Daisy Janie

Growing Organically | fabulous new initiative for organic cotton!

[ image (c) cottonedon.org ]

Huge, awesome news just dropped into my mailbox! Right now in Hong Kong (as I'm writing this), a Sustainable Textiles Conference is taking place.

Major players in the clothing and fashion industry are in attendance. Companies who are considered gatekeepers in many ways b/c of the overwhelming market share and fierce brand loyalty they maintain in their respective sectors. Companies who can effect sweeping, positive change, which would have an equally positive ripple effect across many other industries. Companies who have the profit margins and intellectual talent to do more good than harm in how they conduct business and produce their goods, if they choose. Target, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Nordstrom, H & M, VF, Williams-Sonoma, Eileen Fisher, prana, Gap, Anvil, Jockey, Marks & Spencer - to name a few. See the full list

At this conference, these companies have been called upon and challenged by the Policy Director of the UK's Soil Association, Lord Peter Melchett, to "put a halt to the global environmental damage and threats to cotton farmers' livelihoods caused by conventional cotton farming and processing."

This challenge is part of the new Organic Cotton initiative, created jointly by the Soil Association and the Global Organic Textile Standard* (GOTS). I encourage you to visit their website and scroll down their home page for a quick, concise read on some of the benefits of organic cotton.

*All of Daisy Janie's fabrics are certified organic by GOTS.

Yes! This needed to be done. It needed to be said. Finally, someone got all the big, big elephants in the room and told them they have no clothes. Where cotton is concerned, it's critical to create as much dialog and education as possible, which will lead to action. Putting this conversation in the form of a challenge and a campaign for organic cotton is even better! We need a game changer and not soon enough. I hope the companies who listened to the presentation on organic cotton understand what is at stake and will do the right thing. I hope they will regard the farmers, the environment and their customers as highly as they do their revenues. These should not be mutually exclusive considerations. For the vast majority of consumers, we can only buy what we can buy b/c of what companies supply. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they chose to supply clothing produced in a sustainable, ethical, non-toxic way as a matter of course - rather than the exception? Aaah. To me, the bliss of that world is dreamy. (I'll keep working over here in the meantime!)

Go Organic Cotton!!!

Growing Organically | the lowdown on dirt, part 1.

As a young, happy newlywed 18 years ago, I was thrilled to have a house and a yard to tend for the first time! In particular, I loved planting pots of flowers each season, to set upon the steps leading up to our Chicago-suburb bungalow - it always added a welcoming touch. Pansies in the Spring; impatiens or petunias in the Summer; and mums in the Fall. I also enjoyed saving money, and I was extremely resistent to the idea of buying dirt each season for the flower pots - I mean, c'mon, it was dirt! Who buys dirt when the pots are already filled with dirt? (Did I mention I was young? And naive?)

That kind of logic got me through the first year. The 2nd year, without any additional, fresh soil added to the pots, the flowers languished after about a week and flopped over and dried up! No amount of water or sun/shade changes revived them. I never attributed their failure to thrive to the old, dead dirt I was using! (My sister tipped me off the following year!)

Plants need good soil to grow - soil that's fertile, balanced with vital minerals and active with micro-organisms. After a few seasons, the dirt in my flower pots was depleted of its nutrients and could not support life. We need life in order to support life! Seems pretty obvious how critical this little factoid is in retrospect.

In home gardens and flower beds, it's relatively easy to cultivate rich soil using organic gardening methods, like composting and crop rotation. There are myriad other ways to enrich and create good garden soil - see links below.

But imagine... just imagine for a second... the thousands upon thousands upons thousands of land dedicated to conventional agriculture across the globe. And imagine how degraded and depleted the soil must be after decades of planting the same crops (mono-cropping) in the same fields, year after year after year. What do you think farmers, who typically eschew organic methods, do to force things to grow in their dirt? That's what we'll talk about next week...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

More reading:
Soil / Organic Gardening
The Dirt on Soil / About Garden Soil
Building Garden Soil / Vegetable Garden Guru
Make Your Own Potting Soil / Mother Earth News
Garden Soil Tips / TLC
Soil Health Indicators / Rodale Institute
How to Create Good Gardening Soil / Expert Village

Growing Organically | turn intention into action.

