Tuesday 10 July 2007

Organic Cotton for your Baby?

So why is organic cotton a better choice for your baby products?

Q: What is organic cotton?
A: Growing organic cotton reduces the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. To be considered organic, fabrics must be certified to ensure that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. The benefits to babies, is the softness and quality that only organic cotton can provides.

Q: Difference from non-organic cotton?
A: The cotton that is grown in conventional ways is compromised and weakened by the chemicals used in growing, processing and dying of the cotton, all these things break the fiber down and create a weaker, inferior cotton garment, that is why you get a softer, stronger, better cotton using organic.

Statistics:
  • Regular cotton uses approximately 25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides
  • Approximately 10% of all pesticides sold for use in U. S. agriculture were applied to cotton
  • Eighty-four million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 14.4 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2000 (5.85 pounds/ acre)
  • Over 2.03 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers were applied to conventional cotton the same year (142 pounds/acre)
  • The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” human carcinogens
  • It takes roughly one-third of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to grow enough cotton for just one T-shirt.

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