ORGANIC COTTON
— Why we love it and can’t get enough —
Yes to sustainable choices!! Even if no one is there to witness the awesomeness of you making a sustainable choice, we say, give yourself that dopamine hit and celebrate your own power that you just wielded for good! Making sustainable choices can be challenging and hard to navigate. Like most complex problems, sustainability often lies in a spectrum and takes some research to figure out. Companies love to flaunt sustainability, often times greenwashing, which means marketing sustainability without offering transparency and real significant changes. At Reenie K we try and make it easy. We offer transparency and make as many sustainable choices as we can and commit to make even better ones in the future. We look at sustainability as a complex journey that we are all on together. Just like most worthwhile journeys in life, it’s not about perfection but always striving to do better. So let’s dive a little deeper into the world of organic cotton and why making this particular choice is so important. We try and answer the question, “Why is it so important to support and buy organic cotton?”
First, we’d like to write a short love letter to cotton. Cotton fabric is breathable, incredibly soft, and comfortable, yet long lasting and durable. This versatile fiber is ideal for practically any garment, from denim to tees, jackets and dresses, to socks and underwear. No wonder this wondrous fiber has been a favorite choice throughout human history for all kinds of fabrics and uses. In fact, it’s hard to imagine what life or our wardrobe would be without cotton. It’s probably safe to say that everyone of us wears cotton almost everyday. That’s pretty incredible! As one of the most used fibers in the fashion and interiors industry, let’s take a look why organic cotton is the choice to make.
Here are some interesting stats we found! India grows 51% of global organic cotton, China grows 17%, while the United States grows about 2%. According to the Organic Trade Association organic cotton makes up 0.93% of global cotton, which is less than 1%. But there is some good news! The production of organic cotton increased by 31% from the previous year. That’s why it’s important to know the power of your purchases. Your money and your choices communicates to companies what your demands are and it has an immediate and direct impact on the environment and global trends. We hope that you can feel good and empowered by this and know that you and your choices absolutely matter! So take a moment to acknowledge how much power and choice you have in your hands and that beautiful head of yours! In fact, about 140,000 acres of land that grows conventional cotton is currently being converted to organic! Let’s make it even more next year! As demand increases so will the amount of land that gets converted from growing conventional cotton to organic cotton.
Some things you might already know about organic cotton and organic farming in general is that it does not use harmful and toxic pesticides and fertilizers, and it does not use genetically modified seeds. The general environmental impact is either low or positive, these practices replenish soil fertility and promotes biologically diverse agriculture. What you may not know is that with organic cotton it goes far beyond the farming practices, it changes how the fiber and fabric is processed in its entirety. It changes everything from start to finish! Conventional cotton uses toxic chemicals in harvesting and toxic waxes are used to stabilize the fibers during production. Even in finishing a fabric certain synthetic surfactants and additional chemicals (sometimes formaldehyde) are used. In the whitening, dyeing, and printing processes toxic by-products are created by chlorine, and certain substances used contain heavy metals. When you choose organic cotton all of those processes change, better and more sustainable practices are used in fabric production and dyeing. Alternative methods are used without toxic substances so the cotton can be certified as organic. Wow! So many changes are made to achieve that label of “organic cotton,” it makes us think it should be written in gold!
We’ve collected a few interesting facts, these might be helpful in the future just in case anyone asks or inquires on what the big deal is with organic cotton or what the difference is. Use these facts to reinforce your own choices or let people know in an excited and inclusive way! Let that person know without scaring them too much, “Hey! I love your interest in organic cotton and you are in luck because you are asking the right person here."
Organic cotton is 80% rainfed, which makes a big difference considering that it takes 2,700 liters or approximately 700 gallons of water to make one conventional t-shirt.
No toxic chemicals are used in the production of organic cotton, while conventional cotton uses about 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticides.
In buying organic cotton you don’t support GMO cotton produced by such companies like Monsanto that have unethical business practices that displace or destroy local farmers.
Cotton does not shed microplastics into the environment, while polyester, nylon and microfleece do and are made with petrochemicals. Through washing and wear these release contaminants that impact water quality and even permeate your skin.
As a brand we are committed to making sustainable choices and offering transparency. Currently all of our tops and tees are made with either 100% organic cotton or organic cotton blends. They are all hand dyed with low impact fiber reactive dyes. What does “low impact” mean? It means that these dyes do not contain toxic substances and 70% or more of the dye is absorbed into the fabric and require relatively little water rinse.
If this subject is igniting any passions, we highly recommend The True Cost documentary. There are some deeply moving interviews and real life accounts in this documentary of why organic cotton can be so personally important and impactful. The documentary as a whole covers the effects of the fashion industry on the environment and on humanity. Highly recommended!! In depth and genuinely moving. It contains interviews of people working for change in the industry, from farmers to garment workers to designers, such as Stella McCartney.
Remember, the everyday choices you make as a consumer holds real power and we love that!
