Organic cotton duvet

Nowadays there are more and more people who prefer to buy the organic version of products instead of the normal variant, organic cotton. This is because more and more value is attached to nature and the environment. Also when you buy clothing or duvets you can take this into account. 

What is organic cotton?

When you hear the term organic cotton, it can sometimes be difficult to find out exactly what it means. However, it is very easy to explain. Organic cotton is cotton that is produced in a biological way. This means that the environment and nature are taken into account during the production process. 

Cotton is the most widely used material when it comes to the textile industry. More than three quarters of all cotton produced is produced by farmers in developing countries. These farmers have to work in unpleasant conditions and get paid too little. 

Organic cotton ensures that work is done in an environmentally conscious manner and that farmers can work in an ethically responsible manner. 

The fabric of cotton is exactly the same as the non-organic version. However, the processing of organic cotton is different. Organic cotton is processed in an environmentally friendly way and under proper working conditions. 

The difference with non-organic cotton

If you want to process cotton the way they normally do, there are a number of harmful processes involved. This is because a lot of synthetic pesticides are used. This is not only harmful for the people who work with these fabrics, but also for the people who wear them and for nature. 

The cotton industry also uses a lot of water in countries where there is a shortage of clean water. Furthermore, the cotton industry often involves forced labor or even child labor. These are many things that make you unhappy when you think about it. 

Organic cotton offers an option to work according to a better alternative. This is because the strict rules of organic farming are applied. If a company does not comply with these rules, they are not allowed to call themselves organic companies. 

Organic means that no synthetic pesticides are used which could be harmful for the workers or the environment in which they work. Furthermore, no harmful substances are used in the rest of the process. 

Also no genetically modified plants are used for cotton. Only pure cotton plants which are certified according to a certain quality mark are used. Otherwise they are not allowed to use the name organic. 

The organic cotton industry claims that they use between 75 and 91 percent less water than the normal cotton industry. However, opinions are still a bit divided on this. The amount of water and land used by the organic cotton industry is greater than the recycled cotton industry. 

When is cotton organic?

The moment a company wants to call its cotton organic, it must meet a number of strict requirements. This is checked by a number of different organisations. The largest organisation that checks cotton is GOTS. 

Organic cotton can be recognised in shops by its label. There are two different labels in the organic cotton industry. You have the organic certificate and made with organic ingredients. 

The organic certificate means that more than 95 percent of all cotton components must be organic. This includes the fibres of the cotton plant. The production may not use any substances that are harmful to humans or nature. There is also a limit on the amount of waste they produce. 

Made with organic ingredients means that more than 70 percent must be organically grown. In doing so, they also have to adhere to no harmful substances that are harmful to people or nature. There is also a limit to the amount of waste. 

If you also care about the conditions for the farmers who produce the cotton, you should pay particular attention to the Fair Wear Foundation label. They voluntarily monitor the conditions of the workers. 

How exactly is it made?

Organic cotton is made from cotton plants that are grown according to the rules of organic farming. This makes everything safe for humans and nature. 

The cotton comes from the seeds of the cotton plant. These are left over after the flower has finished blooming. This is then picked from the plants by hand to be cleaned by a machine. In this process, the fibres are separated from the seeds and the waste. 

Because no artificial fertiliser is used in the organic industry, the cotton plant grows slowly and produces beautiful, long and strong fibres. These can be spun into cotton yarn.

The cotton yarn can be used for knitting, weaving and dyeing. The seeds that remain after the process are used for animal feed or for oil for frying. 

Where to buy organic cotton?

Organic cotton is not something you will find everywhere. This is because it is often more expensive than regular cotton. However, more and more shops are choosing to use organic cotton. 

In many large clothing stores you will now find different departments where there are some organic products that you can buy. Not only are there t-shirts made of organic cotton, but you will also find many other products made of organic cotton such as pants and sweaters. 

You can also buy organic cotton duvets nowadays. These are often a little more expensive, but they are wonderful to sleep under. If you are often concerned about the environment or industry, you can sleep comfortably under an organic duvet. These are made for people and nature in a responsible way. That is, of course, what you want.