Above:
Clothing labels from organic clothing I have purchased in recent years - turning my intention into action. Putting my money where my mouth and my heart are.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Assuming you want to make more eco-friendly choices in your clothing, food and general household purchases, do you find that, despite your good intentions, your buying habits haven't really changed? Does your little voice tell you that it's okay this one time because you'll make an effort next time - but there never is a next time?

Why is that? Have you isolated the reason(s) why you keep buying the same old stuff that's not really good for you, the planet or the other human beings who made it? Even though you feel kinda guilty about it?

You have those good intentions for a reason. They're born out of your compassionate instincts that tell you something is amiss and needs your help. The same compassionate instincts that tell you your child doesn't look well, that you should assist an elderly person in a store or that it's a good idea to donate your time, money or stuff to those in need.

Trust your instincts. Figure out what your personal hiccups are that keep you from buying better - and figure out how to override, overcome or outsmart them. I know it's not always easy.... but it's always, always worth it! Let your good intentions turn into action that makes a difference.

More reading:
Environmental Justice Foundation / main website
Pure Citizen / main website

Growing Organically | intro to the GOTS Certification.

In last week's Growing Organically post - "what's not on the pricetag" - I referred to the idea of transparency where a company's raw materials and manufacturing processes are concerned. Given the need to brand and advertise one's business in today's market, you can be assured that a company will not be shy about letting you know if they ARE producing eco-friendly, green, sustainable products. Their message will be tailored to inform! Often, a company will seek outside certification from another entity to show the level of their compliance or to be more transparent to their customers.

This fantastic & informative video is produced by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which is the standard I use for the production of my printed organic cotton fabric for Daisy Janie. It is the most comprehensive standard in the organic textile market, and the goal is to "provide transparency and product security so the seller knows what she is selling and the consumer knows what she is buying."

GOTS is recognized as the gold standard in certifications for organic textiles and products b/c of its breadth of coverage - they have left no stone unturned in considering the entire supply chain involved in production! Many other standards only look at the raw material or test for specific harmful chemicals in the final product, but none addresses and monitors the entire soup-to-nuts process like GOTS. *more detailed info in a future post

I have chosen the GOTS certification for Daisy Janie's organic fabrics because it is the only level of certification that matches my passion for doing as much as I can in the business realm I have chosen. Other standards leave too many loopholes for introducing toxic chemicals during processing, printing and finishing, or using abusive labor practices. Companies might still call their products organic, but it's not even close to being the same when you stop at the fiber. It's like saying you made organic pizza when the only organic ingredient in the pizza are the tomatoes in the sauce. ALL the ingredients and processes count - not just 1 or 2. I will not have the Daisy Janie name attached to something that isn't as all-inclusive and scrupulous as possible. I want to be able to hand over a beautiful piece of fabric to you, and say, "Here. This is the very best I could do to keep you, your loved ones, everyone else and Mother Nature free from harm." And I want to feel good about those words so you can feel good about your choice.

Transparency matters. Ask questions. Look for certifications.

More reading:
Global Organic Textile Standard / main website
GOTS, Organic Cotton & Other Links / Daisy Janie blog
Reasons to Love Daisy Janie's Organic Fabrics / Daisy Janie blog

Growing Organically | what's not on the pricetag.

It occurred to me that this first batch of Growing Organically posts is sort of a primer ~ quick & generalized to whet your whistle for more detailed & specific concepts to come. It wasn't planned that way (ha), but, in retrospect, it seems better to use a big brush right now - just to get you thinking more broadly about the whole, big, macro picture! Thank you for your comments, tweets and emails about this series!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Video from GECKO Online Lesson © 2011 by Greennovate

Today's topic is about what's not on the pricetag.
When we buy mass-produced, conventionally grown cotton products, the pricetag rarely reflects the damaging, insurmountable, tangential costs of bringing that item to market. From extreme environmental pollution to sick & destitute (and sometimes dead) farmers to sweatshop labor, the bottom line extends far, far beyond what we pay directly out of our pockets to take our purchases merrily on our way.

Mass manufacturers are not eager for you to know these things so there certainly isn't a whole lot of transparency in the industry. If a company is doing something eco- or human-friendly, they'll shout it from the rooftops b/c they'll definitely want you to know. I know I do! If they're not saying anything about their manufacturing processes or raw materials anywhere - not even in their own company bio or literature, you can be pretty sure they would rather you didn't know. I often think the manufacturers themselves don't want to know - they just want to source their goods, get them in shops and get paid - no matter who or what gets hurt in the process.

