After reading more and more about the dangers of cotton and its impact on human health, it is unfortunately not surprising why the cotton industry relied on slave labor for as long as it did. Cotton uses more than 25% of the worlds pesticides and insecticides. Cotton is drenched in chemicals, wages for cotton workers are low, and the working conditions are not great. Cotton harvesters are at a much greater risk because they are exposed to varying amounts of pesticides for 8 or more hours a day. This can limit the communication of nerve cells, leading to impaired memory, depression, disruption of the immune system, and even death.
It is not only workers who are being exposed to varying doses of pesticides over a long time who are in danger. If you wear cotton, you are also being exposed to the chemicals that end up on your clothes from the manufacturing industry. The whole cotton process from start to finish can be harmful. From growing and harvesting, to dyeing and bleaching the fabric, to living near runoff from cotton farms, each aspect is detrimental. It is past time to change our fashion industry and shift it away from cotton and into better, more environmentally friendly alternatives.
However, it is incredibly important to note the multiple stages of cotton production, farming, and manufacturing. Replacing cotton with alternative, sustainable materials is futile if the manufacturing industry then douses the material with harmful chemicals. These chemicals include PVC, phthalates, chlorine bleach, formaldehyde, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals), flame retardants, ammonia, and heavy metals. These are all used for shrink resistance, fire resistance, durability, and whitening. In an effort to find sustainable products as an alternative to cotton, we have to look closely at not only the material, but also the manufacturing company.
The first stage of cotton is the farming and harvesting stage. Even before cotton comes out of the ground it is saturated with pesticides. Below are some alternatives that have the potential to be better for our health than cotton, only if manufactured by companies who strive to reduce chemical use and only buy products that have been grown organically or with minimal environmental harm.
The next stage of cotton involves transferring the harvested crop to a manufacturing industry that makes the fibers and then to the chemical manufacturers who make the fabric, turning it into the products we wear every day. This can turn into a problem when the chemical manufacturers don’t have control over what the farmers or the fiber making companies put into the material. We need more companies out there like Patagonia who take control and responsibility for the entire lifecycle of the product.
TENCEL
TENCEL™ is a sustainable fabric from the cellulose of wood pulp. It is actually the brand name of a form of rayon, Lyocell. According to their official website, “the modal fibers are mainly manufactured from the renewable source of raw material beech wood, sourced from sustainable forests in Austria and neighboring countries.” The Forest Stewardship Council awarded Tencel for their socially and environmentally responsible eucalyptus farms and sustainable plantations. Tencel is made by dissolving wood pulp and drying the fiber with a special technique called spinning. It is then mixed with a solvent and pushed through small holes to create threads which can be woven into cloth. Although this solvent is made using petrochemicals, there are several advantages to Tencel:
1. Environmentally friendly
· Tencel has won several awards and certifications for being environmentally responsible. It requires less energy and water than cotton and is biodegradable. When made from Eucalyptus trees, it does not require pesticides or herbicides. Tencel combats the impact petrochemicals have on the environment by reusing the solvent. Tencel is produced on a closed loop, meaning the solvents used in its production are 99% recovered.
2. Less dye than cotton
· This is where the fiber production process is safer than the fabric production. Tencel can be difficult to dye but the dye is required for colored clothing. This highlights the importance of buying from a manufacturer who is cognizant of their chemical usage as well as the safety chemicals.
3. Renewable energy
· Tencel is gaining in popularity and this is not without an impact on the environment. However, the consumers of this product are people who care about the impact their clothing makes. Lenzing AG, the company that produces Tencel, is increasing their use of renewable energy sources.
4. Breathable
· Tencel fibers are breathable and can control the absorption and release of moisture. They are also gentle and good for sensitive skin.
COST: Tencel is the more expensive than other fabrics as it is known as a luxury fabric. This is due to the technology required to source this product wisely and the high standards to which it is held. Tencel can cost 50–100% more than the most luxurious, Egyptian cotton. Tencel is also more expensive than other fabrics because of the branding. You can by the non-brand name Lyocell fabric for cheaper, however it is not guaranteed to be sourced as responsibly as brand name Tencel. Tencel is a relatively new fabric and has a long way to go to compete with cotton.
PATAGONIA- Athletic tank. $45
Patagonia takes great environmental and social responsibility and strives to be transparent in the materials they use.
“We audit the materials and methods we use to make our products, taking responsibility for the entire life cycle of our products and examining how we use resources at our buildings and facilities.”
