Conventional cotton production is among the most polluting agricultural industries. Whereas cotton is only harvested on 2.5% of the world's agricultural area, it utilizes about 24% of all pesticides and requires heavy use of irrigation. Not only do the soil, the air and the water get polluted, but numerous diseases and illness are present with the producers and their families.
From an economic point of view, one has to know that genetically modified sees are sterile and would therefore require considerable amounts of pesticides, which happens to be sold and marketed by the same company. For this very reason, numerous grassroots initiatives have emerged and so organic cotton has now become a valuable alternative.
As an example, a kilogram of cotton is 0.24eur in Mali and 0.30 in Senegal.
However, cotton harvest guarantees the living of millions of families in the third-world countries
(7 millions in India, 15 to 20 Millions in western Africa for instance)
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Organic and fair-trade certified cotton is produced in westen Africa, in India and in Peru. Even though
world-wide production has seen significant growth over the past few years, it still sags behind the growth in demand.
Organic cotton seeds are not genetically modified and its harvest bans the use of more than 118 pesticides and encourages more natural methods: the spreading of humus for better water retention; oxygen-based whitening and the utilisation of biodegradable products; mechanical shrinking of the textile;
the dying of textile is without heavy metals.
Example of price per Kilo of organic and fair trade certified cotton:0,35 euros + 0,05 fair trade mark-upOrganic cotton is of a remarkable softness, it prevents allergies and is a lot safer for the harvester.
In addition, the producers with organic certifications must abide by the standards set out by the International Labour Organisation (IL0) (such as non-discriminatory labour practices, no child labour, right to unionize) as well as pay a better wage to the workers, men and women alike.
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