Organic cotton: the new textile fiber that can save the world
There are various certificates guaranteeing organic cotton standards. Among them, we’ll talk about OCS and GOTS.
The increasing attention to the environment leads to better fabric quality
Sustainability
How many times do you hear every day the words sustainability and recycling? What are their real meaning?
It is worth to know that sustainable development is fundamentally that particular process that meets consumers’ needs without impacting negatively the environment and compromising the future of our next generations.
The final goal of sustainability is to improve everyone’s lifestyle, making us more aware of our environment.
This kind of process has its fundations on circular economy, where raw materials come from old end products; such economy does not generate waste, but tries to use again resources without producing new ones.
Considering that “sustainability” became an everyday word, it is important for companies to make sustainability communicate with the most trendy topic of all times: fashion.
Fashion and sustainability
Nowadays, sustainability is often mentioned in the fashion world. The challange many companies in this industry face is to find the perfect balance between style and sustainability: following trends but, at the same time, saving the environment. What has changed so far?
More and more companies use innovative materials that come from completely new textile fibers, or really ancient ones. An example might be the fiber produced from the orange skin, or the once made using apple skin. However, the most simple and ancient is cotton, that became again organic and biological.
In workwear it is something new.
Have you ever wonder: “What is organic cotton?”
How is it different from traditional cotton and what are its features? Let’s have a look.
Organic cotton
Organic or biological cotton is a type of cotton that is cultivated and then processed according to biologic agriculture’s standards. Its production protects people and environment’s health, making use of natural processes and materials.
Traditional cotton, on the other hand, is processed using chemicals such as Chlorine, heavy metals and synthetic dyes.
What can we notice from these differences?
Clothing in organic cotton lasts longer than traditional cotton clothing!
Differences between organic and traditional cotton
The first difference can be found in the plant seed.
The cotton plant is called Gossypium, and is cultivated mainly in America, India and Asia; around 26.5 million tons of cotton are produced every year, and, as a matter of fact, it is considered one of the most cultivated plants in the world. However, the cultivation of organic cotton is just the 1% of the whole cotton production.
Seeds used in the cultivation of traditional cotton are treated with pesticides and are GMOs, meaning they are genetically modified to meet certain characteristics. Doing so plants are immune to some illnesses.
Instead, seeds used for the cultivation of organic cotton cannot be OGMs and are not chemically treated.
How can I recognize a product made with Organic Cotton?
The only way to understand if a product is made with organic cotton is to have a look at the label and look for a specific certificate.
There are various certificates, such as OCS and GOTS.
These certificates are issued to producers by institutions that need to check whether the company is telling the truth or not: actually, they need to check the whole production line, from cultivation to final distribution.
OCS certificate
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is internationally sponsored by Textile Exchange. The certificate requires the textile fibers to be natural, coming from biological agriculture, and guaranteeing the material tracking along the product line. To be OCS certified, products must contain from 5% to 100% of natural textile fibers biologically certified.
GOTS certificate
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the most important certificate worldwide for products made with natural fibers.
GOTS was designed by international institutions, leader in the biological agriculture industry, with the aim to guarantee the consumer that biological products are made considering human and environmental safety, from cultivation to final selling.
To gain this certificate, textile products must contain at least 70% of natural fibers, coming from biological agriculture.
If you are interested in organic cotton workwear, have a look at our products and contact us to learn more!
