Top :: bhiveshop.co.uk > Organic Cotton

Firstly, the conventional cotton growing method...
...Did you know that cotton is the world’s most sprayed crop.

According to The Independent 25th Feb 2003: ‘Conventional cotton uses 24% of all insecticides and 11% of all pesticides used in the world each year.’

Most cotton is grown in third world countries where chemicals which are banned in Europe, can be used legally.  The end result is a product that is not good for the farmers’ health, the environment or the customer. On average we spend a third of our lives in bed - wouldn’t you prefer to be sleeping on something a little more wholesome.

Surely a cotton T-shirt is made up only of cotton ?  No ?
The average 100% cotton T-shirt is made up of ONLY 73% cotton.   The other 27% is made up of chemicals (and their residue such as pesticides and formaldehyde) that were used to grow and make it.   It takes approximately 17 teaspoons of pesticides alone to grow enough cotton to make one T-shirt.

How does this affect me ? It`s all about choice... most of the chemicals used to grow and manufacture a normal cotton T-shirt are on the World Health Organisation`s (WHO) ‘moderately hazardous’  list and two are known to be on their `highly hazardous` list.  But they are still used.  The chemicals used in normal cotton farming are  on these lists because they are known to be carcinogenic which affect both the nervous and reproductive systems.

Times have changed – but why ?  hmmmmmm

Cotton has been cultivated totally organic for over 4,000 years of human history. It was only mid 20th century when the widespread use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers began. Today, it is said that conventional cotton production uses approximately a quarter of the world’s agricultural insecticide production. Without doubt, conventional cotton production is one of the heaviest consumers of toxic chemicals.  And often, the dyes used to colour the cotton also contain volatile chemicals.

What is Organic cotton?

Instead of using agricultural pesticides, beneficial organisms such as parasites and natural enemies (such as ladybirds against aphids) are used for insect management. No toxic chemicals are used in processing and manufacturing of our organic cotton products. In summary, organic cotton is a clean, sustainable alternative to conventional cotton.

By using organic cotton, you are not exposed to toxic chemicals residues that may appear in conventional cotton products. At the same time we are making small contribution to the protection of the environment that we all live in. As the organic cotton yarns are less processed, they keep the highest level of durability and natural softness that give you great comfort.

There are strict rules about organic cotton which can only be called ‘organic cotton’ when it has been properly certified by an organic certification body that verifies that the producer meets or exceeds defined organic standards.

The towels we buy are certified by IMO, the Swiss based accredited agency for inspection and certification of organic and sustainable production. The organic cotton producers are inspected by IMO regularly and this ensures that the towels are produced by adhering to the strict EU regulation and standards on organic production.  

All dyes used on the towels are environmentally responsible ‘low impact’ dyes, which are selected for the lowest environmental impact and of course fully compliant with the organic certification criteria. These dyes use much less water and energy than conventional dyes, and do not contain any heavy metal or harmful chemical substances.   The bed linen has been dyed using environmentally friendly natural vegetable dyes in state of the art units where water treatment facilities guarantee that local water sources are not polluted.

You won’t find many companies whose founders have worked in a cotton field.  Our bedding suppliers have been to India to work with the farmers to create a better way to grow soft, quality organic cotton.   It’s very important for us, as consumers to know about the organic growing process and where all the parts of the cotton plant are used.  Seeds from cotton are removed at the ginning process.  They are then pressed and oil is extracted.  The oil is used in the food industry and can end up in processed foods.  The rest of the seeds are fed to cows.  This is great news but think about what happens when GM cotton is ginned.  Where does that oil go ?