Suitable
What is organic?
Organic materials are raw materials produced without artificial additives. The starting point is to grow, harvest or collect everything in a natural way, with as little impact on the environment as possible.
With organic cotton that means, among other things, that the plant has not been genetically modified and that no artificial fertiliser or harmful crop-protection products, such as pesticides and herbicides, were used during cultivation. The farmland is kept healthy through crop rotation and other farming methods. This leads to lower water and energy use, which is good for the environment, for the cotton farmers and for the animals in the area.
With animal materials such as wool, animal welfare comes first. The animals are well cared for and treated with respect, and their living environment is kept clean, safe and environmentally friendly. Mulesing, cutting away skin around the hindquarters to prevent fly strike, is not practised on sheep that supply responsible wool.
To what extent is organic sustainable?
Organic cotton is more environmentally friendly than traditional cotton farming in certain respects, but it remains an intensive form of agriculture. The cotton plant simply needs a lot of water and land for a good annual yield, and organic cotton is also more vulnerable to diseases and pests.
If you look critically at wool, the sheep themselves are also polluters: think of the amount of manure, intestinal gases and urine they produce every day, and the deforestation that is sometimes needed to make room for the animals. Especially in large-scale livestock farming this can indeed have a negative impact on the environment.
Important to know: the term organic only says something about the raw material, not about the further processing. Some textile factories still use toxic chemicals and dyes in the production process, even if the cotton was grown organically.
To what extent is organic cotton fair?
The fact that cotton is grown organically is no guarantee of a fair price for the farmers or of good working conditions in the textile factory. Nor does it automatically mean that no child labour or forced labour is involved. Fortunately, many clothing brands strive to sell ethically responsible as well as environmentally friendly clothing. If in doubt, look at the Fairtrade Cotton label or the label of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), because they look specifically at the people behind the product. Suitable only works with proven certified producers.