Material: a closer look at cotton (ep. 2)
Episode 2
In the first article, we talked about conventional cotton, the impacts of its production, and our choice to ensure quality. Here, we will talk about organic cotton following the same logic, so you can compare the two and form an opinion.
Organic cotton
To be considered organic, cotton must be grown using techniques set out in charters and must come from a GMO-free seed. It must also be free from chemical pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones and dyes, making it very pleasant to the touch and completely incapable of causing skin allergies. In addition, organic cotton is known to be more durable than traditional cotton, because its fibres are better preserved as they were not damaged by multiple chemical treatments; this extends the life cycle of the finished products.4
In terms of production, organic crops consume drastically less water; even the least optimistic statistics state a reduction of 50% (the criteria vary from one study to another). This type of crop also avoids soil depletion, because farmers do not use chemicals, encourage crop rotation and practice set-aside farming, etc. If we take our example of the 200 g cotton tote bag, this leads us to an average consumption of 1,500 litres of water and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 30-40%. 1, 4, 5
These differences can be explained by the fact that organic soils are much richer in organic matter due to the absence of pesticides. Natural fertilisers preserve healthy and productive organic soils that more easily retain water and moisture. In addition, the toxic products used to farm the soil require yet more water to be diluted, which is not needed for organic cotton plants. It should also be noted that farmers use optimal irrigation methods to reduce water consumption to the bare minimum and thus minimise waste. 5
If you buy or consume organic products, you may have noticed that there are many different labels that “guarantee” that the cotton you are buying is indeed organic. However, there are some grey areas with regard to the various existing labels and certifications, such as “environmentally responsible”, “sustainable”, “ethical” and “conscious”, which often hide very different realities. Pay careful attention to marketing campaigns and make sure to check the certifications of your organic cotton. Uncertified organic cotton is unfortunately very often just a smokescreen. Current labels have caused a lot of head-scratching at Inovacomm, because, once again, there are so many different references that generally do not have the same certification criteria or standards. Some of these labels are created directly by brands themselves, while others are granted by certifying bodies that follow strict environmental criteria. While labels created by brands are not subject to any external monitoring, certified organic cotton is verified at the source and at different manufacturing stages up to the finished product by the organisations themselves and sometimes also external organisations.
Among the most common are OCS Blended, OCS 100, EU Ecolabel, Bio Equitable and GOTS. Let’s take a second to compare OCS 100 (Organic Content Standard) and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard). Both guarantee that the raw material comes from organic farming with a traceable supply chain from the cotton fields to the end customer, leading to the issuance of a certificate. The GOTS label even includes transaction certificates at each stage of the transformation process – spinning, weaving, dyeing, assembling, etc. No major differences to be found yet… 6
But this is where it gets complicated: when we look at the environmental and social issues related to the very process of cotton production. While the OCS 100 label certifies only that cotton is grown without GMOs and without chemical products (fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides), the GOTS label adopts these same criteria and adds to them the reasonable and controlled water management for field irrigation, the implementation of a real environmental policy throughout the entire supply chain, the guarantee that the finished products have been manufactured without any toxic products whatsoever and the requirement for suppliers and brands to submit laboratory test reports proving that there is no trace of GMOs in the DNA of the cottons used, nor any traces of pesticides or other toxic chemicals. Finally, the GOTS certification guarantees compliance with proper working conditions based on the principles of the ILO and the UN. 6, 7, 8
You can clearly see why Inovacomm has developed its production chains with factories working with this certification. Of course, all improvement initiatives and audits have a cost that must be taken into account, and therefore represent a real constraint for all players in the production chain. That said, it is also a great lever at the international level! Certification is the only way to ensure traceability from the cotton field to the finished product and therefore to be 100% certain that the cotton is organic, and also has a positive impact for workers and the environment. GOTS certification is a guarantee of authenticity and quality, and its high standards are in line with our values. This is what we want to offer our customers.
Presentation of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAvpRJYATN0&t=28s