Spring 2009
Pink or Blue? Greening Baby Sales By Emily Lambert

Shades of Green Cotton

There are many ways to buy chemical-free baby clothes and linens in the green market. The safest bet is to offer your customers products that come with a certified organic cotton label. This signifies the cotton has come from farms that meet USDA national organic program regulations. “Those regulations require that the farms operate without using any prohibited substances for at least three years before a crop can be called organic. Prohibited substances include genetically engineered seeds, use of sewage sludge, toxic, persistent synthetic pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers, as a start,” says Holly Givens, public affairs advisor for the Organic Trade Association. “Certification includes an on-farm inspection of the farm facilities, and an audit of farm processes to make sure the farmer is following the organic regulations,” she adds.

An alternative to organic cotton is cleaner cotton. The main difference between the two is, if a farmer gets an infestation that threatens their crops, they can spot spray with less harsh chemicals than those traditionally used for cotton farming, says Lynda Grose, consultant and educator for the CA-based sustainable cotton project in Davis, CA. This program was started to increase cotton farmers’ knowledge and use of alternatives to chemically intensive cotton farming projects.

Another substitute for organic cotton is hemp. According to the Organic Consumers Association, hemp is not sprayed with pesticides and doesn’t require chemicals to process the plant’s fibers when spun into fabric. “Hemp baby clothing is now common, and numerous designers have made a niche market of hemp baby and kids clothes in recent years,” reports a 2008 Organic Consumers Association report (Hemp Baby! Adam Eidinger). This same report notes the North American retail market for hemp textiles and clothing exceeded $100 million in 2007 and is growing around 10% per year, according to the Hemp Industries Association.