Organic clothing
Encyclopedia
Organic clothing is clothing made from materials raised or grown in compliance with organic agricultural standards. Organic clothing uses cotton, jute, silk, ramie, or wool. Retailers charge more for organic clothing because such the material used are free from chemicals or genetically modified seeds.
Alternative terms are organic fashion, organic cloths.
Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop. It can take almost a 1/3 pound of synthetic fertilizers to grow one pound of raw cotton in the US, and it takes just under one pound of raw cotton to make one t-shirt.
to bleaching process, which is inconsistent with the idea of Organic Clothing. Many companies sell clothing made from bamboo, which is commonly labeled as "organic", however this is a false statement. Bamboo fabric is typically chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide
, in a process also known as hydrolysis alkalization combined with multi-phase bleaching. Both sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide have been linked to serious health problems. This finished material is similar to rayon
and modal
, which are more accurate terms of describing bamboo fabrics. Criticism also concerns the high cost of the products.
Alternative terms are organic fashion, organic cloths.
Benefits
Authentic organic fabrics and clothing can help the environment in a number of ways, such as:- Manufacture of chemicals is not required
- Chemical residues are not entered accidentally into the environment
- Humans and animals are not exposed to chemicals
- When the fabric is finished with chemicals are not returned to the earth in landfill, or enter into recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
process.
Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop. It can take almost a 1/3 pound of synthetic fertilizers to grow one pound of raw cotton in the US, and it takes just under one pound of raw cotton to make one t-shirt.
Criticism
Many highstreet retailers market organic clothing ranges that contain chemicals from the dyeingDyeing
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material. After dyeing, dye molecules have uncut Chemical bond with fiber molecules. The temperature and time controlling...
to bleaching process, which is inconsistent with the idea of Organic Clothing. Many companies sell clothing made from bamboo, which is commonly labeled as "organic", however this is a false statement. Bamboo fabric is typically chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide
Carbon disulfide
Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS2. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent...
, in a process also known as hydrolysis alkalization combined with multi-phase bleaching. Both sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide have been linked to serious health problems. This finished material is similar to rayon
Rayon
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
and modal
Modal
Modal may refer to:* Modal , a textile made from spun Beechwood cellulose fiber* Modal analysis, the study of the dynamic properties of structures under vibrational excitation...
, which are more accurate terms of describing bamboo fabrics. Criticism also concerns the high cost of the products.
External links
- Grow your own clothes -- experimenting with a kombucha-based material to make organic clothing (TED talk).