The best way to explain the benefits of organic cotton clothing may be to explain the environmental drawbacks of conventionally grown cotton--the world’s most used fiber. Worldwide, about 25% of all insecticides and 10% of all pesticides are applied to conventional cotton, though the farmland used for it is less than 3%. Approximately half of the primary pesticides used are labeled probable human carcinogens by the EPA. Cotton growth is also extremely water intensive. It takes 7,000- 29,000 liters of water and 2 pounds of pesticides to produce 2 pounds of cotton--equivalent to just one t-shirt and a pair of jeans. By comparison, hemp and bamboo require little or no irrigation, insecticides, or pesticides to produce the same amount of fiber, on far less land.

Organic cotton, of course, is grown without insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides, and some water use may be reduced. However, even organic cotton is a very water intensive crop, far more than the other fabrics we offer. Cotton is also not renewable in the same way as bamboo and hemp, or using a renewable by-product like soy. It does however have an advantage in its fiber processing; in some cases, fiber processing for bamboo and soy can be much less earth-friendly--though Element EcoWear’s apparel is made with a much greener method of processing. Our fabrics are often blended with organic cotton (usually around 30%), for a 'heavier' feel. On their own, bamboo and soy fibers tend to be fine, much like silk, while hemp may feel slightly rough, although it will soften with time. Organic cotton only comprises about 0.05% of the world’s cotton production, so even increasing the amount of organic cotton used is a notable ecological improvement!

The ecological drawbacks to even organic cotton are non-existent, however, in the very exciting "Earth Positive" organic cotton clothing line. The methods used to grow and process that cotton are ultra-ecological--for example, by using only hand, wind, and solar power, all growth and processing is carbon-neutral, producing only pre-industrial levels of CO2 emissions. The cotton crops are also watered with moonsoon rain. And, there's much more. To read more about Earth Positive organic cotton, click HERE.