Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seed of cotton plants. Conventional cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop in the world with an estimated 25% of the world’s insecticides and 25% of the worlds pesticides used.

In the US it has been shown that pesticides unintentionally kill 67 million birds a year.

In India there is a farmer suicide every 30 minutes due to the cost of the heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers on both yield and their bank balance. Farmers are often heavily poisoned by these chemicals , causing serious health issues.

Rad this Huffiington Post for more information here!

By avoiding chemicals farmers can also mitigate against climate change by building soil fertility that locks CO2 into the soil.

GM poses a great potential risk to human health and wildlife which is why thankfully GM is banned in organic farming systems.

Unfortunately a significant amount of conventional cotton is genetically modified.

The Global Organic Textile Standard monitors the chemicals used in processing of textiles in order to make sure they meet strict requirements on toxicity and biodegradability. Final products are restricted in the amount of allergenic, carcinogenic or toxic chemical residues. These can cause skin irritations and allergies.

In vast contrast, manufacturers of non organic cotton use tens of thousands of highly toxic chemicals, many of which are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

That’s why at Bedstraw and Madder we use only GOTS certified organic cotton yarn. It’s a healthier option for your body and is more sustainable for the environment.