Greening cotton

We've known for a long time that the textile industry can be a dirty business, but somehow cotton production and even processing have maintained a clean image - one which is not always justified. But with cotton production accounting for 23 per cent of worldwide pesticide use, green alternatives to conventionally-grown cotton are now being considered. This book is a good overview of the current situation.

It is to the credit of Organic Cotton' s editors and most of its contributors that the accomplishments of the nascent organic cotton industry are not overstated. It has been ten years since the first organic cotton projects began and the amount of organic cotton grown has been minuscule. The amount produced that has actually been sold as organic is even smaller, since in many instances organically-grown cotton has been sold as conventional Cotton.

What is perhaps most interesting about the conclusions that can be drawn from Organic Cotton is that farmers' conversion from conventional to organic cotton production is easier if it takes place in regions or countries that already use few chemicals. So, for example, farmers in the Canete Valley in Peru and several regions in Turkey have had less difficulty in the early stage of organic conversion than those whose farming practices and land have been profoundly chemically dependent.

Of course, there is more to cotton than the growing of the crop and this book could be a useful reference for textile designers and retail distributors. Better yet, its influence could be even greater if it were required reading for students of textile design. If the people who are designing and ordering cotton products have a better understanding of the industrial choices available and the strengths and weaknesses of the various environmental certification schemes, the consumer will be presented with a product that not only contains organic cotton fibre, but has been the subject of greener practices in the post-growing stages.

One area where Organic cotton offers a twist to an old story is on the subject of markets. Not surprisingly, Europe and later the United States, provided the first consumers of organic cotton clothing. These markets remain tiny, but it is hoped that they will grow in the way that the market for organic food has grown. But what about markets for organic cotton in the South? With many of the cotton-growing countries of the South possessing a textile industry, it makes sense that they should seek to develop domestic markets for organic cotton. In case studies at the back of' the hook, several contributors mention this as a hope.

As is the intention, the reader ends with more questions than were present at the outset. Cotton is a complicated business and organic cotton won't be a viable industry until people are able to tackle the environmental impacts of its whole lifecycle. Organic Cotton's authors admit that there are gaps. Let's hope, as they do, that the book will soon be out of date, thanks to the onward work of this potentially exciting industry.