Organic cotton is all over the place these days. You’ll see it in t-shirts, home goods, cotton balls and even in eco-friendly shoes. Organic cotton is grown according to a set of standards that has been developed to certify methods that have less of an impact on the environment. This means no dangerous pesticides, no genetic engineering and the preservation of biodiversity and the soil.

The push for organic cotton is critically important, because according to some sources, it can take 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for one t-shirt. If you consider the sheer amount of cotton clothing, not even counting all of the other things for which cotton is used, you can imagine how many chemicals are going into the soil and into the cotton and ultimately into the earth and into people.

Organic cotton has a huge variety of benefits. Firstly, organic cotton does use genetic engineering or antibiotics, which means that natural strengths in the plants are cultivated and weaker plants are culled out. Consequently, soil health is improved and species diversity is supported. By protecting the soil and the earth, we’ll have better, healthier land and crops and we’ll be preserving the health and success of future generations.

In 2007-2008, according to the Organic Trade Association, the growth of organic cotton increased by 152% and it is produced worldwide, with India now in the lead in terms of production. The only downside to organic cotton is that is costs more to produce, therefore increasing the costs of consumer goods down the line – but using organic cotton not only preserves the environment from chemicals, it also reduces or dependence on oil and petroleum.

How?

Well, other materials used to create clothing like rayon, polyester, acrylic and nylon are all made with petrochemicals. Petrochemicals are derived from petroleum and petroleum comes from oil. So when you support companies that use organic cotton, and when you wear organic cotton, you are supporting the environment in multiple ways.

We’re excited to offer shoes from a number of companies who have committed to using organic cotton in their construction!

• Simple Shoes
• Chaco Shoes
• Patagonia Shoes
• Rocket Dog Shoes