(The term “organic” has become so influential of late that it's taken on a life of its own. Whether its looking for organic produce at your local grocery store or visiting organic farm-to-table concept restaurants and even desperately seeking an organic following on Instagram — the term is practically a validation prefix at this point and for all good reasons. And when it comes to fabrics, the rise of organic cotton has been a prime example of those very good reasons.
At ZAVI, we pride ourselves on committing to create from the most sustainable fibres we can source and organic cotton has been one our most widely used fabrics. And why wouldn’t it be? For years, conventional cotton was deemed as the go-to choice for most buyers who were unaware of what was really going on behind that proud ‘100% Cotton’ purchase.
Commercial cotton is no good, it has one of the highest environmental impacts per kilogram of material. The intense amount of chemicals and water used to grow and process cotton make it one of the most hazardous crops. Additionally, the cotton crop consumes over 20,000 litres to produce 1kg of cotton — that’s enough cotton to create a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Fortunately, organic cotton has an exceptionally different story with up to a quarter of the environmental impact of conventional cotton. Unlike regular cotton, organic cotton is GMO free and uses no chemicals, toxic bleach, or formaldehyde to grow, harvest or process. And since there are no chemical retentions from organic cotton clothing, sensitive people with allergies can greatly benefit from using organic cotton. Compared to its commercial counterpart, organic cotton is softer, hypoallergenic and lasts for a long time. It doesn’t waste as much water either — 70% of organic cotton farms rely on rainwater alone to irrigate their crops and the farming has been known to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60%.
We could go on and on about our love for organic cotton, but in the mean time, feel free to explore some of our most exquisite organic cotton made pieces that not only feel soft on the skin but also leave behind a positive environmental impact…
Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2020-01-17