Organic Cotton: What is it & Why we Should use This Cotton Type?

Being sustainable helps the planet, but organic cotton products are also gentle to people. We look at these natural fibres and fabrics and discover why organic cotton is a great sustainable choice.

The world is focusing on being sustainable and preserving the planet. We know how important is to be environmentally friendly, so let's discuss organic cotton in detail. We've compiled a guide on why this fabric is more sustainable. We also discuss how we produce cotton and what makes a textile organic and sustainable.

People have always believed that cotton material is good quality and that 100% cotton textile is an excellent choice. Today, great quality is not enough reason for a person to shop for cotton material. The problem is the same, no matter what cotton brand you look at, whether you are looking for a cotton shirt or home accessories. 

We all consider being more sustainable these days. For example, we consider fabric 'excellent' when organic and sustainable.

As designers and human beings, we need to protect our planet. We use the term ‘organic food’ to describe produce that we have grown sustainably. In the same way, we also produce ‘organic cotton’ in a very sustainable way. And we use fewer chemicals, pesticides and fertilisers, and less water to produce organic cotton crops. 

What is Organic Cotton?

Let's discuss this type of cotton fabric. This is how the Global Organic Textile Standards, or GOTS, describes it. This organisation has created the green (eco) standard for producing Organic Cotton Textiles.

GOTS focuses on changing how we grow organic cotton crops to ensure cotton is grown using methods with a low environmental impact. The plan is to grow cotton plants without using synthetic chemicals in fertilisers and pesticides. Organic cotton plants need less water to grow in the soil, and natural farm methods ensure excellent soil quality.

According to GOTS, organic cotton farmers must produce cotton material using natural methods and water. These cotton plants require less water to grow. And farming keeps the soil quality high, while also limiting soil erosion.

Being sustainable helps the planet, but these sustainable cotton products are also gentle to people. We look at these sustainable textile products and discover why organic cotton is a great sustainable choice.

The world is focusing on being sustainable and preserving the planet. We know it’s important to be environmentally friendly, so let's discuss organic cotton in detail. We've created an informative blog on why this fabric is more sustainable. We also discuss how we produce cotton and what makes a textile sustainable.

GOTS recommends farms use non-genetically modified seeds to grow organic cotton plants. It all started in the United States in the 1980s, when farmers began using more sustainable agricultural methods. Since then, these farming methods have become popular worldwide. Natural methods like these create an environmentally friendly form of cotton material that has become extremely covetable.

However, you must be aware that producing organic cotton material is more expensive, as organic textile production costs more. These methods use less water and no harmful chemicals. Also, organic cotton plants don’t yield as much material as conventional cotton ones.

Despite this, there are plenty of advantages to choosing organic cotton fabric. For instance, organic cotton materials are softer than conventional cotton fabrics. Organic cotton products are more comfortable and often made to a higher quality than normal cotton fashion clothing. Producers don't use harmful chemicals to make organic cotton material, so parents use it for children's and babies' clothing.

5 Reasons to Choose Organic Cotton Fabrics

1. Producing this Cotton is Sustainable & Ethical

All the production systems for organic cotton yarn are natural, sustainable, ethical, and free of chemicals. 

To grow an organic cotton plant, farmers have to fertilise the soil in a particular way. They do not use genetically engineered seeds to produce organic cotton fibers. This natural agricultural method also uses chemical-free pesticides and an irrigation system that requires less water. This is a more sustainable solution to growing cotton long term.

Those farms that grow certified organic cotton are sustainable organic farms. Also, these farms don't use harmful chemicals. Farmers have had to find natural methods to produce the same results without harming the environment. This includes using less water to grow the organic cotton plants.

Natural farm methods include introducing insects to control pests instead of synthetic pesticides. The farmers also use natural methods to enhance the soil rather than fossil fuel-based fertilisers. In addition, organic cotton farmers have found environmentally friendly methods to save drinking water and use alternative water.

This certification covers another important sustainable aspect of organic cotton crops. The organisation also ensures farm workers work in tolerable, humane environments.

2. This Cotton is Gentler on the Skin  

Imagine you have purchased a 100% cotton product, perhaps an item of fashion clothing, towels, or bedding, and you're allergic. The reason for this is directly related to how farmers produce the fabric. Or perhaps it's because the farmers exposed the cotton to toxic chemical substances like pesticides.

Most cotton material producers use harmful chemicals. Sometimes the dye they use to colour the material also has chemicals.

But when we produce organic cotton material we don’t use any chemicals. Organic cotton products like bed linen, sleepwear, and other fashion or leisure garments are natural and hypoallergenic. This means that people with sensitive skin can use them.

When you purchase any of maake's fabrics you know that we've made sure they are chemically safe and come from responsible suppliers. We also ensure we use less water in the printing process when we print on an organic cotton material.

3. Organic Cotton is Softer, Stronger & Lasts Longer

These organic cotton textiles are so comfortable and durable, that we use these textiles to make fashion clothes and other products for babies and young children.

These textiles are natural, gentle on the skin, and feel soft to the touch. They may cost more, but this is not always the case. However, even when they cost more, many people are happy to pay extra for their luxurious feel.

Organic cotton fabric is soft because it has a longer fiber than standard cotton. As we hand-pick organic cotton we ensure the fiber doesn’t break like conventional cotton fibre. Its texture is luxurious too.

4. More Sustainable, Biodiverse Cotton 

As cotton plants need lots of water to grow, organic cotton farmers have found ways to reduce drinking water. They collect rainwater instead to water plants. They now use rainwater instead of drinking water to water 81% of organic crops.

