July 2008

Cheat Sheet

 

How to sound like an expert even when you’re not.

By Matt Histand

Q. There’s a lot of talk about green apparel, particularly organic cotton. Since cotton is already a natural fabric, why is some cotton considered “organic” and other cotton isn’t? And what about dyeing and decoration? Can a shirt still be considered organic if color has been added or it’s been screen printed?

A. The rise in popularity of organic cotton has been dramatic, but a lot of apparel buyers don’t know how cotton gets certified as organic. With phrases such as environmentally friendly, green and carbon neutral (to name just a few), it’s no wonder then that there’s confusion as to what exactly makes some cotton organic.

In simplest terms, organic cotton is any cotton that is grown from non-genetically modified seeds and without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Organic cotton is grown around the world with the largest producers located in the U.S., Turkey and India. The good news is that no matter where it’s grown the certification process is the same; a third-party certification organization verifies that the farmer used only acceptable methods and materials.

And what are those methods and materials? It’s the use of natural fertilizers such as compost or manure in place of chemicals and natural pesticides such as ladybugs. During harvest the fields are flooded to defoliate the plants as opposed to being sprayed with a chemical. Also important is the use of special machinery that’s kept separate from non-organic crops.

“The machinery used for organic cotton is continually cleaned and sterilized,” says Marc Held, national sales manager for Bodek and Rhodes (asi/40788), which is a member of the Organic Trade Association. “This way, the organic cotton isn’t combined with other fibers or non-organic crops. Producers also must keep their gins and knitting machines separate.”

While these methods might not seem like a big deal, the impact to the environment can be dramatic. For one, organic methods prevent the use of many harmful chemical leeching into drinking water and running off into rivers and streams. It’s also more water efficient because the increased amount of organic material in the soil helps retain moisture.

Despite all the precautions, the purity of the organic process is somewhat compromised after the manufacturing process. While most organic cotton garments are assembled with tiny amounts of non-organic thread, color is added with a low-impact dye that’s not entirely chemical free. “At this time there’s no 100% organic dye on the market,” Held says.

The same goes for screen printing. The process requires the use of a chemical emulsion in the creation of a screen. The good news is that the actual ink that’s applied is an environmentally friendly, water-based ink. The cost is significantly higher, but that should change.

“I think as it becomes more popular competition will help the price come down,” says Dan Alexander, owner of Mainly Monograms (asi/700308). “To what extent, I’m not sure. But if the price is in the ballpark with regular printing, people won’t mind paying a little bit extra.”

Transition Cotton Organic cotton can only be grown in a field that has been free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers for three years. As farmers switch over to organic methods, the cotton they produce during that three-year period is called transitional cotton or in-conversion cotton. Wal-Mart recently purchased more than 12 million pounds of transitional cotton at the premium price for organic cotton from farmers switching over to organic farming methods. The purchase removed a major stumbling block for many farmers looking to switch to organic methods. The transitional cotton will be purchased by Wal-Mart from approximately 1,000 farmers and should help spur cotton production and could lead to lower prices on organic cotton for the whole apparel industry.

Chemical Dependency Traditional cotton production introduces large amounts of toxic chemicals into the environment. Here are some of the frightening facts: ◆ Cotton production uses roughly 25% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of the pesticides. ◆ Of all the pesticides used in the U.S., nearly 10% were in cotton production. ◆ U.S. farms sprayed 55 million pounds of pesticides on 12.8 million acres of cotton. ◆ More than 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizer was used in the production of cotton. ◆ The Environmental Protection Agency listed seven of the top 15 pesticides commonly used in growing cotton as “possible,” “likely,” “probable” and “known” human carcinogens. Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008

Matt Histand is senior editor for Wearables and Counselor. Contact: mhistand@asicentral.com.