We love our organic cotton t-shirts.
But have you wondered what makes it organic?
What’s the difference between organic cotton and regular cotton?
Find out more once and for all.
We all love cotton. Who doesn’t?
It’s soft on your skin, breathable and comfortable, it’s everyone’s favourite.
But did you know conventional cotton farming is responsible for world’s 16% of pesticides and 6% of insecticides?
Sad but true, cotton farming uses more chemicals than any other single major crop.
Let alone, cotton is a very thirsty crop to grow.
Farming without the use of toxic chemicals are one of the great things about organic cotton farming.Scroll down to learn more about the challenges and benefits.
Challenges
You need a lot of water to grow cotton.
Roughly it takes 2700 litres of water to produce for a single t-shirt.
Let’s say you drink 3 litres of water a day. That’s 900 days worth of your drinking water.
We already know it uses loads of toxic chemicals in conventional cotton farming.
But what does it actually do?
Using harsh substances means it impacts the health and wellbeing of the farmers, local residents workers and the environment.
With heavy use of chemicals, it destroys the quality of soil.
It can also leak into local waterways, lakes and rivers, affecting the wildlife.
There’s a long-term impact to overall environment, people and the society.
Benefits
Organic cotton farming doesn’t use toxic chemicals and genetically modified cotton seeds, which ultimately promotes better farming practices and keep things more sustainable.
Basically, it’s a better option for the long-run.
Certified Cotton – What Does it Mean?
There are different certifications and levels of defining what’s organic.
Organisations like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) sets a high standard.
They have strict criteria for organic fibres, including ecology and social.
Under GOTS, they require farming practices that maintain and replenish soil fertility without the use of toxic/persistent pesticides and fertilisers.
They also exclude the use of GMO (genetic modification).
The standard covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution of all textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibres.
What Organic Cotton Do We Use?
It’s important for us to build awareness for future generations and strive for sustainable lifestyle.
We make efforts in every possible way in an effort to reduce environmental impacts.
When it came to choose the blanks (t-shirts and hoodies to print our designs), we looked for something that was 100% organic cotton that was sustainably made.
Earthpositive blanks and are made in 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, grown in India, that has been sustainably made through Carbon Footprint Standard.
They manufacture in a region of India that receives up to 95% of its water from the monsoon rainfall.
This is critical because the monsoon rain reduces the need for large scale irrigation; normally associated with conventional cotton farming.
They practice low impact organic farming by using clean renewable energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels.
They dedicate 30 turbines for primary energy source to the entire production process from spinning the yarn to finishing the garments.
Earthpositive t-shirts are also audited by Fair Wear Foundation, which promotes fair labour conditions in the clothing industry and free of child labour. The factory operates along with their 8 point code of conduct.