Organic Clothing - Clean Cotton

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your cotton grow?

We all know where our clothes are made…the tag clearly states it. But do you know the origin of the cotton used to make it? Do you know how environmentally friendly the farmers are to the soil used to grow the cotton? Do you know how humane the conditions are for those farmers & their families?

3 Clothing Co. uses clean cotton. What is that you ponder? Clean cotton is organically farmed, Uzbekistan-free cotton that is approved by the Fair Wear Foundation and the Fair Trade Federation.

Organically farmed cotton is chemical-free but not yet certified. In order for cotton to be considered "USDA certified organic”, the US Department of Agriculture requires that the farm must undergo a transition period of three years. During these three years of organic farming, the cotton is considered to be “organic in-conversion” but not yet certified organic. Because the cotton does not yet have a “certified” label, the farmer cannot take advantage of the profits of organic cotton but still has all the expenses. It’s kind of like taking a few steps backwards in profit to do the right thing for these farmers. This is the reason why we use organic in-conversion cotton as part of our “clean cotton”. We believe in rewarding cotton farmers who are taking the important step of changing to sustainable & organic farming methods in order to better our environment.

Clean cotton is also Uzbekistan-free cotton. Uzbekistan is the #2 cotton producer in the world but the working & environmental conditions are heart breaking. It makes Kathy Lee’s manufacturing plants look like a day at Disney and the Exxon Valdez oil spill look like...well, that was really bad but at least it was an accident! The government takes kids out of school for sometimes two months, picking bales of cotton bigger than they are and oh by the way, they never know if they will get paid or not. And they torture anyone who tries to stand up against these inhumane conditions. (Boiling water is for pasta, not people!)

Don’t even get me started on how terrible the government is to the land. Oh, too late. They have taken such poor care of the soil that they have depleted their main source of water, the Aral Sea, by 80%! And due to the contaminated soil, each year they have to use more & more pesticides & chemicals to kill all the bugs.

Several clothing companies are making a stand; we are one of them. More & more clothing manufacturers are requiring proof of origin of the cotton they use, up the supply chain to the final product. It will be an uphill battle but if everyone asks “Where does the cotton grow?” and boycott Uzbekistan cotton, we can make a difference!

Buy clean cotton clothing
Learn more about organic clothing

To learn more, please visit:

http://www.ejfoundation.org/page142.html

http://www.ejfoundation.org/pdf/white_gold_the_true_cost_of_cotton.pdf