Natural Environment Blog

Organic cotton is a term given to cotton that is made organically. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals. Instead, more sustainable agricultural methods are used to reduce/eliminate pests, enhance growth, maintain the soil quality, and protect the people who harvest the cotton.

Traditional, non-organic cotton uses more chemicals per crop than any other crop. Non-organic cotton accounts for around 16% of the world’s pesticides! The chemicals used pollute the air and water. Residual chemicals can even irritate the skin of consumers.

Even worse, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 20,000 deaths per year are attributed to pesticide poisoning in developing countries. Many of these deaths are cotton farmers.

If you’re searching for products made from organic cotton, look for organic certification. Organic certification is verification from a third party that the cotton is in fact, organic. In the US, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies organic cotton. In other countries such as Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa, SKAL certifies organic cotton.

Organic certification is quite a drawn out process. As an example, the soil used for organic farming must not have been sprayed with a banned substance over the previous 3 years. Furthermore, certified organic farms are inspected regularly and must maintain comprehensive records of their production methods.

So, when you choose organic cotton over non-organic cotton, you know that you’re choosing a more sustainable product.

Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a way that is less harmful to the environment than non-organic wool.

Non-Organic Wool

Traditional methods for producing wool are having an adverse impact on the environment and livestock welfare. During the production of non-organic wool, livestock is often subject to synthetic pesticides, non-organic feed, and possibly even synthetic hormones and/or genetic engineering. They could also be subject to substandard health management, and live in substandard conditions.

Organic Wool

During the production of organic wool, sheep/livestock are raised and treated in a different way to those which produce non-organic wool. The above treatment and conditions should not be present during the production of organic wool.

If you intend to purchase wool (or a product made from wool), try to make sure the wool is organic. You could even check that the wool producer has organic certification.

Certification

Different countries have different standards regarding organic certification. In some countries, the standards are set and overseen by the government. In other countries, the standards are set by a non-profit organization or even a private company.

For example, in North America, for wool to be certified as organic by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), it must adhere to requirements that include:

• Livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation must be certified organic;
• Use of synthetic hormones and genetic engineering is prohibited;
• Use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external, and on pastures) is prohibited, and
• Producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.

According to OTA, organic livestock management differs from non-organic management in at least two major ways:

• Sheep cannot be dipped in parasiticides (insecticides) to control external parasites such as ticks and lice
• Organic livestock producers are required to ensure that they do not exceed the natural carrying capacity of the land on which their animals graze.

Around the world, organizations such as OTA can be a member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (iFOAM). iFOAM is an international agricultural umbrella organization for the world’s organic certification bodies. It currently unites more than 750 member organizations across 108 countries.

So, how Eco-friendly is Wool?

Wool is a natural fiber, so it does have a head start in the eco-friendly game (compared to synthetic fibers such as polyester). However, the typical production of wool is far from eco-friendly.

The Negatives

Production of wool requires arable land and sheep. Sheep create carbon dioxide and they degrade the land. Also, wool contains grease and oil that needs to be scoured. This in turn, pollutes run-off. Typically, 500,000 liters of water is used for each tonne of wool processed.

It has been estimated that 685,000 litres of water is required to produce a single pure woolen suit!

The Positives

Despite the negatives, there are positives too though. Woolen products are usually very durable and will usually last a lot longer than many products made from other fibers. This means it’s less likely to end up as landfill within a couple of years of purchase.

Summary

Although wool itself is a natural fiber, traditional wool production is not known for it’s eco-friendliness. Organic wool has been produced using more eco-friendly production methods than it’s non-organic counterpart.

Generally speaking, by selecting organic wool, you’re ensuring that the wool has been produced in a much more natural and sustainable way, compared with non-organic wool.