Although it is a natural fiber, conventional cotton is far from environmentally friendly.

Cotton is mainly produced in dry and warm regions, but it needs a lot of water to grow. In some places, like India, inefficient water use means that up to 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1kg of cotton. In the meantime, 100 million people in India do not have access to drinking water.

99.3% of cotton grown globally is not organic, therefore means uses chemicals and is genetically modified seeds. Cotton represents 10% of the pesticides and 16% of the insecticides used globally. 

90% of the world’s cotton farmers are located in developing countries where labor, health, and safety regulations are nonexistent or not enforced most of the time. Child and forced labor are common practices.

In Uzbekistan (the 6th largest exporter of cotton in the world), until recently more than 1 million people were forced to pick cotton for little or no pay every year.