GUIDES
Organic Cotton
Over the last 7,000 years, cotton has been grown, harvested and used for generations and generations.
It is a natural cellulose fiber, appreciated for its softness and features such as absorbtion, durability and breathability. It is worldwide the most used natural fiber up to that day, making up about 24% to 27% of the total global fiber market.
In the fashion industry, half of the cotton is used for garment fabric and approximately 75% of all clothing produced globally contains at least some cotton, making it the first material for apparel and furnishing.
Why We Love Cotton
Cotton’s physical properties give materials several highly appreciated features:
A ressource worth managing and taking care of.
1.2.3 - Cotton
Cotton is grown and harvested from around the world - three-quarters of the world's cotton is produced in just five countries: China, India, the United States, Brazil, and Pakistan, but you will also find it growing in Australia, Argentina, West Africa or Uzbekistan.
While flourishing in various climates, cotton thrive the best in warm, sunny climates with a combinaition of moderate humidity to rainfall, and required a well-drained soil.
It takes about 6 month for the crop to grow and the field to turn white.
Sustainable you shall be
The cotton industry is one of the largest agricultural industries - estimated to employ around 300 million people and cultivate 35 millions hectares in the world. So, just as other industries, cotton farming has been pointed out when it comes to sustainability and climate.
The need to always produce faster, and more, to reply to demand, economic and consumption pressures have lead the producers to use pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals, heavy irrigation from rivers and grounds, or even GMO.
This high production cadence, requesting a high number of workers, also developed unethical and condemned practices such as child and forced labor, to this day still highly present in the cotton fields. These facts alone are enough to ring the alarm and slowly, cotton farms are transitioning to more ethical and ecofriendly productions. Farms, manufacturers, associations, organizations - all come together to support sustainable practices and choices - and Miilo is part of it
At Miilo, we choose certified organic and sustainable cotton for our garments:
An organic cotton is a fiber issued from greener farming, where no pesticides have been used during the plant growth and guaranteeing that the seed has not been modified.
- Ethically produced
Organic cotton requires fair labour practices throughout the supply chain. No forced labour, no child labour, safe working conditions, and fair wages. By choosing certified organic cotton, we choose to support the people who grow it, not just the fabric they produce.
- Free of harmful chemicals
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. This protects the farmers and workers who handle it daily, the communities living near cotton fields, the soil it grows in, and ultimately the person wearing it. What is good for the earth is good for your skin.
- More efficient and lower use of water
Organic farming practices rely more heavily on rainwater and improve soil health over time so the soil retains moisture better and requires less irrigation.
- Preserve the fiber
Because organic cotton is grown without harsh synthetic chemicals, the cotton fiber retains more of its natural qualities. This helps preserve its softness, breathability, and durability, resulting in a fabric that feels comfortable and is made to last.
- No GMO
Organic cotton is grown from non-genetically modified seeds, preserving biodiversity and protecting ecosystems from the unpredictable long-term effects of genetic modification.
- Supporting soil health and biodiversity
Without synthetic chemicals, organic farming allows the soil to remain alive, a home to microorganisms, insects, and biodiversity that conventional farming systematically destroys. Healthy soil absorbs carbon, retains water, and sustains ecosystems far beyond the cotton field itself.
In addition, crop rotation and natural fertilizers restore nutrients to the soil, improving water retention and reducing the carbon footprint.
- A traceable, accountable supply chain
Organic certification requires documentation and transparency at every stage, from the seed to the finished fabric. That traceability means we can stand behind what we sell and know where it came from.
From fiber to garment - The Process
Cotton fabric is the result of collecting and transforming the cotton fiber into strands, yarn and fabric, that will be weaved, dyed, and assembled into a piece of clothing.
Cotton fabric comes in many shape and forms but no matter what the final product is, the process remains the same.
- Cultivation and harvest: once ready, the cotton fields are harvested to collect the cotton crops and fibers.
- Ginning: the cotton gin (a machine invented in 1793) cleans and separates the fibers from the seeds, that will be used for oil and to feed markets. Dirt is cleaned from the fiber.
- Carding: the cotton fibers are carded - they are transformed into long strands.
- Spinning: the strands are spun to create cotton yarn.
- Weaving and Dying: the cotton yarn is woven into a fabric. An undyed organic cotton fabric will look slightly creamy and can contain darker dots, a proof of no treatment of the yarn or fiber.
- Finishing: eventually fabric passes through dying process or printing lines. A last check for control including softness, shrinkage or crease resistance.
Recycled Cotton Matters as Much
Recycled cotton gives a second life to fibers that would otherwise end up as waste. In an industry that generates millions of tonnes of textile waste every year, that matters.
It is produced from two main sources:
Pre-consumer waste: fabric offcuts, yarn remnants, and production leftovers generated during the manufacturing process. These never reach the consumer but represent a significant volume of material that would otherwise be discarded.
Post-consumer waste: garments and textiles that have already been worn and used, collected through donation, recycling programs, or take-back schemes, and broken down back into fibers.
Standards & Certifications: What Do They Mean?
Sustainability claims are easy to make, therefore certifications holds a crucial place when it comes to making them verifiable.
GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard
GOTS covers the entire journey of the fabric, from the raw cotton in the field to the finished product, ensuring that organic integrity is maintained at every stage (processing, manufacturing and labelling). It also includes strict social criteria: fair wages, safe working conditions, and the prohibition of forced and child labor.
When a garment carries the GOTS label, it attests that it is fair to environment and human.
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifies the product. Every component of a certified garment (fabric, thread, dyes) is tested for harmful substances. It does not certify how or where the cotton was grown, but it guarantees that what ends up against your skin contains no chemicals known to be harmful to human health. A complementary certification to GOTS.
GRS - Global Recycled Standard
Verifies the recycled content of a product and ensures responsible social, environmental, and chemical practices throughout production. It applies to any material (cotton, polyester, nylon) that contains recycled input.
Fairtrade International
Fairtrade certification focuses specifically on the people behind the cotton. It guarantees that farmers and workers receive fair and stable prices for their crops, safe working conditions, and community investment through the Fairtrade Premium (additional funds directed toward education, healthcare, and local development). It is a human-centred certification, ensuring that the economic benefits of sustainable cotton reach the people who grow it.
BCI - Better Cotton Initiative
The BCI operates at a different scale: it is one of the largest sustainability programs in the global cotton industry, working directly with farmers to improve practices around water use, soil health, and labour conditions.
BCI cotton is not certified organic, but it represents a meaningful step toward more responsible conventional cotton farming and actions taken accordingly.
While BCI is about improvement and transition, GOTS and organic certifications represent a higher, more stringent standard.
At Miilo, our garments carry GOTS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and GRS certifications.