You probably know how much we love regenerated eucalyptus (Lyocell - Tencel). The lyocell process is pretty amazing, safe chemicals break down the fibrous material in a closed loop system. Eucalyptus plantations have very low water and chemical use. The only downside to Lyocell is the energy use is high in fibre production.
We still love our current materials, Tencel and Recycled Nylon, and now we have added Cotton, why now?
As you might know cotton is a very very thirsty crop. It takes 10,000 litres of water to make just one 1kg of cotton(1). 99% of cotton is GMO seed. The chemical use is high, it is responsible for 16% of insecticide use globally and 6% of fertilisers(2), and you may not know that most fertilisers are fossil fuel based! These chemicals run off and cause water contamination and biodiversity loss(3). The crop also depletes soil and causes erosion.
The human rights disgrace of cotton in India is beyond comprehension with Monsanto's BT cotton, but that is a story I will share later.
So, you can see why we don’t favour cotton. But, after intensive research we have found a way to be part of a beautiful solution and that is right up our alley.
We are investing in a direct farm relationship to enable regenerative rainfed cotton crops that are cropped with other food and flowers to work together, sequester carbon and restore soil as well as livelihoods. We are currently at the start of this process, but we wanted you to know this is where we are heading.
We have started with organic cotton; organic cotton represents 1% of the cotton fibre market and we are using it as a steppingstone. It is GOTS certified to the highest standards. Organic cotton uses 73%(3) less water than conventional cotton and of course is not GMO. It is 46% lower in GHG emissions due to being fertiliser and pesticide free(4).
We are so incredibly excited to be part of something much bigger, with the healing potential for land and communities and the transparency to do a seed to underwear product and take you on the journey.
Kelly - Founder
- The World Counts https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/cotton-farming-water-consumption
- EJ Foundation https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/the-casualties-of-cotton
- Cotton Industries – WWF https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/cotton
- Textile Exchange – Organic Cotton Report https://textileexchange.org/app/uploads/2022/10/Textile-Exchange_OCMR_2022.pdf
