COTTON

Material Guide

Category:

Natural material, renewable, recyclable

Other names:

Tree wool, cotton wool, Pima

Short description:

Cotton is organic and biodegradable fiber, grown as a protective bowl around the cotton plants of Gossypium. The bowl is usually spun into yarn to create breathable, lightweight and durable fabric.

Impact on the environment:

Low, as a plant, when grown organically. High on water demand and social and ethical impact when processed in non-regulated production. Another issue arise also with genetically modified cotton seeds, which cannot be replanted and therefore are too expensive to buy every season for cotton farmers, resulting in deeper debts.

Use:

Textile industry, cosmetics and medical products, fishing nets, coffee filters etc…

Types:

Pima, Upland, Egyptian, Acala

What to look for?

Organic cotton with certifications such are: GOTS, Oeko-tex, Fair-trade, Better Cotton Initiative and others.

Did you know?

One of the big plastic polluters are cotton swabs with plastic rods and are banned in some countries already? When buying swabs opt for ones with bamboo or rolled paper rods instead.

Post written by

Zora Roth

Tags

cotton, organic cotton

Categories

CONSCIOUS DICTIONARY, MATERIALS

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