I think it becomes easy for organizations to look at things from a US point of view. Usually, when studies like that are compiled, it takes organizations that are large enough to report and participate in the study. Farming, in many countries, is still a very old school process and while I am sure that on a global level the overall amount of pesticides is lower than it has been, that doesn’t mean that in some areas the amount is still alarmingly high. Especially in countries that don’t have a comparable level of environmental regulation that we have here.

I also wanted to point out that Vesta’s link says that CERTIFIED organic cotton is 0.1% of cotton production, while Cotton Inc says organic cottin is 0.1%, maybe that also accounts for a big difference in what is marketed as organic and the numbers given. I’m sure that there’s much more organic cotton produced, but not certified.

The issue of eco-friendly doesn’t apply just to food or clothing though…even jewelers are subject to questions. Using coral in jewelry can be tricky if you aren’t sure of your sources. Or mined stones even. But mostly people seem concerned about things like pearls and coral where an “animal” is involved (although pardon me if I don’t consider an oyster an animal…it’s food!).

But it’s still a fascinating conversation.

Snakes have feet? hehe

The Color Association [caus@colorassociation.com]

But as we have seen with World Bank lending policies there is often a backlash of public opinion and a needed refinement of the standards applied in pursuing the stated goal.

Second, I’ve heard a figure more like 25% of the pesticides are used on cotton. I’m a tad short on time, but I recommend checking out Organic Exchange for such tidbits of info:
http://organicexchange.org/Farm/cotton_facts_intro.htm
They are an organization targeted specifically at getting people like us to use certified organic cotton. I would maintain that Cotton Inc has very good reasons to convince us that we don’t need to worry about a pesky little thing like pesticide, when choosing to purchase cotton textiles.

Third, while I’m totally on board with organics, I’m here to tell you that organics don’t tell the whole story, which is why we need terms like sustainable. What about recycled polyester? What about hemp, which is generally grown without pesticides? What about the fact that flax is also generally grown without pesticides, but yields very little per acre, compared to hemp, e.g. What about transportation of our products and inputs? All of these things and many, many more factor into what I consider to be sustainability. “Organic” just doens’t even scratch the surface, although it’s an important piece of the puzzle.

Gotta go. But I couldn’t let y’all play fast and loose with my favorite word in the world:
Sustainability!

This process has not been easy. I know this personally as I have been working for nearly 20 years to get the government to adopt and regulate the term organic, organically grown, certified organic, etc. Part of the task is complete. We have a number of areas still requiring work: Cosmetics (in my opinion one of the biggest areas of rip off), Intra-Provincial production, processing and labeling, Fiber and Apparel, Lawn Care and Pet Food.

Lets look at fiber and especially cotton. The production of organic cotton in the US was only started about 10 years ago. It, like all the other commodities, has been a slow process of converting and educating farmer on real production methods (no more plant, fertilize and spray) involving crop rotations and soil building. Yet, we have passed the 6,000 acres mark. (I started in organic agriculture 35 years ago when the total of all crops raised organically in all of Canada was less than 6,000 acres.) The industry has grown and come a long way since then. This growth has come from consumers demanding something better. The organic industry is driven by the consumer. We owe the success to you. Now the organic food is being regulated it is time to look at the “international cotton” crops. Many third world countries could not afford the pesticides or nitrate fertilizers to produce cotton. Thus, they have land ready for organic production. This has occurred in most of the second and third world countries where cotton has historically been produced. The global acreage under organic cotton production is growing rapidly but no one has a handle on the actual tonnage. This is potentially a ripe area of “misrepresentation” of the integrity of the product and its organic status. Most reputable and experienced companies demand proof (organic certificates from known organic certification organization in good standing) from the sellers prior to shipping the fiber or yarns. Usually, the best known organic certification organizations are from Europe, North America and Japan. OCIA, of which I was a founder both of the national organization and the international organization is only one of many of the organic certification organizations. There are approximately 35 organic certification organizations in Canada and all of them are registered and accredited by CFIA. Let me be clear, THERE ARE HUGE DIFFENECES BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE AND ORGANIC. Sustainable has become a marketing catch phrase that is not controlled or regulated by government agency. It means about as much as the word NATURAL. Until the governments of the world decide they have a primary responsibility to protect its consumers words like sustainable and natural will be used to dupe the consumer and tear their hearts out through their pocket book. Natural and Sustainable have NO PROGRAM OR COMMITMENT TO SOIL BUILDING, PREVENTING ERSION, PREVENTING DESSERTIFICATION, SOLVING GOLBAL WARMING BY ADDING ORGANIC MATTER (carbon) TO THE SOIL, BUILDING WILDLIFE HABITATS IN HEDGEROWS, OR PREVENTING GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION (nitrate fertilizers, and highly soluble phosphate fertilizers). These issued are addressed and each of the above are performed on each organic farm every year as the farmer undergoes organic certification renewal. The difference between organic and sustainable is huge, all you have to do is ask someone who has spent their life trying to change the way people farm, eat, and what they wear. The organic industry has worked hard with thousands of volunteers to make sure the consumer understand there are real standards, regulation and requirements before the word organic can be used on labels or advertising claims.

Jon Cloud
The Organic Cotton Company.