Just this week, a new article came out in China Daily that accused "46 Chinese and multinational clothing brands and retailers of purchasing from suppliers who illegally discharge polluted water in China. Multinational companies Zara, Adidas, Nike, Calvin Klein, Armani, Walmart and Carrefour ... were among the companies named..." It's frightening (you'll hear me say that a lot) and completely, outrageously wrong.

The best value doesn't always come from the price you pay at the cash register. The best value may be from making sure other humans were treated fairly and that the environment was not defiled for your jeans or t-shirt or fabric. Simple compassion. Not just for us right here, right now - but for the planet and values that we are passing down to our grandchildren. Change doesn't happen by chance and by someone else; it happens by intent and by us.

Above:
Pearl River in Xintang from a screenshot I took on Google Earth ~ this is the one mentioned in the video above. Xintang is the "blue jean capital of the world," and the Pearl River runs blue-black from the water discharged during the indigo dyeing processes. What's most interesting to me is how this represents ONLY WHAT YOU CAN SEE b/c it is colored, kinda like a barium dye and x-ray test that one might get to see if you have a blockage in your digestive track or if your kidneys are functioning properly. Imagine what's being discharged in that water that you can't see.

Next week, I will share some information about the Global Organic Textile Standard that is used to certify Daisy Janie's organic fabrics. It addresses responsible practices for the raw materials, the farmers, the factories, the water, the workers and more in a very transparent manner.

More reading:
China's Famed Pearl River Under Denim Threat / CNN
Slow Down Fashion / Whole Threads
The High Price of Cheap Clothes / Ecopreneurist
Big Brands Buy From Polluting Textile Firms / China Daily
Jeans Ratings & Reviews / Good Guide
About Greenovate

Growing Organically | mmmm, tasty yummy cotton!

As I mentioned in my intro last week, I won't necessarily be presenting topics for the Growing Organically series in a particular order. I have many ideas to cover, and some of them will be hit upon several times from different perspectives and in varying degrees of detail. But, before we get too far, I am including a simple description of organic cotton below so that you'll have this basic info under your belt as we progress in the series.

Organic Cotton is defined by the Organic Trade Association as:

Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming. All cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown.

Today's topic is about cotton use not related to fabric.
"I'm not eating the fabric, so I really don't think organic cotton is important."

Well, maybe you're not eating the fabric, per se, like you're eating an apple, but you are consuming cotton in lots of other ways.  In fact, 2/3 of a cotton crop ends up in our food supply. In the process of ginning the cotton, the fluffy white boll is separated from the seed.

• The cottonseed that remains is used to make cottonseed oil, used heavily, heavily, heavily in processed foods as a vegetable oil. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, frying oils for snack foods -  you name it. It is America's original vegetable oil.
• The cottonseed meal that remains is fed to livestock, which is then fed to us.
• The cotton lint (aka "gin trash") is used to make tampons, cotton swabs and cotton balls. Tampons? Tampons that an average woman will use 9,000 times in her life? Made from the same gin trash that some countries deem hazardous waste due to the levels of chemical residues? Yes.

Fantastic, resourceful uses for cotton. The problem occurs when these derivative products come from conventional cotton ~ where genetically-modified seeds are used in planting; where toxic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are used to grow the plants; where poisonous, chemical defoliants are used to harvest the cotton. These chemicals are forever a part of conventional cotton - they exist both topically and systemically. Systemically means they are absorbed into the plant via the seeds, soil and leaves, and then they circulate in the plant's tissues. And they kill bugs that feed on them. This is the science behind how these toxins are supposed to work. They don't just disappear into thin air once the plants are harvested. Any chemical used to get that cotton to a manufacturing stage will become part of the final product - it can't be processed out or washed out.

From What's the Truth About Cottonseed Oil:

Cottonseed oil is also absolutely loaded with pesticides and other harmful chemicals, as used by the cottonseed industry to ensure the mass production of crops to keep up with demand. Also, the cottonseed plant composition is high in Omega 6 content – one of the reasons people in the developed world have such high numbers in obesity, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases like cancer.

The use of cotton extends far, far beyond the textiles created from the fluffy boll. Indeed, we may not be eating our cotton fabric, but we are eating cotton directly and indirectly. Just like eating an apple or like the livestock that eats the apple (or cotton as the case may be).  And if the cotton is not grown organically, then we're eating all those chemicals, too. Food for thought, literally!

