Clothing With A Conscience

When I first heard of organic clothing, I thought it was a crock. I may have rolled my eyes. I mean, I understand eating organic produce and drinking hormone-free milk, but now even my clothing should be organic? When does it end? I suppose when we stop using harmful chemicals to make the majority of items we use. Oh, right. That.

Why Buy Organic?

It’s probably common knowledge, but I’ll restate it anyway—synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester are made from petroleum-based chemicals. The manufacturing of these fabrics is extremely harmful to the workers involved and to the environment. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and sulfur oxide are byproducts of the process. Vinyl—used frequently in raincoats and backpacks—is pretty awful, too. Its manufacture releases carcinogens that can contaminate breast milk.

But any fabric that is dyed or goes through a final press using conventional methods can be harmful, releasing chemicals into the water and air. Formaldehyde is used in pressing, and has been linked to headaches and respiratory problems in those habitually exposed.

I’ve been raised to look for the label “100% cotton” on clothing, thinking that this natural fiber must be a superior choice. Just look at those “fabric of our lives” commercials with a toddler running through a field of daisies then falling onto a pile of clean white towels (or something like that). Doesn’t it seem pure?

Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, massive quantities of insecticides and pesticides are used to grow cotton through conventional methods. According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, 16 percent of the insecticides worldwide are used in cotton production, more than for any other single crop, and up to 99 percent of all cotton production is in developing countries, where there are few, if any, restrictions on pesticide use.

(One would think, then, that it’s better to buy cotton in the U.S., which might be true for conventionally grown cotton. But, according to a report by non-profit organization Organic Exchange, Turkey grows 40 percent of the world’s organic cotton, followed by India at 25 percent, and the U.S. and China, each at around 7 percent. Growing organic cotton in countries like Turkey, China, and India makes sense as the world’s largest-scale clothing manufacturing operations are in these regions.)