If the title of this page has you scratching your head, you’re not alone.
Afterall, aren’t polyester and nylon the bad guys?
Cotton is a plant, so doesn’t that make it the more sustainable textile?
What about organic cotton?
When held up next to garments that are essentially made from plastic, cotton definitely takes the cake. However, like most things in our supply chain, cotton isn’t perfect.
Cotton production heavily relies on social and environmental exploitation to get the job done.
GMOs and Seed Patenting
Most of the cotton we use today is grown from GMO seeds containing Bt toxins that are supposed to deter pests.
In India, the world’s leading producer of cotton, 89% of the cotton crops are GMO. Most of these seeds are patented by the company Monsanto and genetically altered so they will not reproduce. This means that the farmers will have to buy more seeds from the company each growing season.
This complicates things if there is an unsuccessful harvest or a dip in the market value, as most farmers know. And because most small farmers are not eligible for loans, they end up borrowing from private lenders at high interest rates. This financial struggle also promotes child labor, as families need the children to contribute to the household income.
Pesticides and Chronic Disease
And although GMO seeds were introduced as a pest solution, farmers are still needing pesticides and fertilizers from Monsanto to protect their crops. Most of these chemicals are banned in the West, and the community is experiencing birth defects, developmental issues, cancers, infertility, and neurological diseases as a result.
These health challenges along with the vicious cycle of debt has driven over 12,500 Indian cotton farmers to take their own lives by drinking pesticides.
Cotton is also a resource guzzling crop.
Nicknamed “the thirsty crop,” cotton requires nearly 3,000 liters of water to make one t-shirt. In a place like India, where millions of people don’t have access to clean water, this has major consequences for the society and environment.
This water is also heavily contaminated with chemicals by the time it is released back into the environment, further worsening the problem of clean water access.
And of course, we can’t overlook the amount of greenhouse gasses that are released in the spinning, weaving, and transporting of cotton to the consumer (often continents away).
So organic cotton is better, right?
Yes–it’s better.
No–it’s not a perfect solution.
Organic cotton still requires a lot of land, water, and energy to produce and process. It’s also very likely to be treated with chemicals for durability and color, although these chemicals will be “lower impact” if the product is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
As well, just because a product is certified organic doesn’t mean that the farmers were paid fairly (even though you end up paying more).
And organic cotton still doesn’t solve the out-of-control problem of textile waste, which we produce millions of tons of every year (and requires 400 years to break down on average).
Here are your best options:
- Recycle and upcycle your existing textiles as much as possible.
Think: clothing swaps, thrift stores, garage sales, secondhand online marketplaces, and your grandma’s sewing machine.
With 84% of textiles ending up in landfills and incinerators, we’re best off making the most out of what we already have.
- Buy reusable alternatives to disposable cotton products.
Reusable cotton rounds that are organic (GOTS certified) and fair trade are far more sustainable than disposable cotton balls.
The Last Object carries a reusable cotton swab that will last a lifetime.
Reusable coffee filters have been around for decades.
We have a complete guide on feminine hygiene swaps here. .
- If you absolutely need to buy a brand new textile, consider a more eco-friendly material like eucalyptus or hemp.