Care About What You Wear - Cotton: Facts Behind the Fiber

[nosmokes]

original-organicclothing
Cotton: Facts Behind the Fiber

We had written this post as the first in a series on organic cotton. The second in the organic cotton series was "Cotton: African Savior or Curse". Somehow this blog post disappeared so we are reposting it again.

Cotton - From Field to Fashion.

There has been some confusion about what really are natural fibers used in textiles. In some people’s opinion, natural fiber clothing is the same as organic clothing. In conversations, “natural clothing” is sometimes used to refer to organic clothing because the clothing is completely natural and was not grown with any toxic chemicals nor manufactured using toxic chemicals. But natural fiber clothing simply refers to clothing made from fibers found in nature, such as cotton, wool or hemp, which may not be grown or manufactured under conditions which would allow them to be certified as organic.

Natural fibers fall into three main groups: vegetable fibers which come from plants; protein fibers, which come from the wool and hair of animals; and the strong elastic fibrous secretion of silkworm larvae in cocoons which is used to create silk. The main ingredient in all vegetable fibers is cellulose, a carbohydrate found in all plant life. The most common natural fibers used to make clothing are cotton, hemp, ramie, linen, lyocell / Tencel, wool, and silk.

This article on cotton is the first in a series that examines each of these natural fibers in their journey from the field to the fashion runway as they journey to rise to ecofashion stardom or sink into conventional toxic Margarittaville.

Cotton – hero or villain? When we think about global warming, growing cancer rates, deepening poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries, and even increasing chemical sensitivities, our clothes closets are probably not the first villain that comes to mind, but our clothes can be a significant, quiet co-conspirator.
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complete article including links to related sources here

[quinnox]

1. lol

Wow, going a bit too far.

first it was beef is evil and we all have to become vegetarians

Next SUV's are bad, and you should sell them

Now cotton is bad? wow, Sorry I'm not going to throw all my tshirts away! Not to mention most every piece of clothing has cotton in it!

[B2G]

4. I'm going to have to quit my job

To keep up with all of the shit I shouldn't be doing and the crap I shouldn't be buying.

My head hurts now.

[TomInTib]

2. I collect shirts and I wear only organic cotton, linen, or silk.

Most commercial cotton farming is really nasty business.

[texastoast]

3. Cotton takes a lot of effort to grow

Needs lots of pesticides to keep out the boll weevels and lots of herbicides to produce well.

Hemp, on the other hand, does not. I really wish we could bring cotton farmers into the hemp arena. They would make a lot more money.

[nosmokes]

5. Yep, cotton, even organic cotton is water intensive and requires a lot of

room for the amount of usable fiber compared to other fibrous plants that are much more efficient, hemp being one that would could readily be put into use. bamboo is another. We could save a lot of trees by making paper out these plants as well instead of cutting old growth and sending it to the pulp mill.

[RC]

6. Cotton is bad. Synthetic is bad. Wool is too hot.

We have to go around neked then?

[texastoast]

7. One thing is that we have to have SO MANY CLOTHES

Old houses had armoires, presses, or the most fancy ones, tiny closets at best.

People used to have four or five outfits, one for church, a couple to wear during the week, and one or two to wear for really dirty jobs. Now the thought of wearing the same five outfits over and over each week is just unheard of.

If we could get away from the capitalistic, almighty consume, consume, consume mindset, maybe we could actually provide for all the people without doing without anything. There is no doubt we have enough.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Fucking environazis. Can't eat beef, can't wear cotton... Can they *hear* themselves?