What Qualifies Clothing as "Organic"?

It seems like almost everything these days is going organic, from fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and milk as well as processed foods to cosmetics, household products, and even clothing. Nowadays, you will find more companies, businesses, manufacturers, and retailers that offer or even specialize in organic clothes for a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with the environment as well as health concerns.

A major reason why more and more manufacturers and consumers are choosing organic clothes (which are usually made from organic cotton, although there are other types of natural fabric clothing) is because non-organic or traditional cotton is an extremely chemically intensive crop whose production essentially wreaks havoc on the environment—a very unpleasant and startling side-effect of which many in the general public may not even be aware.

But what qualifies clothing as "organic"? What makes organic clothes organic? Many consumers have heard of organic clothes and natural fabric clothing but are unsure what these terms really mean.

While it would be simpler to state that organic clothes aren't organic unless they are certifiably so, right now the process of organic certification only objectively applies to organic food and other organic agricultural products, and is a very objective standard by which one can measure whether any type of food or agricultural product is in fact organic.

For example, requirements include avoidance of any synthetic chemical sprays or additives, using chemical-free farmland, a strict separation of organic products from those that are non-organic, and subjecting to inspections and daily record and report-keeping.

However, we can still say whether an article of clothing is actually organic by how it is made, and we can still learn and understand what makes clothing organic. Simply put, organic clothing is natural fabric clothing that is made organically rather than synthetically. For the most part, organic clothing is made from organic cotton. But how is organic cotton grown—or what makes cotton organic?

When cotton is grown organically, it is grown in a process that is not synthetic in any way. The cotton seeds cannot be genetically engineered, insects are not sprayed but are instead controlled in a natural method whereby the "bad" bugs are eaten by "good" ones, the cotton plants are kept as healthy and durable as possible (by ensuring natural and optimum growing methods), and no synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides are used.

After the organic cotton has reached full maturity, it is first picked and then ginned to remove the seeds to leave only the lint, or cotton fiber, which is then generally sent to an organically certified mill. At the mill, the cotton fiber, or lint, is first of all carded, which means the longest and strongest fibers are selected. Next, the cotton is spun into yarn, which is woven into fabric, after which the organic finishing touches, such as cleaning, softening, and pre-shrinking are made to improve the look, feel, and durability of the fabric. Clothes made with organic cotton are becoming increasingly popular on the High Street, in articles such as women's and men's t-shirts, and the popularity is expected to grow as more UK consumers embrace an organic lifestyle.

Synthetic chemicals should not be used throughout the entire organic cotton seed-to-organic cotton product-process. Even the pre-shrinking process only uses steam and rubber pads to shrink cotton garments to make organic clothes. Whilst this may limit the use of organic fabrics for work clothing in certain industries, i.e. those that are required to be fire retardant etc, it does practically remove the chance of employees being allergic to the chemical treatments.

A number of different organizations, such as The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), have set forth various standards by which to grow anything organically, but they can vary from organization to organization. However, they generally have at least the following two stipulations or standards: 1) the growing and processing of the organic cotton or other natural fiber must have the lowest environmental impact; and 2) fair trade guidelines should be implemented and followed.