As with everything else, the decisions we make about our clothing will have an impact on the world in one way or another. Every part of the ecosystem is intricately tied to the others, and the common analogy of the Butterfly Effect is a testimony to the value of organic cotton clothing. Though the benefits of eating organic food seem rather immediate from a health standpoint, the organic growing process also has astounding effects on the condition of our environment—you just have to follow the path to find out who is affected along the way.

Understanding the System

 Organic cotton clothes are produced without any synthetic or chemical fertilizers, which may sound great all by itself—but even more so when we examine soil and water systems. Chemical pesticides are applied to cotton crops from above, allowing them to be airborne. This increases the potential of them spreading to surrounding areas beyond the crops. Some of the pesticide is absorbed into the plant itself, and some of the residual chemicals are carried through runoff water into the nearest water system. Others still are absorbed into the soil, and penetrate to ground water systems. This pushes these chemicals into aquatic ecosystems, where they can upset the balance of the organisms living there. Further, these pesticides also make it into our drinking water sources, and into our diets.

What’s the Big Deal?

Any one who has ever heard of the famous work Silent Spring knows that pesticides can be dangerous to the creatures of an ecosystem. Rachael Carson pointed out that these chemicals, too, can be of great harm to us humans as well. Many of the pesticides used during conventional cotton growing procedures are known or potential human carcinogens. Chemicals that have been absorbed into the fibers of the cotton plant will eventually have direct contact with the skin of its wearer, which puts us at greater risk for health problems. Organic cotton clothing reduces the overall amount of chemicals that make their way to water systems where they can be dangerous to organisms at every level of the food chain.

Reducing Waste

There are certainly places in this world where water is so abundant that it seems limitless, but that is certainly not the case. Water is a precious resource that often is subject to waste during the growing process. Natural cotton clothes require no pesticide, and as a result require less water utilized in the production process. Beyond the sheer amount of water used, the waste water produced by textile production will contain no residual chemicals as those that are grown conventionally. This keeps even more pesticides from reaching water systems as a result of waste in the production process. 

Though green clothing certainly will not solve all of the environmental issues of our time, it gives us one tool we can use to reduce the impact of our lives on the condition of everything around us. Opting for organic cotton clothing is just one step in the journey to a more sustainable life, but it’s an important and great looking step to take.