More and more consumers prefer organic fabrics
Fifteen per cent of the respondents in a recent UK survey claimed that the use of organic fabric is ‘very important’ to them when buying clothing.
Forty-five per cent of these respondents were concerned about the damage clothing production causes the environment and an even bigger percentage prefer retailers that do not use sweat shops or child labour.
There are about eleven UK companies that certify organic farm practices, two of which are the UK Soil Association and Organic Farmers and Growers. SKAL International (Dutch) is another well-known organisation that inspects and certifies the production process.
Organic clothing is made from fibres that have not been treated with toxic insecticides, herbicides or fungicides. Prevention is the best strategy farmers have against disease, weed and insects.
To be certified as organic, farmers need to adhere to the following guidelines:
- avoidance of most synthetic chemical inputs
- use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more)
- keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail)
- maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products
- undergoing periodic on-site inspections
If you want good reasons why you should buy organic, here are three:
- It is better for the environment
- It is farmer friendly
- It is sustainable
Organic clothing does not contain any harmful chemicals, which means it is better for consumers as well as the workers who produce the products. People who are sensitive to chemicals can wear these products without their skin being irritated. Another major advantage to organic clothing is that Fair Trade policies are mostly adhered to.
Source: GreenBlog
