In the modern era, cotton is found in everything — in clothes, bed linens, towels, furniture, tablecloths, curtains, toys such as dolls and stuffed animals, yarns for knitting and crochet, seats for cars, trains and airplanes, tents, awnings, fishing nets, ropes, and explosives. With its versatile uses, cotton accounts for 33% of all fibers used in textiles and is one of the world’s top cash crops. Our heavy reliance on cotton causes a strain on the environment with terminal impacts on the land, workers, and consumers. This detrimental effect is seen in every part of the cotton life cycle — specifically during cotton cultivation and textile production.
According to research from Delate and others, one of the concerns facing organic farmers include chemical drift from neighboring conventional fields and uncertain markets. Without strict federal regulations overseeing conventional cotton production, organic farmers risk inadequate methods of organic cotton production. As we continue into future generations, organic cotton will continue to raise the environmental bar for all of cotton production; however, industry efforts must be made to ensure the organic cotton sector remains transparent and fair.
Credit: Aanchal Mohapatra, UTD GSS
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