What are some environmentally sound alternatives to cotton?

Question

Cotton production uses a lot of water and requires a lot of pesticides. Are there any ecological problems with synthetic fibers?

Answer 1

Some of the problems with synthetics are similar to those of other oil-consuming industries. Air pollution, waste, use of heavy metals, energy consumed to make them. The other problem with synthetics (which I don't consider much a problem) is the time it takes them to decompose and what happens to the heavier elements woven into them. Cotton decomposes faster than these synthetics when it is thrown away. But it doesn't matter much, because a cotton sweater will take atleast 1,000 years to decompose inside a modern landfill compared to your synthetic fleece which would take who knows how long.

Anyway, it's good to hear other people suggesting hemp, and even more so that people are informed of how environmentally devastating cotton production is.

Answer 2

The answer to your question is no. Every other alternative would also be "detrimental" to the envirnment. As other people said, synthetic fibers are usually petroleum based. For those that suggested hemp, they failed to remember the massive amount of increased production it would take to meet global demend, which means that it will be just as intensively managed as cotton. I'm not saying that the other options are necessarily worse, but they don't really offer a significant improvement to an industry which is already as developed as the cotton industry. Also, denim is cotton, and GM cotton typically increases herbicide use because farmers can spray herbicide on the cotton later into the season. It does, however, typically reduce insecticide use if it is both roundup ready and Bt , so you get a bit of a trade off.

Answer 3

Cotton is actually one of the more environmentally sound products used. The pesticides we use now are actually environmentally sound and break down quite fast. There is just a stigma on pesticides put there by ignorant and uneducated 'environmentalists'. Fleece is actually a raw form of wool, sheep fur. But what we call fleece these days is just another synthetic product made from petroleum. Making these products is relatively safe to the environment. Unless they are using a Russian nuclear power plant to produce the synthetic garments, there is no reason any heavy metals would be used.

Answer 4

Nudist colonies I guess. Use GM cotton because it can be grown with far fewer pesticides.

Answer 5

the very best is Hemp even George Washington was savy to this info but today our paranoia makes us import rather than grow ...... the pros would fill several newspaper pages...it' a million dollar a year crop at the least ...clothes made of it are cooller in the summer and warmer in the winter outware cotton etc ect ...........

Answer 6

For clothes Fleece is a good option, it's made from recycled plastic. Otherwise hemp is pretty good. Maybe denim too.

Answer 7

Yes. some are made from byproducts of oil. They won't keep you warm in the winter or cool in the summer. Stay natural.

Answer 8

Hemp...

Its supposed to be an easy crop to grow... and its supposed to be softer and nicer to wear compared to cotton.