Why Organic Cotton?

S Aziz123 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Ok – so you’re not going to eat your CoffeeSock filter, so why should you care that it’s made from organic cotton? Yes, organic cotton keeps pesticide residue out of your coffee – but the organic label means more than clean food and drink. 

Nonorganic, or “conventional” cotton is a big, chemical intensive business. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, cotton ranks third for use of pesticides behind soybeans and corn – weighing in at around 48 million pounds of pesticides on “approximately 12.6 million acres of cotton planted in nine states.” While we may not ingest cotton, pesticide use also depletes soil and ends up in water supplies, threatening humans and wildlife.   

By contrast, organic cotton does not use toxic chemicals. “It doesn’t damage the soil, has less impact on the air, and uses 71% less water and 62% less energy.”  What’s more, CoffeeSock uses organic cotton certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).The GOTS standards go beyond standards for toxicity and environmental impact, requiring GOTS certified companies to meet social standards that include criteria for minimum wage, working conditions and collective bargaining. 

From the soil in which its planted to the humans who harvest the crop, organic cotton provides tangible environmental and human rights benefits. And since CoffeeSock products are made with organic cotton cloth and thread, they are completely and safely compostable when it’s time to replace your sock.  

So no, you aren’t going to eat your CoffeeSock, but the more products made from clean crops the better – for the soil, the water, the air and all the creatures who need them.