What is the difference between organic cotton and normal cotton and why you should make the swap today! 

Dirtiest Crop on the Earth?

Conventional cotton has earned its title of being the ”dirtiest crop” on Earth. The reason for this is it consumes 16% of the world’s insecticides and requires $2 billion in pesticides annually. Pesticides and insecticides used in cotton production contaminate the soil we use to grow crops, the air we breathe in and the water we consume. The deaths of animals exposed to these contaminants is counted in the millions every year.

Global consumption of non-organic cotton releases vast amounts of greenhouse gas into our atmosphere, about 220 million tonnes a year. 1 tonne of conventional cotton fibre produces 1.8 tonnes of C02. The damage caused to us and the environment by growing non-organic cotton is enormous and is a real threat to us and our planet.

2,700 litres of water

This is how much water is used to make one cotton t-shirt. Incredible isn’t it?

Although 70% of our planet is covered in water, only 3% is freshwater and just 1/3 of that 3% is available for us to use. 1 billion people don’t have access to freshwater and 2.4 billion people suffer from inadequate sanitation. Millions of people, mostly young children, die each year due to water borne illnesses caused by inadequate sanitation and lack of water. However despite this, we still use 10,000 litres of water to process just 1 single kilo of conventional cotton.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is grown without harmful chemicals, leaving the soil, air and water free from contaminates that cause harm. Compared to conventional cotton, organic cotton produces around 46% less C02 than its counterpart. It also uses far less water to grow, since organic cotton growers typically utilise rain far more than irrigation. On top of all that, organic cotton growers use beneficial insects to control unwanted pests instead of relying on harmful chemicals, thus encouraging biodiversity. It’s a win-win for humanity and earth.

It is also known that various skin allergies relate directly to the chemicals used in non-organic cotton farming. Many people with skin problems report a dramatic improvement in their skin condition once they switched to organic.

By choosing to buy organic cotton you are enhancing the health of humans, animals and natural resources around the world. Spread the message!