Some facts and figures on cotton

  • 11% of all pesticides used in farming worldwide are used on cotton crops.
  • 25% of all insecticides used in farming worldwide are used on cotton crops.
  • Only 3% of agricultural land worldwide is used for cotton crops.
  • For India up to 55% of agricultural land may be used for cotton production [Sharma, 2005].
  • Conventionally grown cotton is a water thirsty crop. On average a conventional producer of cotton requires 3000 cubic metres of water per acre more than the organic farmer.
  • On average, during an eight month growing period, 8 litres of pesticide will be sprayed on one acre of conventionally grown cotton.
  • Finally turning raw cotton into a finished product has strong environmental impacts as spinning, weaving, dyeing and bleaching all involve the use of toxic chemicals.

And some facts about organic cotton

  • 'Organic agriculture not only uses different agri-techniques, it is also a "moral ecology"' [Vos, 2002]
  • In West Africa (where some of the organic cotton used in the manufacture of Terramar Tees comes from) 100% of organic cotton is rain fed.
  • Organic cotton represents only 2% of world cotton production.
  • As of 2005 only 15 countries where growing organic cotton.
  • Production is concentrated in Turkey (1,750 tonnes of cotton fibre; 29% of total), USA (1,625 tonnes; 27%), India (1,000 tonnes; 17%), Peru (550 tonnes; 9%), Uganda (275 tonnes; 5%), Egypt, Senegal, and Tanzania (200 tons each; 3%) [Isabelle Haynes, 2005].

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