What to Consider When Buying Organic Clothes
Shopping for clothes is something that most women enjoy, and that many men hate. However, more and more consumers are becoming concerned about
the state of the environment, and are switching to environmentally
sustainable products, including clothes, out of care for future
generations and Mother Earth.
Here are some things to consider when buying organic clothes.
1.
Make sure the product is truly "organic." Only products made from
ingredients that cause no harm to nature at any point in their life
cycle can be considered authentically "organic." This means that the
materials used in the garment have been grown without the use of
synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, antibiotics, additives, or
genetically modified organisms. Organic farms don't just produce plants
to make fibbers that mills turn into fabric and clothing. Genuine
organic farms work hard to sustain the health of the soil, the
environment and the people involved in the process from start to finish.
2.
Just because it's cotton doesn't mean it's organic. Cotton has been a
mainstay of human clothing since the time of the Egyptians. However,
industrialized agriculture in the 20th century turn cotton into an even
more damaging crop than it previously was. Cotton takes a lot of the
nutrients out of the soil and leaves little behind. Agribusinesses, and
even well-meaning agriculturalists, have used synthetic chemicals
fertilizers, additives and pesticides on cotton crops to deliver larger
yields. These chemicals go into the environment, where they affect the
water, the air, other kinds of plants and the animals that eat those
plants. In comparison, authentic organic cotton is naturally cultivated
to maintain the health of soil, water and air.
3. Recognize that there's a cost to saving the planet. Even those who have long been devoted to organic clothing sometimes complain
about its cost. For example, methods of cultivating organic cotton take
more work. Fields are fertilized naturally, while weeds are removed
with tractors or even by hand and natural methods are used for insect
control. It takes at least three consecutive years of growth before a
farm can gain certification as a grower of organic cotton. This means
the farmer puts in a big investment before the crop is harvested and
sold to clothing manufacturers.
However,
each purchase of an organic garment is a vote for this type of
sustainable farming. This means that more farmers and manufacturers will
be willing to go into the organic business. And that's good news for
everyone, including Mother Earth.