How are organic cottons dyed and printed?

If the information about conventional farming versus organic farming wasn’t convincing enough, let’s take a look at what happens to the cotton to take it from cotton balls picked in the fields to gorgeous fabrics.

First the raw cotton fibers must be processed so that they can be woven into fabric. Then the fabric is bleached white to prepare it for dying and then the dye pigments are printed onto the fabrics.

In conventional practice, the fibers are processed with waxes that are toxic, then woven into fabric. The fabric is bleached to uses chemicals including formaldehyde. Next the fabric is dyed or printed, typically with petroleum based dyes. Waterways all over the world are polluted with toxic runoff from fabric manufacturing.

Organically processed cottons are treated first with nontoxic cornstarch to prepare the fibers for weaving. The raw fabric is prepared for dying with lower impact “fiber reactive dyes” which use less water and produce less toxic waste. Also the dyes are reclaimed and not released into the environment.

Return from Cotton Dying to Organic Cotton