Features
Cottoning On
Except for the naturists among us there are few alternatives to the wearing of clothes. But we do have an alternative when it comes to the materials our clothes are made from. And it's not just dedicated environmentalists that are cottoning on. Ordinary members of the public are seeking an environmentally-friendly option and the high-street is starting to respond.
Popular appeal
Ali Hewson is probably the most well-known of the high-end eco-retailers. Her label Edun is committed to the use of organic, fair-trade cotton. Earlier this year, Marks and Spencer became the first major high-street retailer to stock fair-trade and organic cotton clothing. Topshop has followed suit with its People Tree range and even Tesco has announced that it will be introducing a range of organic clothing under the guidance of Katherine Hamnett early next year.
Hamnett is one of the outspoken pioneers of organic and fair-trade clothing. A celebrated designer, she has used her clothing to promote political and ecological campaigns and, in 1990, proposed the "Greening of cotton by 2000" as part of her "Clean up or Die" campaign. Long before others jumped on the ecological bandwagon and organic cotton became de rigueur for designers, Hamnett realised the dangers of cotton to the environment and to the farmer.
Environmental damage
Cotton has long been associated with a clean image and has been perceived as more environmentally friendly than synthetic materials such as nylon or lycra. However it is not the innocent fabric we might expect and its big business. Industrially produced cotton is one of the world's most traded commodities, with the United States, China, India and Pakistan accounting for two-thirds of world cotton production. Changes in agricultural methods, incentives to farmers and increased clothing consumption have led to a huge increase in cotton output since the 1980s, resulting in massive environmental damage. For every pound of industrially-produced cotton harvested, one third of a pound of fertiliser has been used in its production.
In the US the cotton crop consumes one third of all pesticides used in farming, with many of these chemicals (such as methamidophos and cypermethrin) declared by the US Environmental Protection Agency to be hazardous to the environment and to human health. Problems include damage to water supplies, chemical burns and death by accidental poisoning. Organic cotton farming prohibits the use of such fertilisers and pesticides in favour of natural fertilisers, crop-rotation and hand-weeding. Genetically modified seeds are also prohibited in the growth of certified organic cotton. 70% of US cotton fields currently feature GM cotton, making a switch to organic, a labour-intensive, but environmentally sound, option.
Growing a market
When large scale retailers such as Tesco begin to follow the lead of independent designers like Hewson and Stella Mc Cartney, they obviously envisage a market for the product. Whether organic cotton clothing is just a fashion craze remains to be seen. At the moment organic cotton clothing is more expensive than its industrial cousin, but increased demand can bring down the price, making it a more accessible option for everyone. Organic cotton farmers in the US are calling on clothing manufacturers to commit to making steady annual purchases of their organic cotton. If the market doesn't respond, the organic products will be taken off the rails; but placing organic cotton garments on the high-street as valid, stylish options for the consumer is the only way to facilitate change, both in the market and on the farm.
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