With the onslaught of green products, organic foods and buzz words like sustainability and efficiency, it’s easy to ignore the facts behind the sensationalism. The movement has lost a little meaning in the adoption of this trendy slang, but the fact of the matter remains the same: organic is better, for you and the environment. And it’s still true when it comes to your clothing.
Organic clothing is produced from crops that are grown organically, such as organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides, and comes from plants that haven’t been genetically modified. It comes with a potpourri of benefits: the environmental impact is significantly lessened, as are a host of side effects. Cotton production accounts for approximately 25 percent of the world’s insecticide uses, and 10 percent of its pesticide. Seven of the top 15 used are listed by the EPA as “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens. Not only do those chemicals lead to pollution of the air and water, they can cause the growers and workers tending the cotton to fall ill, and residual chemicals in the cotton can irritate the skin.