More reading:
What's the Truth About Cottonseed Oil? / Agriculture Society
Girl Scout Cookies: Epic Fail / Dr. Susan Rubin
Is Cottonseed Oil Okay? / Dr. Andrew Weil
The Awful Truth About Cottonseed Oil / Wizbang Blue
King Cotton: Pesticide Residue is Common in Cotton Byproducts / Sierra

Growing Organically | cotton subsidies.

[ video intro ]
Shooting from the hip, unedited, warts & all. Please click through if you can't see it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Welcome to the first post for the Growing Organically series ~ so glad you stopped in!

Today's topic is about U.S. cotton subsidies.
If you've purchased organic cotton fabric, you know that the price at the cash register is slightly higher than a non-organic (conventional) fabric. To put it simply, the pricepoint of organic fabric reflects real and fair costs of production and conventional cotton does not.

The United States pays subsidies to US cotton farmers*, which have averaged $3 billion/year for the past decade. These "little" side payments allow these farms (we're talking Big Agra here) to charge far less than they should per bale of cotton on the world market b/c they don't need to recoup the actual costs of their production from buyers. It's kinda like when your kiddo has to pay a fee for a trip or camp, and your out-of-pocket expense is the difference between how much the trip actually costs and how much your child raised selling candy or washing cars. And it kinda makes you feel like your kid is taking a trip for $200, when the real cost of the trip is $500.

The impact of these subsidies is felt on a global scale because the US exports 40-60% of its cotton production. As such, the artificial, discounted price that these farms charge for their cotton sets the price precedent for every other farmer in every other country. This means that the small family farmer in a developing country and even large farms in developed countries cannot charge a fair and "real" price for their cotton ~ these are farmers and farms that do not receive handsome bonuses on the side from their governments. Thus, the margins they earn on their crops are not fair and keep them in an endless cycle of poverty and worse. The World Trade Organization has ruled that these subsidies are illegal b/c it violates international trade agreements and allows for unfair competition... yet it still happens and conventional cotton is still erroneously cheap.

To ensure increasing cotton exports and maintain dominance in price-setting, Big Agra in the US has turned to more and more toxic, chemical-laden processes in recent decades that allow it to handily outcompete other cotton-producing countries. Whoa Nellie! A topic for another day.

*The European Union subsidizes cotton as well, but they don't export at the same volumes.

"Don't ask why organic is so expensive.
Ask why the others are so cheap."
I don't remember where I read this quote, but in the case of cotton, it is true. Organic cotton is not subsidized like conventional US cotton** is, and the pricepoint reflects real and fair inputs along all steps in the supply chain - most importantly, the farmer. The end price to you will naturally be more for organics than conventional.

**Yes, weather extremes can play a part as well in the price of cotton. However, cotton prices were kept so artificially low for so long that the price became inelastic and could not "weather" the weather extremes of recent years.

From Oxfam America article Paying the Price (linked below):

How do US cotton subsidies affect the world price of cotton?
The more bales of cotton an American producer grows, the more dollars that farmer can expect to receive from the US government. Farmers also receive subsidies to offset low cotton prices and to provide a guaranteed cash flow. Therefore, growers produce substantially more than they would otherwise to get more subsidies. Since the US is the world’s largest cotton exporter, these additional US cotton exports depress world prices. Past studies suggest that US subsidies lower world prices by between 3 to 30 percent, or an average of about 12 percent. This new study draws on more recent analysis and shows that the elimination of US cotton subsidies would increase the world price by between 6 and 14 percent."

More reading:
Paying the Price / Oxfam America
Spinning the Threads of Poverty / Rights Work 
Brazil's victory in cotton trade case exposes America's wasteful subsidies / Washington Post
U.S. Cotton Subsidies: Subsidizing Suffering / ForceChange
United States: Cotton Subsidies / NY Times
Why U.S. Taxpayers Are Paying Brazilian Cotton Growers / NPR
Fact Sheet on U.S. Cotton Subsidies and Cotton Production / Organic Consumer Assoc.



introducing a new blog series: Growing Organically.

One Fabric vs. Many Fabrics
By itself, this small square of fabric is cute, but it doesn't make much of an impact and is easily forgettable. However, within its diminutive size, it holds immense and infinite potential to become something else ~ something bigger and something that tells a story.

