“Clothing your little ones in cotton may seem like the natural choice but are you surprised to hear that it isn’t necessarily the safest one?”
Certified organic cotton is very much a different story. It’s by far the safest option, second only to donning a birthday suit! There are so many benefits to clothing our children in organic cotton and some are more widely known than others, so let’s take a peek at them.
WHY CERTIFIED?
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the name of the governing body that oversees the certification criteria of organic cotton right around the world. Certification is critical in ensuring companies comply with the criteria necessary to have their products classified as truly organic. When purchasing organic, it’s important that you ensure products are GOTS certified because, unfortunately, any company can lay false and misleading claims to an organic product otherwise.
Certified farmers understand that healthy cotton promotes healthy living. They start with a clean slate, ridding their farms of all harmful substances before they start growing organic crops. Farms must be free from pesticides for three years before farming of organic cotton can commence. From the moment the seeds are sewn into the soil, right through to the finished product on the shop floor (or internet website in our case!) every process is a natural one. Organic cotton is the natural choice, when only the best will do.
WHY ORGANIC?
Certified Organic cotton is grown without the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilisers whereas conventional cotton-growing techniques rely heavily on these nasties to control the quality of the soil. Ordinarily cotton is processed using dyes, bleach and a host of other unhealthy chemicals that have been attributed to allergies, eczema and even cancer. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is free from all artificial additives as well as free from formaldehyde which has been classified as a cancer-causing agent by the International Institute for Research on Cancer.
Did you know that globally cotton covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land, yet it uses 16%-25% of the world’s insecticides, more than any other single major crop? And five of the top nine pesticides used on conventional cotton in the US alone, are known to be cancer causing chemicals? These are just a couple of the many statistics that are now widely available to demonstrate the harmful effects of conventional cotton.
SAFE AND GENTLE
Babies have incredibly sensitive skin that is more porous and absorbent than adult skin. Similarly to the way parents carefully consider the type of shampoo or body wash to use on their baby, the textiles in clothing should also be considered because it comes into such close contact with a baby’s skin. When wearing conventional cotton, your baby spends 24 hours a day in clothing laced with chemicals. These chemicals are designed to remain in the textiles for life and even after washing it’s been scientifically proven they retain these chemicals for the entire lifespan of the garment.
Because organic cotton is pure and isn’t treated with anti-static, anti-wrinkle pesticides and all the other toxic chemicals that ordinarily go into making cotton, it’s highly absorbent and breathes beautifully. People with allergies and sensitivity to chemicals especially benefit and we can certainly also celebrate the fact that certified organic cotton doesn’t leave any harmful side effects on the environment.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS…
Organic cotton is highly durable which means garments represent real value. Not only will they last longer and can be passed on to other children, but you’ll also save money as well as the environment in the long run. Because the fibers haven’t been deconstructed as chemicals are added, organic cotton doesn’t pill easily or trap odors as much as conventional cotton. It’s environmentally safe and by selecting organic cotton you’re making a socially responsible decision to care for our environment, which after-all, is for the benefit of the future of our little ones.
PURE LUXURY!
Certified organic cotton feels simply luxurious! It’s dramatically softer than conventional cotton because it hasn’t been assaulted with chemicals and pesticides and is grown and manufactured in as natural a state as possible.
You must try it for yourself. Once you go organic, you’ll never go back!