Textiles
Cotton farming uses one quarter of the world's pesticides. Although wearing non-organic clothing may not directly affect our health, non-organic cotton production can have a serious effect on the health of cotton farmers.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 20,000 deaths occur in developing countries each year from pesticide poisoning; many of these are attributed to cotton production.
Much of the world's cotton is grown in developing countries and as more and more pesticides and chemical fertilisers are used, the soil fertility is damaged. This in turn forces farmers to buy more chemicals to encourage their cotton plants to grow – thus sinking them and their families into debt. This means many of these farmers cannot afford to send their children to school.
There is an alternative.
According to Organic Exchange, more than 170,000 farmers are now growing organic cotton across 22 countries and finding that on average, yields of organic cotton are comparable to those of non-organic cotton.
By farming organically, cotton farmers have reported that they can avoid debt and are able to use use viable alternatives to pesticides to protects their health. For example, Ugandan organic cotton farmers use black ants to keep the cotton pests away and grow okra plants next to the cotton plants to attract away cotton stainers - a pest that the black ants don't attack.
Organic cotton farmers can also grow food safely on their land, which they can then use to feed themselves and their families or sell to increase their income, thus providing food security. Organic farmers also report substantially higher incomes, allowing them to educate their children and gain access to health care.
Once cotton has been harvested it needs to go through a series of processes including washing, bleaching, dyeing and printing to turn it into a T-shirt, towel or duvet cover. At least 8,000 chemicals are used in these processes – many of which are classified by the WHO as 'moderately hazardous' to 'acutely hazardous'. Soil Association organic standards ban the use of these chemicals and include criteria to ensure that organic textiles are grown and made using methods that cause the least amount of harm to humans and the environment.
The Soil Association’s 2009 Organic Market Report shows a 63% rise in global output of organic cotton since 2008, the good news is that more companies than ever before are manufacturing organic textile products. Even mainstream retailers are starting to stock organic ranges and not just clothes. Organic towels, bedding and mattresses are all now readily available.