Large or small, firey red or classic white—conventionally made
cotton Ts come with some unsettling environmental problems. The two
biggest issues with this wardrobe staple? The production and processing of cotton and the dyes that go into the finished product.
Cotton concerns
T-shirts are usually made from 100 percent cotton
but may also contain a percentage of synthetic fibers such as polyester
to reduce shrinkage or boost stability. The detrimental environmental
impact of T-shirts is rooted in the farming of conventional cotton,
considered to be the world's most pesticide-intensive crop. While only
2.4 percent of farmland worldwide is dedicated to cotton, it accounts
for 24 percent of global insecticide sales.[1]
In total, $2 billion worth of chemicals are sprayed on global cotton
crops each year, almost half of which are classified as hazardous by
the World Health Organization (WHO).[2]
The various chemicals used to treat conventional cotton can harm
beneficial insects and soil microorganisms, pollute ground and surface
water, and adversely affect the health of humans and wildlife—including
fish, birds, and livestock. Additionally, up to 70 percent of seed used
in conventional cotton farming in the United States is genetically modified.[3]
In the United States, an estimated 1/3 pound of agricultural
chemicals are used to produce a single cotton T-shirt. Thus, a 100
percent cotton T-shirt is actually comprised of 73 percent cotton—the
remaining 27 percent is made up of chemicals and chemical residues.[4]
The farming of conventional cotton is also water-intensive.
Producing one cotton t-shirt requires about 720 gallons of water—over
four times that used by an average American in a day.[5]
Tinting textiles
The textile industry generates and consumes an estimated 1.3 million
tons of dyes and other synthetic coloring agents worth around $23
billion—the equivalent weight of 441 average-sized cars, like the
Nissan Altima.[6]
Due to cotton's natural resistance to dyes, roughly half the chemicals
used as dyes or fixers end up as waste in rivers and soil.[7]
These dyes are largely petrochemical-based and contain lead, mercury,
and cancer-causing heavy metals like chromium VI, arsenic, and cadmium.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes a number of dyes are hazardous due to threat of groundwater contamination in the vicinity of manufacturing plants.
In conventional textile production, caustic chemicals and bleaches are also used to remove all color before
dyeing. Throughout the manufacturing process, the fiber and fabric is
flushed with water, which creates a potential for wastewater
contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and bleach, which produces dioxin—a human carcinogen.[8]
Glossary
- genetically modified organism:
A GMO is created by merging the genetic make-up of two organisms to
create a desired byproduct that could otherwise not be found in nature.
Using genetically-modified seed is a common practice in conventional
farming, and studies have shown that GMO crops pose significant
environmental risks such as killing off living, natural organisms and
causing some insects which feed on GMO crops to become resistant to
pesticides.
External links
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