I’ll be honest here – I set out to write about why buying clothing made with organic cotton was a no-brainer, easy swap. But, I actually learned a ton and I’m not convinced it’s such a straightforward answer.
What makes cotton organic?
Bleach Free!
Pesticide-free!
Chemical Free!
Non-toxic!
Feels like a marketer’s dream, right?!
To qualify as organic cotton, the plant is grown without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and instead, natural methods are used to help the plants grow and also protect the crops (think all-natural pesticides and insecticides). Plus, organic cotton crops can’t be GMO (genetically modified).
Sounds great, right?! Yup, let’s move on.
Organic Cotton Pros & Cons
This all sounds great, and it immediately seems like the environmental benefits of organic farming practices make organic products a better choice. But sustainability is about more than just being all-natural and non-toxic and is never so cut-and-dry. For example, growing organic cotton helps the environment by reducing the negative impact on water quality or soil in the surrounding areas – yay for cleaner water and healthy soil!
Depending on how the product is produced, there could be more eco-friendly dyeing processes with organic cotton. Conventional dyeing is (you guessed it) tough on the environment because it produces lots of wastewater. It can also be dangerous for the workers who are processing the materials.
Always look for organic cotton clothing that is GOTS certified, which guarantees an end-to-end organic process. GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and it is an internationally recognized certification.
There’s a growing school of thought that organic clothing is better for your skin. This makes sense, right? Fewer chemicals growing the cotton, dying the cotton… I’m sure that’s less irritating for sensitive skin. To check for harmful chemicals, look for OEKO-TEX labeled products. This organization maintains high standards for manufacturing and can help you make purchases that are more sustainable.
Growing cotton without toxic pesticides, insect prevention, and fertilizers helps the environment because those chemicals aren’t seeping into our water and soil – generally wreaking havoc. This also results in better conditions for the workers on the farm, and true sustainability means that there are benefits for people as well as the planet. One study shows a link between organic farming and reducing poverty among farm workers.
However, those “all-natural” fertilizers and pesticides being used for farming mean that the crops aren’t as abundant and don’t produce as much cotton per plant. So in order to produce the same amount of cotton, farmers need more land and they also need more water to feed and nurture their natural little cotton plant babies – whomp whomp.
Look, I get it – this is a minor “con” when you look at the big picture. But with global warming, deforestation, water supply issues, and the earth’s loss of biodiversity, it’s absolutely a con worth considering.
Conventional Cotton Pros & Cons
We’ve already hit on some of the cons of conventional cotton: though it produces higher yields, non-organic farming includes heavy use of insecticides and pesticides that is harmful to the planet and to workers on the farms.
It’s commonly believed that cotton is a “thirsty” plant. According to the WWF, experts believe that cotton farming uses the most water across all of agriculture. In fact, to produce one t-shirt and a pair of jeans – about 2 pounds of cotton – one source states that takes more than 5,200 gallons of water. This statistic has been widely quoted in so many blogs and articles.
Side note: Does anyone else still think of wrestling when they see WWF, even though they changed their name TWENTY years ago? Just me? Ok, moving on…
Now that stat was from 2016, and a more recent case study from 2021 states that it takes approximately 500 gallons of irrigation water and 1500 gallons of rainwater to produce the cotton needed to manufacture a t-shirt and jeans. [I took the liberty of converting from liters to gallons, thank you Google for the conversion tool.]
Furthermore, up to 56% of the world’s cotton plants are actually 100% watered by rain and don’t need any irrigation, making the water usage less than common crops like wheat or rice.
So that brings me to conventional cotton production’s land use and harmful pesticides. The WWF states that the countries that produce the most cotton (India, United States, Pakistan, China) are already using about 2.5% of available farming land to grow cotton. Even with such a small percentage of land use, cotton farming accounts for 16% of worldwide insecticide usage and has earned a reputation as the “world’s dirtiest crop.”
To switch to organic farming and continue with the same level of crop output, farmers would need more land, which is already in short supply. (They’d also need more water, but water scarcity is a whole other issue). More land would likely involve reducing other crops, or trying to clear more land, and we have to consider the larger implications there like global warming and reducing biodiversity. There are so many complex issues at stake here and lots of tradeoffs to consider.
Greenwashing
To make matters worse, fashion brands and marketers are confusing consumers with greenwashing, which is when a company claims to be eco friendly without taking any real, meaningful action.
The good news is that the tide is starting to turn and in recent years consumers want to make better choices and spend their money on products (and with brands) they feel good about. The problem is that some companies take full advantage of this.
When you shop with a brand that uses the term “organic cotton” in their marketing, but they don’t follow GOTS manufacturing so the product was also dyed with toxic chemicals – that can be misleading.
Final Verdict
I thought the negative environmental impact of the harmful chemicals used to grow non-organic cotton was going to be the overwhelming reason to buy organic cotton products. But with climate change, specifically the recent severe droughts, the water use and land requirements of organic cotton farming muddy the issue.
I do still shop organic whenever I have the option. I think it’s the better choice for the planet overall and for those working in the cotton fields. In my research for this blog post, I came across a lot of sources that claim organic cotton holds up better, doesn’t pill, and is softer. But most of those articles were written by brands selling organic cotton. 😉 So until there’s more data, or conclusive research, I don’t factor that in here.
It’s not a popular opinion, but I keep coming back to the fact that we just need to buy less. Do I really need the same t-shirt in 4 colors? Probably not.
When I do make a purchase, I prioritize shopping with brands that value ethical production and support their workers and local communities. And I make sure I buy higher-quality items that hold up so they won’t need to be replaced as often.
This might seem small, but when I think of the impact it makes over a few seasons of shopping for me and my family, I know it adds up and can make a difference!