If I were to add another piece to it from the glorious stack below... and another and another and another... and so on... Eventually, this single scrap would take on meaning as it becomes an entire block of fabrics. If the block became many blocks stitched together, it would take on even more meaning as it becomes a quilt. To be used, enjoyed and loved. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

One Story vs. Many Stories
Applying that same idea to snippets of information about organic fabric or organic agriculture, one story or one video or one explanation might not make much of an impact and can be easily forgotten as you go about your daily doings.

However, if we bring together many stories, many videos and many explanations about organic fabrics and agriculture, our knowledge base about it becomes undeniably bigger and bigger and bigger. A more crystallized, powerful and robust message comes into view and becomes ours to grasp, use and *enjoy* in our own lives. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Sapere Aude (sah-PEAR-ay OW-day)
Latin for "Dare to know or Dare to be wise." It would be nice if someone waved a magic wand over us and said, "There! Now you have all the brain nuggets you'll ever need to make informed choices about the world!" I would be first in line!

Nope, sadly, it's up to each one of us to constantly acquire information and knowledge that we can use to make decisions about our lives. But sometimes, we just don't know what we don't know so we can't even begin to seek it out to learn more. I get that! I don't recall the first time I stumbled onto information about organic agriculture - or the second or third time. I don't know how many articles I read before it began to make an impact on me, and I then made a very conscious choice to acquire more and more and more information. I dared myself to know. I'm so glad I did b/c my assumptions did not match the reality that came into focus.

And now, I dare you to know. I dare you to be wise. I'm skipping the double-dog dare and going right to the triple-dog dare. Join me - I'm still learning and reading everything I can, and I'd love to share some of it with you! Each Friday, I will post a video or narrative or something related to organic fabrics and/or organic agriculture. There will be interviews, links or maybe just a thought to think about. I may comment on ideas I present; I may not. Absorb the info ~ compare it to what you already know and let it prompt you to seek out and learn more. Build your own big, rich blocks of information about organic fabrics & organic farming, which will become something you can use and enjoy in your own life! 

Thanks, as always, for reading! Have a superlative weekend!
xo
Jan

 

GOTS, organic cotton & other links

Above | Daisy Janie is proud member of the Organic Trade Assocation
"OTA is a leader in advocating and protecting organic standards so that consumers can have confidence in certified organic production.  With input from its diverse membership, OTA continues to develop and refine organic standards for emerging product areas. OTA monitors the work of government agencies, takes positions on legislation that affects organic agriculture and products, and represents the industry to regulators, elected officials, and international bodies."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I hope the info contained in these links will give you pause and help guide you in your fabric-buying habits and possibly other areas, too. Do what you can b/c it ALL makes a difference! We're in this together!

• Cotton and the Environment - OTA
• Cotton Facts - OTA
• Cotton: Facts Behind the Fiber
• Is there a way to clean regular fabrics to remove all toxic residues?
• About Organic Cotton
• Statistics of Cotton - slightly outdated in numbers, but still factual in content. This frightens me: "In California, it has become illegal to feed the leaves, stems, and short fibers of cotton known as ‘gin trash’ to livestock, because of the concentrated levels of pesticide residue. Instead, this gin trash is used to make furniture, mattresses, tampons, swabs, and cotton balls. The average American woman will use 11,000 tampons or sanitary pads during her lifetime."
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) - 34-page Standard, Ver. 3 - From planted seed to packaged bolt, Daisy Janie's fabrics are produced in accordance with GOTS. This the most comprehensive, 3rd-party certification standard in existence as it addresses seeds, growing, harvesting, ginning, spinning, weaving, printing, finishing & packaging. There are other standards, but they are considered a stepping stone to GOTS. Anytime a company claims organic certification, it is perfectly okay for you as a consumer to ask to see their certificate! My latest cert for Tilly is below.
• O Eco Textiles - Specifically GOTS (in plain language), cotton fibers, organic fabrics, textile industry hazards. Prepare to be shocked when you read some of what Patty & Leigh Anne share on their blog. They research and write with a mission: education & awareness. They are also pioneers!
• Harmony Art: Organic vs. Conventional - Harmony is another pioneer in the organic fabric category! She is generous with information and eager to educate. She definitely walks the walk in her own life, too!
• Reasons to Love Daisy Janie Organic Fabrics