by Coral Rose
Is your Tee-Shirt Toxic? You decide.
So, just what is certified organic cotton? Certified Organic cotton sold in the United States is cotton that has been certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program(NOP) Standards. This certified organic standard is for the GROWING of the cotton ONLY.
Why is cotton certified by the USDA? And besides I don’t eat my clothes, so why would I care if my t-shirt is organic cotton? Cotton seed does enters the food chain. Cotton is considered a food product until it leaves the cotton gin. Upon completion of the ginning process, where the seed and fiber are separated, cotton consists of 60% seed and 40% fiber. Cottonseed oil is found in many processed snack foods, among them chips, cookies, crackers and salad dressings. Cotton seed is fed to livestock, dairy cattle and poultry as a high protein supplement. The remaining fiber is shipped to textile mills to be spun into yarn for fabric.
So just how much of those nasty pesticides end up in your tee shirt? Well actually none. The pesticides that are quoted are actually the amount that is used in the growing phase of conventional cotton. Note that you can look for apparel certified to the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) that addresses the other inputs and impacts of the complex apparel process, thus ensuring the integrity of the total garment including dyes and other processing.
I heard that there is 1/3 pound of pesticides in the average t-shirt? I also recently read that there are 2 pounds of pesticides in the average cotton sheet?
These facts at one time, in the late nineties were correct for U.S. Cotton, however today they are outdated.These numbers were never meant to be used as a a valid number in which to average worldwide cotton. This also refers to the pesticides used in the growing process, these chemicals are not present in the actual textiles/garments.
Chemical use and other inputs of cotton cultivation vary widely from region to region in the world, they also vary season to season. These numbers are being misused to reference cotton production in general, that is cotton that has been grown globally anywhere and everywhere in the world. This figure varies greatly by region and seasonally, e.g. some regions such as India might differ from a region such as Turkey or Africa as an example.
Where did the number that I read everywhere, 1/3 pound of pesticides in a tee shirt originate?
"This information was painstakingly put together by researchers at Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) in the late nineties and cross referenced with Pesticide Action Network (PAN) who at the time concurred with SCP findings. This research was based on average volumes of chemicals used on cotton in the United States, divided by the average yield of cotton per acre in the United States....and then multiplied by the average poundage of cotton used in a medium classic 14 oz jean (2 pounds including cutting and spinning waste) Chemical use on cotton in US has since shifted and we have not tracked the data to know if this figure still stands or is higher or lower. So, for the above reasons, Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) can no longer stand by the statement. It was accurate at the time with the above qualifiers, but we simply don't have the data either way to verify this now.” According to Lynda Grose, Sustainable Cotton Project.
According to PAN-UK there have never been globally correct numbers for comparing organic cotton to conventional cotton: "The US is the only country in the world with accurate and publicly available data on input used."
What are the current facts on pesticide usage? The current number being averaged for US and global cotton by some organizations is estimated at .1188 ounces per pound of cotton grown (formulated using USDA data.) Cotton Inc. reports the current data/number for the amount of 'crop protection or pesticides used in growing the average t-shirt at .035 ounces or about the amount in a packet of sweetener (Cotton Inc, estimates this t-shirt at a third of a pound.) Please note that when a 'average' t-shirt comparison is used-there is now a reported discrepancy in what constitutes an 'average' t-shirt. Cotton Inc is using approx. 5 ounces while most other organizations reporting this fact for years have used 'one pound' or 16 ounces to 'average' a t-shirt.
The Cotton Inc website states: .09 ounces per pound of pesticides used in growing US Cotton. The US Cotton pesticide number has shifted dramatically downward showing improvement largely due to added new technologies, including higher yields. Noted that over the last ten years that 87% of the cotton grown in the U.S. is now of a Genetically Modified variety (GM Cotton is not allowed in organic cotton production or any organic agricultural production,the USDA NOP Standard prohibits all GMOs) U.S. Cotton also utilizes the use of highly technical machinery with GPS tracking attributes, which when used is able to spot spray crops vs. spraying an entire area.
For comparison purposes the once correct US Cotton number that was misused to represent a global number: 1/3 (150 grams) pound of pesticides and fertilizers to grow enough cotton to produce one tee shirt is estimated at 5 ounces.
You can see that this information has shifted greatly in the last ten years, since the first SCP study and varies greatly, from previously reported 5 ounces for US Cotton.
The EPA Definition of a Pesticide : A pesticide is
any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying,
repelling, or mitigating any pest. Pests can be insects, mice and other
animals, unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, or microorganisms like bacteria and
viruses. Though often misunderstood to refer only to insecticides, the term
pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, and various other substances
used to control pests. Under United States law, a pesticide is also any
substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator,
defoliant, or desiccant.
Basically, for the most part, I believe most individuals
and organizations have not acted intentionally and are just simply unaware and
unknowingly utilizing once correct but now, outdated information.
I am urging retailers and manufactures to start reporting current information on their marketing materials and websites. If there is data that is current but not yet published in the market, then I urge those organizations to publish the data. I would also urge organizations to conduct reliable scientific research by region to begin accurately reporting numbers as it pertains to your organizations products and textiles.
Again, currently this outdated number of 1/3 pound of pesticides per pound of cotton grown is being reported as "an overall global" fact when indeed it was only factual for US grown cotton in the 90's.
The pesticide usage varies greatly on a regional and seasonal basis around the world.
I admit that I have unknowingly misused and misquoted the information incorrectly over the last 5 years, and that is the reason I am setting the record straight and urging others to do the same. Currently this outdated information is widely reported by organizations promoting as well as organizations that are selling organic cotton, it is nearly impossible to estimate the impact that this outdated information has had, as many organizations have these facts imbedded in their marketing materials-on garments, websites etc.
Make no mistake, cotton is one of the most widely sprayed crops in the world. There are pesticides used in cotton cultivation, however when averaging a global number, care must be taken to look at all available facts, and the facts need to be current and reliable.
I remain committed to increasing the usage of organic and sustainable cotton. Cotton that is grown with better management practices (integrated pest management) including Fair Trade and Organic Cotton.
We are living in a fast moving world that is in a critical state of depletion, to quote Andrew Winston "No single tool or strategy, will work in all companies or in all circumstances"......the world consumes a lot of cotton---and other fibers.......we need all fibers to be sustainable and better for the health of farmers, ecosystems and the planet.
I also realize that this is the 'green' elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. This isn't about being popular, this is about doing the right thing and setting the record straight.
I do want to acknowledge Wal-Marts integrity and leadership position in the market, they are currently using the reported .1188 per pound ratio for cotton instead of the 1/3 pound that can no longer be verified.
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