Organic cotton
We have chosen to use organic cotton in HEKNE's first collection. In this post you can read about why it is important to us.
Farmers and pesticides
50 million farmers in more than 100 countries grow cotton, and 125 million people in the world make a living from the cotton industry. The pesticides used in cotton cultivation are some of the most toxic there are, and are therefore very harmful to both humans and animals. According to organizations such as WHO and FAO, about 3 million people are acutely poisoned by pesticides every year, and this means that about 40,000 people die annually from pesticide poisoning.
- 90% of those who die each year from pesticide poisoning live in developing countries
- 11% of pesticide consumption is against plant diseases
- 25% of insecticides used are used in the cultivation of cotton
If cotton is grown organically, the use of pesticides during cultivation is reduced by 100%, and the use of pesticides during production is reduced by 93%.
Agriculture
It is not just the pesticides that are problematic in cotton farming. The entire way agriculture is run drains nature of resources due to monoculture, which means that only cotton is grown in the same fields year after year. This leads to, among other things, reduced soil fertility and salinization.
Water
Cotton production requires enormous amounts of water, in fact an incomprehensible 55 billion liters of water annually. This leads to desertification and water pollution, as heavy metals and other chemicals leach into the water and groundwater during production. Growing organic cotton also uses large amounts of water resources.
GMOs
More than half of all cotton grown today is genetically modified. This usually means that the cotton is programmed to produce its own toxic proteins that kill pests, as well as genes that make the plant resistant to pesticides that would otherwise kill it.
Well and good, you might think, but this also has consequences. Both animals and humans get sick, and many believe this is an experiment that could have far more serious consequences than what we see today. Much of the research in this area is influenced by large financial interests, and this contributes to the fact that there are currently conflicting research results around genetic modification.
Studies show that farmers earn more from organic farming than GMO farming. Although the organic yield is somewhat smaller, farmers can use the seeds and build their own seed bank, instead of building up debt by having to buy expensive GMO seeds, pesticides and fertilizers every year.
Norwegian consumption
Every year, each Norwegian consumes an average of 11 kilograms of cotton. That's three times the world average.
The production of organic cotton worldwide is increasing every year, and this cultivation method will, as mentioned above, reduce toxic emissions. In addition, it will increase the farmer's income, compared to conventional farming.
The water consumption of cotton farming is high, and in itself not sustainable on a large scale. However, Norwegians could probably manage with less than 11 kilograms of cotton clothing per year. So the next time you buy a new cotton garment: Do you really need it? And if so, what kind of cotton do you choose?
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