Conventional cotton grown in the U.S. ranks third behind corn and soybeans in total amount of pesticides sprayed. What to do about the clothing we wear? Buy organic cotton clothing if you can afford it, or...

Date:   5/23/2008 5:44:46 PM ( 16 y ago)

buy "recycled" clothing from thrift stores or re-sale stores. Hold off on buying clothing until you ab-soul-utely have to! I wait until my stuff is nearly in tatters before I replace it, or I've "outgrown" it (at age 51 I'm not likely to get any taller, just wider)--yeah, not exactly fashionable, but easier on the environment and on my budget!

By buying "recycled" clothing, the consumer demand for new clothing diminishes--the consumer is "buying out" of the "consumer mentality" that grips Western culture. "Recycle, reduce, reuse" applies to all aspects of consumer consumption, not just the usual paper/glass/aluminum, etc.

If we must buy new, the more of us who buy new clothing that is made from organic cotton, the higher the consumer demand, the more acreage of organic cotton is grown, the less pesticides/herbicides are used, and hopefully the cost of organic cotton clothing goes down over time as more of it is manufactured.

Where to Buy Organic Clothing Online:

I rarely buy organic cotton clothing because of the price, but just received an e-mail from Maggies Functional Organics announcing a new online "outlet" for reduced pricing that looks fairly reasonable:
http://www.maggiesorganics.com/products_item.php?cat_id=9
You can find some Maggies products in Whole Foods; the prices online are less as you don't have to pay the Whole Foods mark-up.  Maggies is also listed on Co-Op America's National Green Pages

For a listing of 109 other organic cotton/hemp/silk/bamboo/Fair Trade/sweatshop-free clothing, go to Co-op America's National Green Pages and put "Clothing" in the "Category" section:
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/

For more information read Organic Trade Association's "Cotton and the Environment"  below: 


Benefit of Organic

Organic agriculture protects the health of people and the planet by reducing the overall exposure to toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides that can end up in the ground, air, water and food supply, and that are associated with health consequences, from asthma to cancer. Because organic agriculture doesn't use toxic and persistent pesticides, choosing organic products is an easy way to help protect yourself.

Acreage estimates for the 2006 U.S. cotton crop show approximately 5,971 acres of certified organic cotton were planted in the United States and in 2007, farmers planed 7,473 acres. Internationally, Turkey and the United States are the largest organic cotton producers.

Demand is being driven by apparel and textile companies that are expanding their 100% organic cotton program and developing programs that blend small percentages of organic cotton with their conventional cotton products.

Here are some reasons why organic cotton production is important to the long-term health of the planet:

Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and defoliants.). (Allan Woodburn)
Approximately 10% of all pesticides sold for use in U. S. agriculture were applied to cotton in 1997, the most recent year for which such data is publicly available. (ACPA)

Fifty-five million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 12.8 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2003 (4.3 pounds/ acre), ranking cotton third behind corn and soybeans in total amount of pesticides sprayed. (USDA)
Over 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to conventional cotton in 2000 (142 pounds/acre), making cotton the fourth most heavily fertilized crop behind corn, winter wheat, and soybeans. (USDA)

The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin). (EPA)

In 1999, a work crew re-entered a cotton field about five hours after it was treated with tribufos and sodium chlorate (re-entry should have been prohibited for 24 hours). Seven workers subsequently sought medical treatment and five have had ongoing health problems. (California DPR)
Sources

OTA's "2006 U.S. Organic Production & Marketing Trends" report.

Allen Woodburn Associates Ltd./Managing Resources Ltd., "Cotton: The Crop and its Agrochemicals Market," 1995.

American Crop Protection Association, "1997 Total U. S. Sales by Crop Protection Product Type and Market," 1998 ACPA Industry Profile.

California Department of Pesticide Regulation, "DPR Releases Data on 1999 Pesticide Injuries," 2001.

U. S. Department of Agriculture, "Agricultural Chemical Usage: 2003 Field Crop Summary."

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, "List of Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential," 2001.

©2008, Organic Trade Association

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