Cotton is the most commonly used fiber for clothing textiles. Of course! Cotton feels comfortable, is soft on the skin, fairly strong and can absorb about twenty percent moisture before feeling wet. Cotton fabrics feel cool because cotton is a good heat conductor. The heat insulating capacity is therefore low. That makes cotton an ideal material for making summer clothes! However, thicker and heavier cotton fabrics and yarns can also be used for making winter clothing. Organic cotton is skin-friendly, suitable for the sensitive skin, and easy to maintain.

One of the major objections to 'conventional' cotton is that it is sprayed with herbicides and insecticides. According to some studies, a quarter of the pesticides used worldwide end up on the cotton fields. It has been calculated that about 125 grams of agricultural poison is used to make a normal 250-gram T-shirt. The consequences for people and nature are disastrous. This applies in the first place to cotton workers.

Water use

A second objection is that cotton is a 'thirsty' plant that needs lots of water. Unfortunately, organic cotton is also increasingly being put away as an environmentally unfriendly plant for that reason. This picture is not entirely correct. Cotton is counted among the xerophites, plants that are able to limit their water needs. This can be due to the shape and structure of the leaf, but also due to a strong root system. An important part of cotton cultivation is without artificial irrigation, even in countries like India. In many areas the normal rainfall is enough to be able to grow cotton. On the other hand it is undoubtedly true that the desertification that occurred in some areas, can be traced to cotton cultivation. This is the case, for example, with the drying up of the Aral Sea. However, a major cause here is a destructive agricultural policy that has led to depletion of the earth.

Organic cotton

In the cultivation of organic cotton, no pesticides are used, natural enemies (insects) are combated in an environmentally friendly manner. Weeds are not sprayed but removed mechanically or manually. Picking the cotton balls is done manually, without defoliating the plant first. GMO is forbidden.
In addition, much attention is paid to the necessary restoration of the soil (through natural fertilization) and to water management.

Aegean organic cotton

All our 100% organic cotton fabrics are made in Turkey. The Turkish cotton is of excellent quality (long fibers, strong and soft) and the country has a fairly big cotton industry. Farming and processing take place in the same region. Transport to our Ecological Textiles warehouse is possible by truck.
Cotton is grown in various regions in Turkey. Ecological Textiles only uses so-called Aegean organic cotton, which is grown and processed in the region south-east of Izmir. We have built up a good working relationship with weaving and knitting companies here since 2005. The factories we work with are all GOTS certified.