Organic cotton is a natural material, so it feels soft and comfortable against the skin. This increases the feel-good factor and thus the quality of sleep. Children in particular want to snuggle up and feel safe in their children's bedding.
In order to create this feeling of well-being, however, we have to be able to rely on the fact that the bed linen is free from harmful substances...!
Therefore, it is helpful to know the following:
Eco children's bedding does not use any pesticides
No other agricultural product uses as many pesticides as conventionally grown cotton. According to research by Quarks.de, 16 percent of all insecticides worldwide are sprayed on cotton fields. These make up only 2.5 percent of the global agricultural area.
The massive use of plant toxins to "protect" the large monocultures has massive negative consequences for biodiversity. The high concentration of pesticides in connection with chemical fertilizers often leads to contamination of the groundwater and to direct and indirect damage to the health of humans and animals.
Some pesticides can even be detected in the finished clothing and can cause allergic reactions, for example.
When growing organic cotton, the use of pesticides and chemical-synthetic nitrogen fertilizers is prohibited!
Weeds are controlled mechanically instead of with herbicides. Fertilization takes place naturally, according to the principle of circular economy with compost, animal manure and plant residues. It is also cultivated in conjunction with other crops such as okra and garlic. This keeps the number of pests low and increases biodiversity. This creates a habitat for the natural enemies of cotton pests. This means that the use of environmentally harmful substances can be completely dispensed with.
Further ecological standards do not use toxins in further processing!
Looking for organic cotton when buying children's bedding or textiles is definitely a step in the right direction. This already contributes to more sustainable management. However, the organic or eco certificate only guarantees that the cotton fiber is grown organically. Unfortunately, it says nothing about the further processing to the finished garment. There are other, more far-reaching seals for this.
Unfortunately, pesticides and herbicides are not cotton's only toxic problem! Once the cotton has been picked, it is regularly subjected to a chemical cocktail as part of its further processing.
Several thousand different chemicals and dyes are used in production and finishing, ie in the further processing of the raw material through to the finished textile. Especially for bleaching the cotton or for dyeing the fabrics, materials that are very harmful to health and the environment are sometimes used (e.g. halogenated solvents, formaldehyde, solvents, ...)!
Even if most of the chemical substances are washed out after production, up to 10% remain in the cotton textiles.
Because there are production methods that do not use toxic chemicals. Toxic and environmentally harmful substances are expressly forbidden in further processing. Bleaching is only oxygen-based - without chlorine. No emulsion paints with heavy metals are used for coloring.
In the case of organic cotton with certified ecological standards, attention is paid to environmentally friendly further processing. Thus, sustainably refined organic cotton is perfect for your own children, allergy sufferers or people with sensitive skin and neurodermatitis.
CONCLUSION: It is not enough to rely on the organic cotton certificate. You should keep an eye on the entire value chain!
We at Surfing Gorilla produce children's bed linen exclusively from organic cotton according to the GOTS standard.
