, a producer of organic fabrics, was kind enough to send us some guidelines on what we need to know about using them. This is great news for those of us that are in the design business and often end up speccing materials: the more we know, the better we can make a case for using organic and sustainable materials. Thanks to Mary for the info!
When someone suggests organic, people automatically assume it will be more expensive, a hassle, and compromising ease of use for an eco-friendly alternative. However, organic cotton can easily be substituted for regular cotton. There is not really a difference between organic and conventional fabrics relative to durability, shrinkage, etc, as the cotton is mechanically treated the same throughout production. There are specific chemicals - for example, the anti-felting chemicals used on washable wool - that are not allowed in true organic production – but those are very specific to each individual finished product.
The major difference in organic and conventional cotton fibers lies in its life before fiber, from seed to finish. From the seeds used to plant the cotton to finishing processes, organic methods offer several benefits to conventional cotton, resulting in a higher quality cotton fiber. Starting with the seeds and soil, organic cotton seeds are never genetically modified and are not treated with fungicides of any sort. Since organic farmers use crop rotation, there is little loss of soil or intensive irrigation involved as in conventional growing. Convention cotton is one of the largest pesticide dependent crops in the world and the insecticides and pesticides damage human health and the environment adding chemicals to the final cotton plant. When conventional cotton is harvested it is induced with toxic chemicals, whereas organic cotton is naturally defoliated from freezing temperatures or water management. After harvest cotton is whitened, finished, and dyed. Though some organic cotton companies use harmful methods, Maggie’s uses alternative methods to lessen the negative environmental and health impacts of its products. For instance, to whiten the cotton, traditional methods use chlorine bleach, whereas we use peroxide, a safer alternative that does not produce toxic by products. Traditional finishing requires chemicals and synthetic surfactants that our finishing does not. Dying our organic fabrics takes advantage of natural dyes with lower sulfur and metal content than conventional dying practices. The sulfur and metal can leach into human skin and the environment. Often times organic fibers are printed with water based inks or options without heavy metals.
"Organic cotton can easily be substituted for regular cotton. There is not really a difference between organic and conventional fabrics relative to durability, shrinkage, etc, as the cotton is mechanically treated the same throughout production"
Organic guidelines provide firm laws to promote environmentally conscious and fair labor practices. At Maggie’s Organics we manufacture our finished products according to the voluntary North American Organic Fiber Processing Standards (See: http://www.ota.com/polls/21.html). True it costs more to produce organic cotton, but certified organic cotton can receive a price premium, making the investment to convert to organic cotton production worthwhile.
From a consumer standpoint, I do notice that the clothing I wear that is made from organic fibers is softer than conventional fibers. However, I believe this is attributed to the fact that true organic clothing does not undergo the chemical processing that conventional clothing does. So from a comfort perspective, it beats conventional hands-down! In my experience, organic clothing lasts just as long, if not longer, than conventional clothing. My favorite clothes are my organic ones! They feel better to wear on the inside and out!
"True it costs more to produce organic cotton, but certified organic cotton can receive a price premium, making the investment to convert to organic cotton production worthwhile."
Visit www.maggiesorganics.com for more information on the benefits of organic cotton and to check out attractive, durable, and affordable products made of certified organic fibers.
