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Why Organic?

Most of us think of cotton as fluffy, white, and benign. After all, it clothes our newborn babies, dries us after we shower, and covers us up at night. When we think of cotton we think clean and safe. Unfortunately non-organic cotton farming produces results that are anything but clean and safe. Over one-third pound of hazardous chemical fertilizers and insecticides are used in growing the one pound of cotton that's knit into a T-shirt. These chemicals are absorbed into the cotton plant, the air, the soil, and eventually into our bodies. Less than 3% of all arable land is used in the cultivation of cotton, yet 25% of all toxic chemicals used in agriculture are used for this one crop alone. Five of the nine main chemicals used on cotton are known carcinogens! The World Health Organization reports 20,000 people in developing countries have died as a result of the chemicals sprayed on non-organic cotton. Besides polluting our air, water and farm workers, the toxic chemicals used in modern farming techniques threaten our natural ecosystems and contribute to soil erosion and nutrient depletion.

By contrast, organic cotton farmers use no hazardous chemicals on their crops. Instead, they follow both ancient and modern methods of natural cultivation. They keep the soil healthy with crop rotation and natural organic matter instead of toxic fertilizers and they control pests with beneficial insects and trap crops.

Choosing organic is a way to support a healthier, more sustainable and environmentally friendly way of life. More and more companies are sourcing, supplying and selling organic products to meet growing consumer demand. So it's very important that consumers can have complete confidence in the organic products they buy.

GOTS defines requirements to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer. This standard for organic textiles covers the production, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, exportation, importation and distribution of all natural fibres. Some of the approved certification bodies by GOTS are :

-Control Union Certifications b.v.(The Netherlands)

-IMO Institute for Marketecology (Switzerland)

-Soil Association Certification Ltd. (Great Britain)

-Oregon Tilth, Inc (USA)

-OneCert Inc (USA)