DIRTY COTTON
Cotton is such a comfortable fabric. Cotton clothing is comfortable to wear and cotton sheets are so comfortable to sleep between.
But it isn’t quite so comfortable to think about the human cost of that soft towel or that new stylish shirt.
FAIRTRADE COTTON
Why is fairtrade certified cotton more comfortable?
How do Fairtrade Standards address the three main problems?
Four of the Standards are relevant
generic standard for small producer
standard for hired labour
standard for fibre crops
standards for seed cotton
Cotton is such a comfortable fabric. Cotton clothing is comfortable to wear and cotton sheets are so comfortable to sleep between.
But it isn’t quite so comfortable to think about the human cost of that soft towel or that new stylish shirt.
FAIRTRADE COTTON
Why is fairtrade certified cotton more comfortable?
How do Fairtrade Standards address the three main problems?
Four of the Standards are relevant
generic standard for small producer
standard for hired labour
standard for fibre crops
standards for seed cotton
… in India are now estimated at a rate of one every 30 minutes. The genetically modified BT cotton seeds are so expensive that farmers have been obliged to take out loans which, due to the high cultivation costs and frequent crop failures, are impossible to repay.
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GM crops are prohibited. This means that farmers purchase reasonably priced varieties which, unlike BT cotton seeds, will not lose vigour and will reproduce. Non GM seed is less vulnerable to drought and strictures on the use of water for irrigation means that crops are less likely to fail.
The minimum price guarantees a stable income and the additional Fairtrade premium can be invested in additional crops to eat or to sell at local markets. Crop diversity usually increases the health of the soil. |
… is endemic in cotton fields around the world.
In Uzbekistan the government continues to force children as young as nine to work on the cotton harvest. They live in filthy conditions, contract illnesses, suffer serious injuries and work from morning to night with little or no pay. In India, the situation is no better. Farmers choose to employ children, who cost little or nothing in wages and have nimble fingers for the delicate task of cross pollination. Prepubescent girls are preferred. |
The employment, directly or indirectly, of children below the age of 15 is prohibited.
Children below the age of 18 cannot undertake in work that jeopardises schooling or their social, moral or physical development. If children help on family farms, strict conditions must be observed. The work must be age appropriate and be done outside school hours or during holidays. If an organization is in an area with a high liklihood of child labour a mitigation and elimination plan must be implemented. Forced labour is prohibited. |
… are usually applied without protection. Between 1% and 3% of agricultural workers worldwide suffer from acute pesticide poisoning.
Aldicarb (a nerve agent, one drop of which absorbed through the skin is enough to kill an adult) and Monocrotophos (identified as causing paralysis in children living in cotton growing areas) are commonly used in the cultivation of cotton. |
Aldicarb and monocrotophos are on the FLO prohibited materials list.Alternative means of controlling pests, such as crop rotation and sticky traps, are encouraged.The use of chemicals is not prohibited but there are strict regulations for the use of personal protection as well as stipulations about buffer zones and the storage and disposal of containers.
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The story of Anan, caught in
the pesticide trap, has been uploaded on youtube. It runs for 9.23 minutes. The report of a buyer visiting Agrocel farmers runs for 4.10 minutes |
Please have a look at the Fairtrade certified cotton products page to find out where you can buy clothes & household linen.