Is Your Promotional T-Shirt Made of Un-Natural Cotton?

Gildan Heavy Cotton T-Shirt - 25 Colours 

By Heidi Thorne

So I go to a "green" event and they hand out cotton canvas bags. The bags are reusable, sturdy and made from a non-petroleum product and that's good. However, conventionally grown cotton is one of the most non-ecofriendly materials available for promotional T-shirts and bags.

Promotional wearables supplier Bodek & Rhodes reports that traditionally grown cotton uses 25% of insecticides and 10% of the pesticides used in the entire world! They estimate that it takes 150 grams of pesticides and fertilizers to make one  Gildan T-shirt  . Chemical fungicides, herbicides, and defoliants are also used. Even to begin with, the cotton seeds are frequently GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Natural? Hardly.

Why is this? If cotton crops are not rotated, which can be the case in traditional cotton farming, soil becomes sterile and devoid of nutrients to foster healthy crops and fend off pests and diseases. Thus the need for genetically engineered seeds which are stronger, coupled with a healthy (??) dose of chemical support.

Intensive irrigation is also required. As noted in the book Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins, traditionally producing just one pound of cotton fiber takes about 2-1/2 tons of water.

And all of this doesn't even take into consideration the land use devoted to traditional cotton farming.

Contrast conventional cotton farming with a truly natural alternative: organic cotton. Organic cotton farming starts out with untreated non-GMO cotton seeds. The seeds are planted in fields where cotton crops are rotated to increase organic matter, build fertile soil, and increase water retention capability, thus reducing water needs. Natural pest predators, trap crops, and cultivation methods are used to eliminate pesticide use. Hand weeding methods as opposed to chemicals. Those of you who are gardeners know this is quite a job!

All equipment and processing of organic cotton must be done separately from traditional cotton to avoid contamination. Organic cotton must also be certified (look for it on product information or labeling) to ensure that each bale of cotton has been grown using organic methods and that it has remained uncontaminated throughout its journey from field to factory to buyer. With all the meticulous farming, processing, and monitoring required for organic cotton, it is often more expensive than conventional cotton.

While the manufacture of organic cotton is more earth and people friendly than traditional cotton, the fact remains that land use needed to produce cotton is significant. And though land use may still be an issue, we are also seeing entries in the promotional wearable and bag market that are made from soy, bamboo, corn, and other non-cotton plant-based sources.

Would you believe it if I told you that in some cases polyester fabrics are a more ecofriendly choice? Granted, polyester is not typically degradable, though it can be recyclable. And most people prefer the comfort of cotton. But here's something to consider.

Again referring to the book Natural Capitalism, the authors quote biologist Peter Warshall in reporting that the output of a 300-acre petrochemical plant along with a small acreage natural gas facility can be equivalent to that of a 600,000 acre cotton farm. That's around 0.1% of the land use!

My prediction? Additives to enhance plastic degradability are becoming more common in promotional product offerings such as mugs. I think we might see manmade fabric T-shirts with enhanced degradability, too. Recycled polyester fibers are also creeping into the promotional product marketplace and help close the green loop by remanufacturing and repurposing fibers for new uses to keep them out of landfills.

Want more promotional product how-to ideas and news? Sign up for Heidi Thorne's free Promo With Purpose Today e-newsletter at http://skirtedforswim.blogspot.com/

Or check out Heidi's book, SWAG: How to Choose and Use Promotional Products for Marketing Your Business, available at major online booksellers or at http://swimwearmootide.blogspot.com 

Heidi Thorne is a promotional products marketing expert and speaker with over two decades experience in the fields of sales, marketing, advertising and public relations.

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