Research shows that farms save 91% on irrigation, too. Soil nourished without harmful chemicals doesn’t need as much water. 

This is how we make organic cotton and how this type of cotton is creating a more sustainable ecosystem. If you'd like more information on the subject, see maake’s take on social responsibility and sustainability. You can read our blog which describes how we save water in our digital textile printing process. This innovative process uses no water at all.

5. Organic Fabric Prevents Global Warming by Reducing Carbon Emissions

Climate change is negatively affecting people and the planet. It has caused several weather shifts such as temperature changes and extreme weather patterns. 

Unfortunately, our society and habits are to blame for these situations. Since the 19th century, we’ve used fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil) to modernise our world. 

We didn't realise we were harming the environment. But now that we're aware, we're releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. 

Producing organic cotton emits 50% less carbon dioxide than standard cotton growing. That's just another reason you should shop for sustainable materials! 

Certified Organic Materials: GOTS & Oeko Tex

Several global organisations have created strict standards to measure whether cotton is certified organic or not. They also measure whether farms grow cotton sustainably, without chemicals, and with less water. These organisations include Fair Trade UK and the Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS, which we mentioned above. They operate worldwide, including in the United States, Europe, and the UK. 

These standards measure how manufacturers make the cotton material. It also covers the colourants they use to dye the cloth and the supply chains involved in the cotton trade. These methods need to be transparent and sustainable. The organisations then have these methods rated accordingly. 

This certification has specific standards that check whether cotton crops are organic or not. They focus on the environment, saving water and farmers’ livelihoods.

Check out our blog on Textile Certifications for more info.

The Other Side to the Organic Cotton Story

As in life, nothing in organic cotton production is perfect.

We know that organic cotton produces less than conventional cotton from the same amount of land.  We need 25% more land to yield the same amount of organic cotton as the ‘normal’ variety. 

The world is running out of space, so farmers need to find other solutions. Deforestation is not the answer, as this would cause even more global warming. 

Sometimes producing organic cotton involves using natural pesticides. The chemicals in these pesticides can also harm the environment. Some natural pesticides use more toxic chemicals than synthetic pesticides people use for growing conventional cotton. 

Genetically Modified Cotton Plants

When we produce organic cotton we don't genetically modify the material. This can be a good thing, but it has its disadvantages. Genetically modified cotton is resistant to pests, so we don’t need pesticides. This kind of textile also produces healthy soil that doesn’t need fertiliser. 

We discussed that organic cotton is more expensive to produce than regular cotton. The reason is that the cultivation process is more complicated and the crop yield is less. 

In addition, there are environmental and social issues. The social aspect is a global issue that involves low wages and bad working conditions for labourers. 

Is Selecting Organic Fabric a Must for Your Printing?

At maake we provide sustainable material to print on, including over 15 types of organic cotton fabric. We stock both organic and natural products such as linen and hemp. 

These days, we consider many materials to be sustainable. However, these materials are often in short supply, and their prices rise and fall. For this reason, you need to be open-minded when you choose the material you want to print on. 

The digital printing methods maake use don't need any water. These methods also require less energy than a bathroom radiator (and that energy is 100% renewable energy). These methods create no more than a thimble of waste ink per 1km of printing. 

All inks we use meet GOTS 6.0 and Oeko Tex Class 1 standards. This means your materials have passed stringent standards and are sustainable and safe for infants.

The Future of Cotton

Remember this and make better choices when you choose cotton material and cotton garments for products for personal use:

• Organic cotton farming reduces greenhouse gas emissions dramatically. It also has several other positive environmental, social, and health benefits.
• Globally, designers, manufacturers, and retailers support organic cotton production. They are aware that this type of material is more sustainable. They also know organic cotton will benefit the planet and future generations.

Shop Cotton Organic Material & Blends at maake

Add some of these organic cotton fabrics and textile blends when you shop…

• Optic White Organic Panama: This hard-wearing organic, bleached material is to our Panama textile, it's ideal for bags, curtains, and home accessories. It resembles a midweight canvas material and is also available with a natural base.
• Organic Calico Natural: This is an organic, unbleached version of our Panama fabric stock. These unbleached textiles print beautifully – colours appear lighter and muted. The material, which is GOTS-certified, has slight imperfections.
• Organic Jasmine Lycra Jersey: This soft jersey material stretches and recovers. Safe for kids, it's a great choice for children's clothing. People use the material to make leggings and T-shirts, too. Colours print a little lighter or muted than on polyester jersey material, which is not organic.
• Organic Lily Jersey: This soft cotton jersey material has a 4-way stretch. The medium weight is ideal for leggings, kids’ clothing, and T-shirts. This organic material is easy to sew and colours print lighter and more muted. 
• Organic Panama Natural: This organic, unbleached material is hard-wearing. It’s perfect for bags, curtains and home accessories. The natural base prints beautifully. Available with an optic white base, too.
• Organic Poplin: This is the organic version of our popular Cotton Poplin. It's light and smooth, so it's ideal for bed linen, crafts, and fashion products (dresses, shirts, and outer layers). You can use this textile year-round. Organic Poplin prints beautifully.
• Organic Satin: Lightweight and organic version of maake’s satin material. Perfect for bed linen, home textiles, accessories, and clothing. This organic textile is soft with a smooth print face and luxurious texture. This textile prints beautifully, too.

Explore all cotton organic textiles and blends at maake