Cotton, although a very eco friendly product, does have an environmental impact. Like other crops, cotton farming can lead to land clearing, soil erosion and contamination, and loss of soil biodiversity. Poorly managed soils can lead to the loss of soil fertility and declines in productivity.
However, organic cotton doesn’t have this negative impact. Organic cotton means cotton that is grown without using harmful pesticides, chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. As compared to conventional cotton production the impact of water pollution of organic cotton is 98% less .
Is organic cotton environmentally friendly?
As organic cotton is grown without chemical pesticides or harmful fertilizers, when it comes to environmental effects, organic cotton is usually highlighted as the better of the two.
Cotton’s environmental impacts result from the use of agrochemicals (especially pesticides), the consumption of water, and the conversion of habitat to agricultural use. Diversion of water and its pollution by cotton growing has had a severe impact on major ecosystems such as the Aral Sea in Central Asia, the Indus Delta in Pakistan and the Murray Darling River in Australia.
Environmental impacts on:
- Water Scarcity
Production and processing of cotton uses a large amount of water. Cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities. Surface and ground waters are often re-routed to irrigate cotton fields, leading to freshwater loss through evaporation, and inefficient water management.
- Soil Erosion and Degradation
Cotton cultivation severely devalues soil quality. Cotton production has depleted and degraded the soil in many areas. Most cotton is grown on well-established fields, but their exhaustion leads to expansion into new areas resulting in the destruction of habitats.
- Pollution
Cotton production is the cause of heavy pollution. Cotton is a crop most heavily sprayed with chemicals in the world. The use of pesticides threaten the quality of soil and water, as well as the health of biodiversity in and downstream from the fields. Heavy use of pesticides also raises concern for the health of farm workers and nearby populations.
- Water Contamination
Draining away pesticides, fertilizers, and minerals from cotton fields contaminates rivers, lakes, wetlands, and underground aquifers. These pollutants affect biodiversity directly by immediate toxicity or indirectly through long-term accumulation.
Hazardous pesticides commonly used for cotton production are often found in nearby water resources. Around 85 percent of the population suffers from poor health as a result of unsafe drinking water.
- Water footprint of cotton
In developed countries, most of the water footprint from our consumption of cotton is virtual water. Virtual water is the water “hidden” in the products, services and processes people buy and use every day. Virtual water is the water embodied in the production of food and fiber and non-food commodities, including energy.
For Japan, 95% of the water footprint of cotton consumption is located outside Japan with the highest use of virtual water in China, Pakistan, and India.
In Europe, about 84% of the water footprint of cotton consumption is external with impacts especially in India and Uzbekistan.
For the US, about half the water footprint from cotton is virtual water with impacts mainly in India, Pakistan, and China.
- Raining with pesticides
A study of rain water in a Brazilian cotton region found that rain water contained 19 different pesticides – 12 of which were used in cotton production.
Where does the water go in cotton production?
The water used in cotton production is mainly used in either the agricultural stage or the production stage.
In the agricultural stage, there are three types of water uses:
- evaporation of rainwater collected for growing cotton
- withdrawal of water for irrigation (ground- or surface water)
- water pollution caused by runoff pesticides, fertilisers and other chemicals.
In the industrial, production stage, there are two types of water uses:
- extraction of ground- or surface water
- pollution of water from industrial processes.
In total, the water footprint of cotton is divided approximately like this:
- 42% blue water (groundwater)
- 39% green water (rainwater)
- 19% Grey water (polluted water / dilution water).
Other social and environmental issues with cotton
- Cotton cultivation causes soil degradation and erosion as well as loss of forest area and other habitat.
- The use of child labor and slavery is common in the industry.
- Cotton production is responsible for the emission of 220 million tons of CO2 annual
At Go Eco Love, we source our cotton very carefully. We try to buy organic cotton so that we are assessing the environment of our sourcing carefully. Have a look at our collection of cotton hand bags at: Go Eco Love