were used to produce cotton, grown on just 1% of all major agricultural land.” Cotton is sucking up a lot of chemicals. Up to 22% of pesticides are also used for cotton growing. These chemicals not only seep into the land, but they also can have an effect on the workers in the fields. This is especially a problem in developing countries where workers don’t have to proper protection to use. This has led to millions of pesticide poisonings and thousands of deaths according to the World Health Organization.
Many companies are making a shift to include more organic cotton options. Some still do blends of organic and non-organic but others, like Patagonia, are using 100% organic cotton for all products made with cotton. You will find that products made with organic cotton do tend to cost more. Organic cotton farming is more intensive with crop rotation, cover cropping, trap cropping, and hand weeding. Just like food items in the United States that are labeled organic, cotton farms have to be certified through an approved third party by the USDA.
Visit our website to see our selection of products made with organic cotton.
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