Organic cotton beats conventional cotton hands down.
Imagine if you will a boxing ring. On the one side, conventionally grown cotton: big, domineering with massive corporate sponsorship and support from governments. On the other, organic cotton: small, the underdog. What are they fighting for? The planet.
And guess what, the underdog of Organic Cotton beats the beast of Conventional Cotton hands down, according to a new report from Textile Exchange.
The life cycle assessment study was based on data from producer groups located in the top five countries of organic cotton cultivation; India, China, Turkey, Tanzania and the United States which account for 97% of global organic cotton production.
They found that, compared with conventional cotton, organic cotton had:
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46% reduced global warming potential
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70% less acidification potential
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26% reduced eutrophication potential (soil erosion)
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91% reduced blue water consumption
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62% reduced primary energy demand