Conventional cotton cultivation uses large amounts of toxic chemicals and wastes massive quantities of water. It is vital that we find alternative methods to grow cotton — one of the world’s most popular fibers — which are not harmful to the environment. This project supports that future by providing an educational tour of sustainable cotton farms in California’s central valley. Hosted by GATF, GAP Inc and the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP), participants experienced grass roots sustainable cotton growing. The tour included industry professional speakers, university professors, and discussion facilitators who introduced participants to the growing and critical field of sustainable fabrics.
Current consumption of cotton is higher than ever before, with annual demand over 25 million tons. Ten percent of all chemical pesticides and 22 percent of all insecticides go into growing cotton. The World Health Organization estimates at least 20,000 farmers die each year from agricultural pesticides. Developing countries withstand the worst of pesticide’s evils, making up 25 percent of the world’s pesticide use and experiencing 99 percent of pesticide-related deaths. Cotton is responsible for the release of at least $2 billion dollars of chemical pesticide spraying each year, at least $819 million of which is classified as mortally hazardous by the World Health Organization. In India, home to over one third of the world’s cotton farmers, cotton accounts for 54 percent of all pesticides used annually despite occupying just five percent of land under crops. This is an enormous problem. With organic products and practices, less chemicals, and improved watering systems, a solution is in sight.
On the Sustainable Cotton Farm tour, participants visited farms, cotton growers, ginning facilities, watched cotton harvesting, and heard local doctors speak about health issues related to cotton growing and pesticides. The two full buses of participants ranged in backgrounds. There were small-scale fashion designers, representatives of large clothing manufacturers like Banana Republic, representatives of interior goods companies like Restoration Hardware, fashion students from California College of the Arts and San Francisco State, government officials from the USDA, journalists, fabric suppliers and more.
This tour is a powerful way to educate and advocate to large apparel companies to switch to better cotton. These tours have informed large companies which now use better farming practices and serve as a great tool for educating employees and management about the importance of reducing water and chemical use in cotton cultivation and the fashion industry.
