Is Organic Cotton Sustainable?

Is Organic Cotton  Sustainable?

Cotton is an absolute favourite in the fashion industry and, more recently, sustainable cotton is featuring in big brand collections.  Currently, there are 13 well-known industry heavyweights committed to the 2025 sustainable cotton challenge, where they would commit to sourcing 100% sustainable organic cotton by 2025. Many big brands like PACT, NIKE etc are bringing organic cotton into their supply chains .

But is it really eco-friendly as it’s marketed to be? Or is it just media hype; something to make us feel-good, and shop more guilt free? 

What  Is Organic Cotton?

Organic cotton is cotton that's grown organically from non-genetically modified plants without  fertilizers, and synthetic agricultural chemicals in general. Instead, farmers use natural methods like composting to enrich the soil,  crop rotation, and using animals to control pests. 

How Does Organic Cotton Stack Up VS Other Materials

1. Organic Cotton VS Tencel

Tencel ( also known as lyocell) is a kind of fabric made from  wood pulp dissolved in some solvent chemicals. This solution is squeezed through small holes to produce threads.

Compared to organic cotton, Tencel has lower carbon footprint than many other textiles and is less water intensive. It has a closed-loop production process that allows it to reuse 99.5% of water and solvents. A big save to the ecosystem . However, it requires a lot of technological use, making it expensive to manufacture on the longrun that Organic Cotton. Additionally, Tencel is not very available in the market because of its controlled production.

2. Organic Cotton VS Hemp

Hemp is another alternative textile cotton from the cannabis sativa fibre. Unlike Cotton, Hemp grows quickly, requires little water (cotton requires three times as much water), and doesn’t need pesticides. Pretty affordable to grow. But there's a twist to it; Hemp has lower crop yield due to the ‘degumming’ process that they must undergo. This process involves removing impurities like waxes from the yields before the fibre is spinned into yarn and is so energy intensive it emits the most carbon dioxide emissions than cotton production.  

3. Organic Cotton VS Recycled Cotton

This is repurposing cotton textiles into cotton fibres that can be reused to create another cotton textile. This reduces the need for ‘Virgin’ cotton, requires less water, attention and resources. However, it is not perfect, because this process of recycling cotton shortens yarn length and textile quality. Recycling cotton is definitely better than using regular non-organic cotton. However comparing organic vs recycled cotton there is no clear winner, as both have pros and cons.

The Pros of Organic Cotton

1. No Harmful Chemicals

Organic Cotton farmers employ natural methods like rotating the crops regularly to avoid diseases and pest infestation. An estimated 16% of the world’s insecticides and about 7% of pesticides are used when farming conventional farming (according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) )  These chemicals don’t just harm ecosystems - they also seep into water supplies and pose a huge threat to the health of wildlife and the local communities around. 

2. Better for Soil and Water

Practices like crop rotation and composting, improve soil fertility and structure. In regions with regular rainfall, it can use up to 91% less water than regular cotton. 

3. Comfy and Breathable 

Organic Cotton is breathable and very comfy. It keeps your skin dry by absorbing moisture and reducing body heat which makes it ideal for sensitive skin or people with atopic skin . It is also quite easy to maintain. No wonder it's a favourite in the fashion industry. 

4. Consumer Appeal

Let's be honest - buying organic cotton feels good.  Because we are so big on supporting environmental health, buying a  T-shirt or a tote bag and knowing that this purchase supports eco-friendly farming practices can make you feel like you’re part of the solution. 

The Cons Of Organic Cotton

1. It’s Water-intensive

Cotton is reportedly the world's dirtiest crop. The more organic, the dirtier; and the more dirtier it is, the more water would be needed to process. According to the Water Footprint Network, it takes up to 2500 litres to make one 250g T-shirt, that's approximately 70 bath showers. While organic cotton can use less water in regions with regular rainfall,  In dry areas, it  requires a lot of irrigation, and can put a lot of strain on local resources. 

2. Low Yields despite Large land use 

Organic cotton yields up to 25% less per acre according to The New York Times. This means farmers need more land to produce the same amount of cotton which can lead to deforestation or not enough land being available for other crop production. 

3. High Costs for Farmers

Organic farming is not cheap. Farmers need to invest in new tools, and training which can be expensive. And since organic farming often produces lower yields, farmers may not see a significant return on their investment. Aside from that, because it's a lot more costly to produce, the end-products end up being expensive for a regular individual to purchase. If a product is not affordable for an average person to buy, how then is it sustainable?

Is Organic Cotton Sustainable?

Yes - and no.  Organic cotton is way better than regular cotton in terms of pesticide use, soil health, and water management. So there is no doubt it’s more sustainable than regular cotton. Additionally the reduced water and pesticide usage helps reduce the environmental footprint. However when you factor in land use, production costs, and  global demand, it is a bit more complicated. 

These  trade offs blur its tagline of being sustainable. Requiring a large mass of land, water and energy to produce eventually causes more greenhouse gas emissions. Lower crop yield discourages and hurts farmers’ returns on investment. This also limits supply to the teeming demand in the fashion industry and pushes fast-paced brands to patronize more regular cotton suppliers.

In short- there’s lots of work to be done to make cotton a more sustainable material. Including improvements to transport, packaging, recycling and working conditions for people growing and producing cotton fabric. There is no doubt though, that organic cotton has a much lower environmental footprint so is a great alternative to regular cotton.