Environmental Awareness And The Politics Of Cotton
April 2, 2009 Cotton or polyester? The decision is much more than aesthetic. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project and Pesticide Action Network North America, cotton production uses about 23% of the total insecticides and 10% of pesticides globally. But polyester, manufactured from petrochemicals, uses twice the amount of energy as cotton does to produce.
However, the two share a carbon footprint when it comes to finished goods, at 3.25CU (carbon units, each equal to 1 kilogram of carbon dioxide discharged into the environment) each to produce a shirt. As toxic as carbon dioxide is to the environment, 0.2 tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer — which emits a far more dangerous greenhouse gas — are used for every harvested tonne of cotton.
Environmental Decisions
The synthetic fabric industry promotes the idea that polyester garments save energy, as they can be washed at a lower temperature than cotton; however, many 100% cotton items can be washed in cooler temperatures as well, then tossed into a dryer set to “low,” or hung to dry. With new anti-wrinkle finishes, many cotton garments won’t even need to be ironed.
On the other hand, synthetic fabrics such as acetate and rayon are typically “dry clean only,” creating added expense as well as producing toxic chemicals like perchlorethylene, a hazardous air pollutant.
Perhaps most important, however, are the petroleum-based materials required to create synthetic fabrics. As a byproduct of the oil industry, they’re created from a non-renewable resource. Petrochemical production creates nitrous oxide, which is 310 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
According to www.SixWise.com, synthetic fabrics require a lot of chemicals. For example, rayon is created from chemically treated wood-pulp, requiring caustic soda, sulphuric acid, and acetone or ammonia; polyester is created from esters of hihydric alcohol and terephthalic acid; and acrylics are polycrylonitriles, considered a suspected carcinogen by EPA. The dyes used to color synthetic fabrics often use processes involving heavy metals; other chemical treatments enhance water repellancy.
A Natural Choice
Purchasing natural cotton fabrics can help reduce dependence on petroleum products and avoid releasing more toxic chemicals into the air and water. Organically grown cotton, which is harvested without the use of bleaches, pesticides, or other harmful chemicals, will help protect groundwater from the pollution of chemicals that come from both conventional agriculture and manufacturing. Untreated cotton in general reduces a person’s exposure to the synthetic chemical finishes often used in turning man-made fabrics into garments.
Finally, cotton is a sustainable, biodegradable option, while synthetic fabrics are as indestructible as plastic.
Most synthetic fabrics have equivalent cotton replacements, which don’t necessarily require any more care or effort than polyester, rayon, or acrylic fabrics.
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