While sustainable agricultural practices have received a copious amount of exposure over the past decade in relation to conventional food's environmental impact, something often overlooked by consumers is supportable organic clothing. Among health concerns and other issues related to fabric being tinkered with by scientists and engineers on a molecular level, the farming methods used by conventional fiber producers are wreaking havoc on the Earth.

A popular fabric found in almost every home is cotton. Cotton makes up over 50 percent of the clothing fiber sold not only throughout the United States of America, but globally as well. With its properties yielding superb results in terms of absorbency, heat conduction, resiliency and durability, it is easy to see why cotton is so widely utilized. However, as with any item in high demand, producers turn to methods that will yield the highest quality product and greatest return. In terms of conventional farming, the results are disastrous.

According to a 2007 study conducted by the Environmental Justice Foundation with the Pesticide Action Network, cotton is considered to be the most contaminated crop in the world. This is because of the heavy use of insecticides, which is also the most dangerous type of pesticide in terms of health hazards for both humans and animals. Cotton canvasses 2.5 percent of all the cultivated land in the world while using a staggering 16 percent of all global insecticides. This percentage demonstrates pesticide use for this fiber is higher than any other leading crop worldwide.

The World Heath Organization has classified methamidopho, aldicarb and parathion as being three of the most dangerous insecticides to the health of humans. This trio ranks in the top 10 insecticides most commonly utilized in cotton farming. The second best selling insecticide for use in cotton production is aldicarb, which is known for its extremely poisonous properties that if absorbed through skin tissue can kill a human within seconds. Even with the knowledge of how life threatening this substance is, it is still being utilized by over 25 countries, including the U.S. where trace amounts have been reportedly found in the groundwater of 16 states.

Natural fertilizers like compost and animal manure are incorporated by organic cotton farmers as opposed to using nitrogen synthetic fertilizers, which are considered extremely detrimental to our ecological system. With natural fertilizers, farmers are able to reuse nitrogen already residing in the soil instead of adding unnecessary amounts that can cause pollution and N20 emissions. As with any type of organic farming, the plants themselves are stronger and able to defend themselves against things like disease and predators which their chemically grown counterparts are too weak to do. Farmers are able to raise healthy crops without poisoning the soil through the use of preventative measures and organic plant management tactics. Support of the organic cotton industry is an absolute necessity to a healthy future of our planet.