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Brand FAQ
What is Cotton?
Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the Cotton plant (Gossypium sp.), a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the America, India, and Africa. However, virtually all of the commercial Cotton grown today worldwide is grown from varieties of the native American species Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense. The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fiber cloth in clothing today.
Cotton fiber, once it has been processed to remove seeds and traces of honey, protein, vegetable matter, and other impurities, consists of nearly pure cellulose, a natural polymer. Cotton production is very efficient, in the sense that ten percent or less of the weight is lost in subsequent processing to convert the raw Cotton bolls (seed cases) into pure fiber. The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives Cotton fibers a high degree of strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the Cotton boll is opened, the fibers dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton
What is Conventional Cotton?
Conventional (non-Organic) Cotton refers to the Cotton that is grown and harvested using conventional commercial agricultural practices. These cultivation and growing practices are designed to maximize the efficiency of the harvest and use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to do so. During processing, conventional Cotton also typically uses a variety of chemical additives, treatments, and enhancers. Each T-shirt made from conventional (non-Organic) Cotton uses 165 grams of synthetic fertilizers and farm chemicals. At KnowledgeCotton Apparel we encourage people to watch ‘The Conventional Trap’ video to get insight into the negative impact of growing conventional cotton and the impact on the families who work with these deadly chemicals and pesticides. To view this short video, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEmBLKyDMeo
In many countries, including the USA, conventional Cotton farming also includes the practice of using genetically modified organisms (GMO), to produce insect or disease resistant strains of Cotton plants for the benefit of ease of production/harvest.
What is Organic Cotton?
Organic Cotton, by definition, is Cotton that is grown, harvested and processed without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. In addition, Certified Organic Cotton is free from genetically modified organisms (GMO) material, radiation or other artificial intervention.
The role of Organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings.
IFOAM, International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements
www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html
Organic Cotton farming principles also encourage the use of sustainable planting, harvesting and processing practices. These practices are designed to encourage a balance in natural system including the soil, water and crops for the benefit of the environment and reduction in long term farming impact to our Earth.
Why is the use of Organic Cotton important?
Cotton is the largest natural fiber supplying the global demand for textile products. In 2005, the world’s demand for textile fibers was 59 billion Kilograms. In 2006 and beyond, world income and population growth will stimulate a 1.92 billion Kilogram increase in global fiber demand each year. That means enough fiber will be needed for nearly 9 billion T-shirts or 2.3 billion pairs of denim jeans. The main alternatives to Cotton are non-renewable chemical fibers.
www.cottoninc.com/sustainability/
Conventional (non-Organic) Cotton is the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 165 grams of chemicals and pesticides to produce enough Cotton for a t-shirt, and 375 grams of chemicals and pesticides for a pair of jeans.
And that's just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from Cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
How is Organic Cotton grown?
Organic Cotton farming starts with the soil. Using natural compost, frequent crop rotations and crop cover strategies, the soil is kept healthy and productive full of natural nutrients and vital minerals.
Weeds are controlled by innovative farm machinery, hand labor or flame devices rather than herbicide applications. Rather than attempting to eradicate all insects with chemicals, Organic farmers cultivate a diversity of natural enemies that prey on insect pests, and lure pests away from Cotton by planting trap crops. Insect pests can be effectively kept in balance with well-timed introduction of beneficial insects to fields.
How is Organic Cotton harvested?
The majority of Organic Cotton is harvested by hand. Thus, it follows then that Organic Cotton is also much safer for those who pick it thanks to the Organic growing process. Workers aren't exposed to breathing or otherwise ingesting toxic chemicals while active in the field, and don't have to worry about the same nasty chemicals getting into their water supply if they live nearby.
Organic Cotton Certifications / Commitments
Through our use of 100% Certified Organic Cotton, it is our goal to offset the use of 150 tons of pesticides and fertilizers by the year 2015.
This target is part of our plan to Take Action, to respect the soil, underground waters, and human health. As we proceed toward this goal, we also pledge to share our progress and status to you, the consumer. After all, we do share this Earth.
Knowledge Cotton Apparel’s Organic Cotton suppliers are Certified by Control Union Certifications, in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard (G.O.T.S.).
For more information, please see:
Control Union World Group www.controlunion.com
Global Organic Textile Standard www.global-standard.org
What is 100% certified Organic Wool = Happy Sheep Wool
We call our 100% certified Organic Wool ‘’Happy Sheep Wool’’, because animals has been raised following the welfare and animal protection standards.
This certification supports both the ecological treatment of the natural fibers and the sheep used to produce the yarn. This includes animal welfare, feeding and forbidding the use of fattening up aids or pesticides on either the animals or the soil on which they graze. After shearing the sheep, the wool is washed according to very strict rules regarding permitted detergents. The years must not undergo any kind of chemical or synthetic processing. Organic sheep farming requires special attitude towards animals and the work required in raising them. This includes lower population densities, larger stalls and a ban of tethering. Organic sheep are also allowed to keep their horns and tails. They are shorn individually, causing less stress to the animals than the automated systems used in providing conventional wool.
In process of raising organic sheep, pesticides and chemicals are not used to get rid of parasites. In that way animals, farmers and their families are being saved from harm that these chemicals can cause. In organically raised sheep process farmers choose to maintain small robust herds instead of maintaining large pastures in order to reduce parasites.
PET - Recycled Plastic Bottles
PET is made from recycled plastic bottles which helps reduce CO2 emission. Recycled PET bottle fibers are eco-friendly and help decrease the amount of waste. This is one more way to be save the Earth from pollution of dumped plastic bottles and be environmentally friendly, which is one of our core values.
PET material is a light and durable material. KnowledgeCotton Apparel uses approximately 25 recycled plastic bottles for producing one jacket.