-Rose Marcario
This athletic tank top is 74% polyester, 19% TENCEL® lyocell, and 7% spandex heathered jersey. The fabric is certified as bluesign® approved and Fair Trade Certified™ sewing. The company could improve by using less polyester and more Tencel. Although, this would raise the price of the tank top significantly.
HEMP
1. More sustainable
· Hemp uses 50% less water than cotton during cultivation. In addition to the other materials, it does not need any pesticides to grow. This makes it one of the best options for our health.
2. Mildew Resistant
· Hemp grows well in humid conditions and the properties that make it mildew resistant transfer to hemp clothing. This makes clothing more breathable. It is also more porous than cotton, adding additional breathability and making it lightweight.
3. Durability
· Hemp is much stronger than cotton. It is known to have made the world’s strongest rope.
COST: Hemp would be the most expensive, hardest to obtain of the three considering Hemp farming is federally banned from the United States. Although 17 states have ignored this federal law and made it legal to grow hemp for commercial purposes. All other hemp has to be imported from other countries. If the difference between hemp and marijuana were better understood, hemp could be a cheap, sustainable substitute for cotton. It is impossible to get high off of hemp, rather its uses are widespread. Currently the United States is the only developed country that has made hemp farming illegal. In fact, before the broad-spread ban of all cannabis, hemp was used for thousands of years to create durable textiles.
PATAGONIA- Iron Forge Hemp canvas jacket. $179
Patagonia has chosen to use hemp over any bamboo products due to the lack of sustainable bamboo. This jacket is made of 55% industrial hemp, 27% recycled polyester, and 18% organic cotton.
BAMBOO
Patagonia has been looking into bamboo for several years now. Because most bamboo is made using the viscose process, they choice not to use any bamboo in their products. The viscose process uses hydrolysis alkalization with bleaching. This process requires saturating bamboo in chemical solvents including sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide, a toxic chemical known for its reproductive and environmental hazards. It is then made into the strands of fibers that are put into sulfuric acid. After further investigation, I found that, due to this, bamboo was not actually a good alternative to cotton. Many of the claims made about bamboo are actually false claims.
1. No pesticides used: FALSE
· Bamboo is naturally resistant to insects or infecting pathogens. Additionally, it is great for the soil and absorbs more greenhouse gasses than it produces. Naturally, bamboo doesn’t need pesticides yet they are starting to be used. China controls the majority of bamboo growth and it has become a lucrative cash crop for their economy. The over production of bamboo is reducing biodiversity. With less biodiversity comes an increase in pests making pesticide use more necessary.
2. More durable than regular cotton: TRUE
· In the current world of fast-fashion, we are replacing our clothes quicker than they need to be replaced. However, our cotton t-shirts don’t always last us as long as we would hope. Our sheets wear out and tear, forcing us to throw away material before we may want to. Bamboo fabric is more durable; unfortunately, this is a result of chemicals like sulfuric acid that are used to harden the fibers.
3. Sustainable: FALSE
· With rampant and mostly false claims about the sustainability of bamboo, production in China has increased. The over harvesting of bamboo is leading to habitat loss for pandas. Up to half of the worlds’ bamboo products are at risk of extinction. Additionally, there are few regulations in China meaning pesticides and toxic chemicals can be used, and don’t have to be disclosed.
4. Uses less water than cotton: TRUE
· Much of the merit bamboo receives is due to the natural sustainability of the plant. Bamboo is an incredibly self-sufficient crop that can be harvested every three years, unlike hardwood trees that take a lifetime to grow. It uses 1/3 less water than your average cotton crop. With enough rainfall, bamboo requires no irrigation.
COST: Bamboo is cheap because it is one of the fastest growing crops on earth. However, just as cotton has levels of quality, Egyptian cotton being the best, Bamboo also has different levels. In general Bamboo and cotton are pretty equivalent when it comes to the price to quality ratio.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
No fabric is perfect; a good alternative is reusing clothes. Shopping at thrift stores and buying clothes less frequently are good options for sustainability. The only setback to this is the uncertainty of the chemicals that are in the clothes. If you don’t know who manufactured the clothes or if the tags have been removed, it is hard to guarantee they have not been dyed or manufactured with toxic chemicals. However, we are buying more clothes today than we ever have in the past which is leading to deforestation and large amounts of pesticide exposure for farmers. While new techniques and textiles are being studied and improved, stop by your nearest Goodwill. You will be surprised by what you can find and the positive impact on our health that you can make.
References
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Bakhsh, K., Ahmad, N., Kamran, M. A., Hassan, S., Abbas, Q., Saeed, R., & Hashmi, M. S. (2016). Occupational hazards and health cost of women cotton pickers in Pakistani Punjab. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 961. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3635-3
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