Before the cotton fiber can be manufactured several cleaning steps are required.
Ginning is the process of separating the cotton lint from the cotton seeds. The byproduct cotton seeds are used for cottonseed oil production for human consumption and fodder for livestock. Cottonseed, which is rich in oil and high in protein, is a common ingredient in many processed foods. With conventionally grown cotton, the pesticide residues from the cottonseeds concentrate in the tissues of livestock and end up in the food chain of all meat and dairy products.
After ginning, in conventional cotton farming the fibres are cleaned up from their coating and natural wax with chemical treatments, they are then combed and finally spun into yarn. The spinning involves transforming the fibres into yarns, which includes blending fibres, twisting fibres together and coiling the yarn together. After spinning, in conventional cotton production the fabric is then bleached with hydrogen peroxide and/ or chlorine.
Unfortunately, conventionally manufactured cotton must be chemically processed and may have synthetic fibres blended into it to become the soft fiber that consumers love. The chemical residues of these processes constitute major sensitivity problems experienced by so many people suffering from skin allergies and multiple skin sensitivities.
Our organic cotton is hand harvested, cleaned and spun into yarns and is always made in fairtrade certified mills and factories. Our point of difference is that the organic cotton is cleaned, ginned and spun without the harsh chemical treatments and with minimal processing. The result is a stronger thread that softens with time that possesses its true natural fibres. We believe that in the seed to shelf journey, it is in the quality of the thread, what the yarn is exposed to, what the workers are exposed to and the quality of the experience of the final organic cotton product that matters so much to the earth and humanity.
About the Author: Vinita is the Founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and passionate about an Earth Life Balance.
