The concept of organic based fashion and textiles have been ideas expanding rapidly in Europe, but haave been slow to take root in the United States. That could very well be changing as the agricultrual fields of organic cotton have continued to increase in terms of acreage. Just recently the annual total acreage planted with organic cotton has actually increased in the United States as reported by the Organic Trade Association. These are not the only changes that are being reported either.Consumer demand for organic clothing is increasing all the time and the price of a pound of organic cotton has increased also. Rising prices for cotton has encouraged farmers to convert their fields to orgranic growing methods.
Eco-fashion has become more and more important in the UK and other European countries each year. The US has been much slower to adopt the concept of organic clothing, but the amount of organic cotton production and rising prices is proof the US is now on its way to catching. USA consumers have proven themselves to often be much slower at adopting environmentally protective shopping behaviors. But with additional education and a better understanding of how to market the organic cotton, the growth of the organic clothing industry is sure pick up seed.
The organic or eco-friendly clothing industry is expected to expand globally as consumers increase their demand for environmentally sound manufacturing processes which includes growing organic cotton. The organic clothing market will affect fashion from printed t-shirts to expense clothing. Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemicals typically found in pesticides and fertilizers. To be labelled as “organic”, the farmer must adhere to very strict US federal regulations that define everything from the kind of cotton seed planted to the farming practices used.
The growth of the amount of organic cotton acreage in the US was reported as increasing from 1,716 acres in 2007 to 2,590 acres in 2008. The US organic cotton production represents 2.1% of global production with 2009 numbers expected to continue the trend.
(c) Image by Sara Sandberg, www.sxc.hu/