|  Organic
cotton according to the Organic Cotton Trade Association (OTA)
over 60% of Americans purchase organic foods and beverages.
As consumers become aware of the health and environmental
risks associated with conventional farming practices, the
demand for organic production for other goods and services
has increased. Greater public knowledge of the ecological
devastation caused by conventional cotton farming has been
influencing consumers to choose organic fibers. The growth
in the organic fiber industry reflects this greater awareness;
the industry is expected to grow 44% over the next 5 years.
Why
you should incorporate Organic Cotton into your apparel products:
- Organic
markets are growing.
By 2005, retail sales are expected to reach nearly $20 billion
- Organic
materials add value to your product.
An
organically produced product tells your customers that you
care about quality.
Organic products meet stringent standards. Organic certification
is the public's assurance that products have been grown
and handled according to strict procedures without persistent
toxic chemical inputs.
- Organic
production reduces health risks.
Many
EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive
research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases.
Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these
chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that
substain us. Conventional cotton is the most pesticide-intensive
crop grown in the United States. For every organic cotton
T-shirt and pair of jeans you buy, you save the planet from
a pound of pesticides. It takes approximately one-third
of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to
grown enough cotton for just one T-shirt.
- Organic
farmers build healthy soil.
Soil
is the foundation of the food chain. The primary focus of
organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils.
- Organic
farms respect our water resources.
Building
topsoil in combination with the elimination of polluting
chemicals and nitrogen protects and conserves our water
resources.
- Organic
farmers work in harmony with nature.
Organic
agricultural respects the balance demanded of a healthy
ecosystem: wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops
in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other
natural areas.
- Organic
producers are leaders in innovative research.
Organic
farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense,
with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide
use and minimizing agriculture's impact on the environment.
- Organic
producers strive to preserve diversity.
The
loss of a large variety of species (bio diversity) is one
of the most pressing environmental concerns. The good news
is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting
and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for
decades.
- Organic
farming helps keep rural communities healthy.
The
USDA reports that half of U.S. farm production came from
only 2% of the farms in 1997. We can do better than this!
Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because
it offers an alternative market where sellers can command
fair prices for crops.
We
are deeply concerned about the environmental impact of PVC.
The U.S. screen printing industry uses a estimated 1.5 million
gallons of plastisol ink every year, and between 30% to 50%
of that ink contains PVCs. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) often
referred to as "vinyl" is one of the most versatile
of the plastic materials and yet most hazardous for the environment,
both during production and disposal. Dioxins, one of the most
toxic chemicals and potent carcinogen known to science, are
created and released during the production of PVC.
This creates
several environmental hazards:
- At
the end of its lifetime, PVC must be either burned or buried.
Burning releases dioxins and hydrochloric acid, which contributes
to acid rain that can contaminate land and water.
- Dioxins
are extremely long-lived in the environment, and, because
they are fat soluble, they concentrate in the tissues of
humans and other species. Dioxins from Louisiana manufacturing
plants migrate on the winds and concentrate in Great Lakes'
fish. The Dioxin exposure of the average American already
poses a calculated risk of somewhere between 1 in 100 to
1 in 1,000 of times greater than the usual standard for
acceptable risk.
- PVC
is difficult and expensive to recycle, so much of it ends
up in landfills where, over time, harmful additives, such
as phthalates can leak. Phthalates (pronounced ' thal-aytes')
are found in plastisol ink and is what gives the ink stretch
and flexibility. It is unclear how much damage this manmade
material is causing, however the EU recently banned two
Phthalates, DEHP and DBP, from use in cosmetic and personal
care products.
Further
information about the hazardous impact to the environment
from Dioxins and Phthalates can be obtained from the following
web sites:
Dioxins
From Cradle To The Grave - Summary of Findings
(This is a downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF file. You will need
the Adobe PDF viewer plug-in installed in your web browser.
If you need to download it, please go to the adobe
web site)
PVC:
Overview of Hazards and Alternatives
(This is a downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF file. You will need
the Adobe PDF viewer plug-in installed in your web browser.
If you need to download it, please go to the adobe
web site)
New
Concerns about Phthalates
Phthalates
and Human Health by
Kenneth Green, D. Env.
New
Concerns about Phthalates by
Janet Raloff
CPSC
releases study on Phthalates in teethers, rattles and other
children's products
Phthalates
in cosmetics in America report |
