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    Ecological Textiles| Organic Cotton Info    
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Organic cotton

Organic cotton plants
Cotton is one of the most popular fibers, thanks to its softness, elasticity, and comfort. Look around, and you’ll see how much is made from cotton: tablecloths, curtains, towels, bed linens, and of course, clothing. When Europeans first encountered the material, they must have been amazed by its qualities. So white, so fine, so light... it was unprecedented.


It was sometimes called "woven wind." Due to this popularity, cotton has become the most cultivated natural fiber, making its cultivation and processing have a significant economic and ecological impact. Around 26 million farming families are involved in cotton cultivation in major producing countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Pakistan. The number of people involved in its further production is even higher. With the ever-increasing scale of production, problems also arose. Naturally, cotton plants need water, cultivation takes up agricultural land, and the plant is prone to pests, which are controlled in conventional farming using pesticides. The massive scale of production also means that changes in the production process, or how cotton is grown or processed, can have major consequences.

Properties of Cotton

Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber for clothing textiles, and for a good reason: it’s comfortable to wear, lasts reasonably long, and can absorb about 20 percent moisture before feeling damp. Cotton fabrics feel cool to the touch because cotton is a good conductor of heat, meaning its insulating capacity is low. This makes cotton an ideal material for summer clothing! However, thicker and heavier cotton fabrics and yarns are also well-suited for winter clothing.

Additionally, ORGANIC COTTON is skin-friendly, making it ideal for sensitive skin, and it is easy to care for. The wrinkling of a fabric relates to its elasticity. Cotton is more elastic than hemp or linen and thus wrinkles less than those fabrics, though it is less elastic than wool, for example.

Cotton's share in global textile fiber production is declining, mainly due to the explosive growth of synthetic fibers (especially polyester) in clothing. Synthetic fibers are cheaper to produce and are widely used in the production of inexpensive clothing (fast fashion). Despite increased cotton cultivation, its relative share is still declining. Currently, it accounts for about 35 percent of global production (data from 2019). The share of ORGANIC COTTON is also increasing but still only constitutes 1.5 percent of total cotton production.

The potential for making textiles from cotton was discovered by various cultures about 6,000 years ago. In India, the plant was cultivated on a larger scale as early as 5,000 years ago, after which it spread to China. Through Arab trade, it also reached Europe. Large-scale cotton cultivation has never taken place here due to climatic factors, at least not compared to countries like India, China, or the U.S. Nevertheless, according to figures from the European Cotton Alliance (ECA), the EU is a major global producer, with an annual production of around 360,000 tons and a cultivation area of more than 260,000 hectares. Most of this comes from Greece (200,000 ha.), followed by Spain. The industrial processing of imported cotton flourished in Europe from the 18th century but has since significantly declined. More than 75% of European cotton is exported, primarily to countries around the Mediterranean, where it is processed.

Organic cotton culture in Turkey
Organic cotton plant
Organic cotton plants


Concerns About 'Conventional' Cotton

One of the major concerns about 'conventional' cotton is its heavy use of 'crop protection agents': herbicides or insecticides. Some studies suggest that a quarter of the pesticides used worldwide are applied to cotton fields. Defoliants are also used to facilitate more efficient (mechanical) cotton harvesting.

There are various figures regarding the amount of pesticides used, including calculations of how much poison is used to produce a single T-shirt. In reality, the differences are vast, and pesticide use has been steadily decreasing over the past 20 years. Nonetheless, the effects on humans and nature can often be disastrous. This is especially true for cotton workers in certain regions, who have little knowledge of the chemicals, how they should be applied, stored, or the dangers they pose. This is precisely why Ecotex opts for organic cotton.

A second concern is that cotton is a thirsty plant, requiring a lot of water. This perception, however, is not entirely accurate. Like all plants, cotton needs water, but many crops, such as corn, use more. Cotton is a shrub that thrives in dry climates and is classified as a xerophyte, a plant capable of limiting its water needs. This can be due to the shape and structure of the leaves or a strong root system. A significant portion of cotton cultivation, even in countries like India, does not rely on artificial irrigation and is sustained by rainfall alone.

On the other hand, some regions have experienced desertification, partly due to cotton cultivation. A notorious example is the drying up of the Aral Sea, though alfalfa cultivation and past farming practices also played a role. As with pesticides, poor knowledge and inadequate land management are often major contributors to soil depletion. Like pesticide use, cotton's water consumption varies greatly between regions. General claims such as "this organic cotton shirt saves X liters of water" are often hard to substantiate.


General claims such as "this organic cotton shirt saves X liters of water" are often hard to substantiate.

 

Organic Cotton

In the cultivation of ORGANIC COTTON, no pesticides are used, and natural predators (insects) are used to combat pests in an environmentally friendly way. Weeds are not sprayed but removed mechanically or by hand. Cotton bolls are harvested by hand without defoliating the plant first.

Moreover, there is significant attention to the necessary soil restoration (through natural fertilization) and water management. In recent years, organic cotton farming has made great strides in this area thanks to efficient water management.

Our cotton products are always made from organic cotton, and nearly all are GOTS-certified. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is a globally recognized standard for environmentally friendly and socially responsible production. The label guarantees that the cotton (and other raw materials) come from organic farming and that the highest ecological and social standards are maintained throughout the production chain. Read more about GOTS here. ECOLOGICAL TEXTILES is a GOTS-certified company.

For our fabrics and other textiles, we also consider the origin of the ORGANIC COTTON, preferring cotton from Turkey. Turkey's two main cotton-growing areas are the region bordering Syria and Iraq (the Southeast Anatolia Project, also known as GAP) and the Aegean region. Our ORGANIC COTTON mainly comes from the latter region, with the important textile centers of Izmir (formerly Smyrna) and Denizli. This Aegean cotton is known for its high quality, with a focus on fiber length, thickness, softness, and color. Additionally, production in this area is more European-oriented, and fortunately (unlike in South Asia), there have been no scandals related to bio-certification fraud. Agriculture in Turkey is guaranteed to be free of genetic modification, as GM is legally banned. Moreover, despite the ban on GM, conventional agriculture in Turkey has seen success with integrated pest management (IPM), which aims to minimize disruptions to agricultural ecosystems.


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