Organic cotton is favoured for its low impact on the environment
Organic Cotton Facts
Grown in non-genetically modified fields without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, organic cotton is able to restore and maintain soil fertility. It also requires minimal irrigation and produces up to 90% less greenhouses gasses as compared to conventional cotton.
Organic cotton is handpicked, which helps to preserve each fibre and avoid wastage. Handpicking ensures fibres aren’t damaged, resulting in products of superior softness and durability. Today organic cotton is primarily grown in subtropical regions such as China, India and Turkey.
History of Organic Cotton
The history of cotton dates back thousands of years, with fragments of cotton cloth discovered in India and Pakistan as far back as 6000 BCE. The fibre later spread from the East to Africa and Europe, ultimately becoming widespread around the 16th century.
However, the certified production of organic cotton is a relatively new phenomenon, emerging around the 1990s. Interestingly, organic cotton farming takes things back to the pre-industrial era – prior to the introduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and back to the practice of handpicking.
Mungo Organic Cotton
Mungo sources its organic cotton from Egedeniz, the first certified organic cotton company in Turkey. Today Egedeniz supplies organic fibres, yarns and textiles to many established international brands.
Egedeniz’s cotton is grown around the Izmir region in Western Turkey, by contracted organic farmers. After being handpicked, the cotton then goes through the processes of ginning, spinning and dyeing to produce the finished yarn. All stages of production at Egedeniz are in alignment with GOTS certification. The yarn then wings its way to the Mungo Mill, where we weave it into our organic textile range.
