Cotton is a familiar material to many of us. Soft, breathable and natural - perfect for sensitive skin and just right for baby products. But what happens before the cotton fabric ends up in our hands? Where does this fabric actually come from - and at what price?
The path from cotton to fabric is long and multi-step. It starts with cultivation - often in developing countries, where the climate is favorable, but conditions for workers are often inadequate. Cultivation uses large amounts of water, fertilizers and pesticides, which have serious consequences for the environment and human health. Chemicals are used during the cultivation phase to control pests and maximize yields. Many of these substances are harmful to the health of farmers. The chemicals leach into the soil, waterways and further into ecosystems. In addition, synthetic chemicals are often used during the dyeing and processing phases, unless it is organically produced cotton. Much of the world's cotton is produced by hand-picking and the work is often done by low-paid, unprotected workers - including children. Production chains are long and opaque. We do not always know who grew the cotton, under what conditions and under what conditions.
Cotton is one of the world's largest consumers of water. Its cultivation requires a lot of irrigation water - especially in areas with low rainfall and already drought-prone areas. It can take up to 10,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton. It is self-evident what impact fast fashion and mass production of clothing have on the well-being of our planet.
Although about 70% of the Earth is water, only less than 1% of it is fresh water that can be used for drinking, farming and industry. And yet we consume it as if it were inexhaustible. When I talk about water consumption and its global impacts, I can't help but think about how privileged I am to live in Finland. Here, clean drinking water is available straight from the tap - without fear of contamination or without fighting for its availability. Water is such an everyday thing for us that it's easy to take its value for granted.
Excessive water use is not just a statistical problem - it has real and serious consequences. Huge irrigation projects have dried up lakes and rivers - the most famous example being the Aral Sea , which shrank to almost nothing precisely as a result of cotton farming.
This is one of the many reasons why MaallinenDesign prioritizes recycling whenever possible. If we don't wake up to responsible consumption now, when will we? We can't change everything, but we can always choose differently. Small choices have a huge impact when enough people do the same.