You’ve decided to live a green life from your socks to your suit coat, and cotton clothing is as green as you can get, right? Actually, unless you’re shopping for organic clothing, cotton isn’t always the greenes fabric of choice. To make sure you are investing your greens in green fashion:
- Look for organic labels. Organic cotton has been grown in areas that are chemical-free for at least three years. Traditional cotton growers use a lot of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
- Make sure that anything you buy was manufactured by an employee-friendly, fair trade company. It’s hard to feel proud of that pretty cotton dress when you discover it was manufactured by a child who works 14-hour days in terrible conditions.
More from GLI:
At first my reason for searching out organic cotton was medical.
At only a few weeks old my son developed severe eczema and his pediatrician suggested organic cotton as an alternative to the harsh steroidal creams they wanted to put him on.
The search for organic clothing was not easy, and just plain expensive, but I knew his baby skin could not take the harsh chemicals used in regular textiles.
The more research I did, the more I knew our entire family needed to make a change, for us and the planet.
That was when I founded Peaceful Disorder, and since it is a family adventure, the prices are very reasonable. ($12-$30)
You will probably see the same products in your local boutique for twice as much, I know I did.
But best of all, after about 6 months of wearing organic, our baby Corbin has no sign of eczema.
http://www.peacefuldisorder.com
82nd and Zeal is an online boutique based in Northern California. We retail eco friendly, fair-trade and inspirational clothing for women. Our clothing is fashionable yet still good for the body, society and the environment.