Our second blog in this mini series devoted to explaining our material choices is organic cotton, making up 40% of the Doris & Dude sock formula (the same amount as bamboo. Check out our Meet Bamboo blog if you haven’t read it yet).
Cotton is without doubt one of the most popular and useful textiles on the plant – people have been using it for over 4,000 years. It’s light and breathable, and easy to work with, so no wonder we all love it so much.
However, standard cotton production is not kind to the planet. Conventional cotton production involves a LOT of irrigation. Farmers often need to extract ground water to raise their crops – at the expense of local communities already living with scarcity. Then there’s the fertilisers and insecticides, which are harmful to the environment and the people that work with them. Did you know 16% of all insecticides sold worldwide are for use in cotton production? Eye opener? .
So we choose to use organic cotton in our super soft sock formula, which is produced very differently.
Organic cotton is produced in areas where it can rely predominantly on rain water to quench its thirst. Water shortages across the globe are likely to become increasingly common in the future, and choosing organic over standard cotton is a step towards making a difference. Did you know an organic cotton t-shirt will save nearly 120 days of drinking water compared to its conventional equivalent?
Organic cotton production also avoids the use of genetically modified plants, reducing the power held by big GMO corporations over farmers, and without any toxic chemicals it is kinder to the local ecosystems and people working in the industry. The soil stays healthier, as well as the waterways and local food sources. Organic farmers grow food crops alongside their cotton that will benefit their own communities, and on a global scale, the natural methods they employ emit up to 46% less greenhouse gases than standard production.
So, if you can choose organic cotton, like we have, please do!
Next up in this series – Recycled polyester.
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