Facts & FAQs

What is Organic Cotton?

Organic cotton is cotton grown without the use of harmful toxins or synthetic fertilizers. Products made from 100% organic cotton, like those at BeeCotton Organics, are produced without using chemicals, pesticides, or dyes with heavy metals.

BeeCotton uses only 100% certified organic cotton, produced without using chemicals, pesticides, or dyes with heavy metals.

What is GOTS?

GOTS is the Global Organic Textile Standard. GOTS certification defines high-level criteria for environmental and social standards in all parts of the organic textile supply chain. Every part of our products is regulated by GOTS, including -but not limited to- fabric, thread, snaps, hangtags, packaging and the treatment of workers in the manufacturing process.

To learn more about GOTS, visit the GOTS website.

Is Organic Cotton sustainable?

Yes, Organic Cotton is Sustainable & Reliable. To sustain a method of production in the long term healthy and climate change resilient soils must be maintained, biodiversity of seeds and wildlife must be promoted and the livelihoods of farmers protected.

The system can’t be reliant on non-renewable resources, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Any kind of mono-crop production utilizing non-renewable synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and Genetically Modified seeds cannot be considered environmentally sustainable by any reasonable definition. Sustainability is often described as a journey of small manageable steps. But it is important to keep the end goal in mind.

Is Organic Cotton good quality?

Organic produces great quality cotton. When compared like-for-like, organic fibers consistently produce better quality yarns than conventional cotton.

Is Organic Cotton softer than Conventional Cotton?

Yes, Organic Cotton is way more softer than Conventional Cotton. In order to get the very soft feel of our material, the cotton yarn is handled with great care during the knitting or weaving process. All auxiliaries used must either be recyclable or be biodegradable to at least 90%.

How do I know if it's Organic?

Unlike food, textile products don’t have to be certified in order to be described as Organic. A product claiming to be organic might only contain a small percentage of organic cotton or may be made of organic cotton but dyed using toxic chemicals which would never be allowed in certified organic products.

The use of any organic cotton is a great first step, but in order to be sure a product really is organic from field to finished product, look out for either the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) symbol or the Soil Association symbol. See below for details of what these symbols mean:

GOTS symbol

Products carrying the GOTS symbol are made from organic fibers, have met strict environmental and social criteria during processing and have been certified by an independent, third party along the whole supply chain.

Find out more about GOTS...

Soil Association symbol

Product certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard by Soil Association Certification Ltd. The Soil Association was a founder member of GOTS and is a quarter owner of Global Standard GmbH which manages the GOTS.

Find out more about the Soil Association...

How is the color for your dyes made?

Our aim during the dyeing process is to use only agents and methods that are environmentally sound and, at the same time, ensure the highest quality standard. BeeCotton uses only natural water based dyes when dying our yarn. These dyes do not contain any harmful chemicals and are in accordance with the Global Organic Textile standard. Our dyes do not contain PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), a hazardous chemical used in conventional dyeing processes, which is known to cause kidney failure, developmental delays, and even hearing loss in children.

Do you use bleach to get the white color?

No, we never use bleach in any process. Sometimes the cotton harvest of a particular year is different, so for continuity of color in our collections we use a natural whitening process using oxygen.

How can I be sure my clothes haven't been, dyed, treated or processed with risky chemicals?

Cotton clothes carrying the GOTS or the Soil Association symbol depicts that the cotton has not only been grown organically but it has been processed organically too. This means that inputs such as dyes and inks have met strict biodegradability and toxicity rules and waste water is treated before it's let out into the environment - protecting local ecosystems and communities.

Do you use chemical finishing on the fabrics?

No. BeeCotton DOES NOT use this hazardous chemical in finishing its fabrics. One of the most dangerous chemicals found in the finishing of conventional fabrics is Formaldehyde. This is a chemical gas used in the finishing of conventional cotton fabrics. Babies and children are very sensitive to this chemical, and having it on the clothes they wear can cause skin rashes, coughing, and flu like symptoms. Dangerous chemicals such as Formaldehyde are never used in finishing BeeCotton products.

Do you use flame retardant on your products?

No, BeeCotton DOES NOT use toxic flame retardants chemicals in any of its clothing, hence our clothes are NOT FLAME-RESISTANT. The items marked as "100% Cotton" are NOT required to comply with flammability performance requirement and have therefore NOT been tested to those requirements.

What are your snap buttons made up of?

Our snap buttons are made of nickel-free copper, according to OEKO-TEX Standards.

Why is inspection and certification important?

Independent inspection and certification legitimately backs up Organic claims. All farms and factories that undergo inspection and certification are independently checked against strict criteria meaning that shoppers can rest assured that products carrying the GOTS and/or Soil Association logos really are Organic.

Does Organic Cotton cost more?

The trend towards fast and cheap fashion often means someone or something else is paying the price. When it comes to cotton, this can be the farmers - 99% of whom live on the breadline in developing countries, or the environment - degraded and poisoned by pesticides and fertilizers.

The price of organic includes investments made by farmers who are protecting the environment, maintaining soil fertility, preserving biodiversity and conserving water. This means organic cotton sometimes (but not always) is more expensive because the costs aren’t hidden.

Committing to purchase organic cotton benefits everyone; it secures farmers’ incomes, helps them plan ahead and improve their farming practices, which in turn reduces the price of producing organic cotton, meaning a lower price all round.

5 reasons to choose Organic Cotton over Conventional Cotton:

Organic cotton delivers proven benefits for people and the environment - when it comes to sustainability claims you can trust, nothing beats it.

1). Give control to farmers, not GM companies

Organic farmers don't have their choices controlled by GM companies

Organic cotton production never uses GM(Genetically Modified) seed. The small-scale farmers who produce the majority of our cotton need reliability, not high risks. Using low external inputs that are locally available, organic allows farmers to work within their limits and with their environment, in a sustainable way. Organic cotton puts choices in the farmer's hands.

2). Eliminate hazardous synthetic pesticides

Organic cotton doesn't use dangerous pesticides, protecting farmers' lives and the environment.

As organic cotton farmers around the world demonstrate every day, cotton can be grown without pesticides. By eliminating all hazardous synthetic pesticides in its production organic cotton offers a healthy and sustainable farming future for farmers and their families. Organic takes the toxic impact out of producing cotton.

3). Help farmers feed their families

Organic cotton enables farmers to grow other crops for food and income.

Organic farmers grow a diversity of crops to maintain healthy and fertile soils and fight off pests. By diversifying crops, farmers can also diversify their income. Growing food or other crops helps insure organic farmers against crop failure, climate variability, price volatility and changes in market demand.

4). Save precious water

Organic cotton uses less water, preserving a scarce and precious resource for the future.

Organic farming practices create healthy soils which make better use of water inputs and are more resilient in drought conditions. By eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, organic cotton keeps waterways and drinking water safe and clean. The water pollution impact of organic has been shown to be 98% less than non-organic cotton production.

5). Combat climate change

Organic cotton farming uses less energy and healthy organic soils store more carbon.

Organic cotton farmers are doing their bit to combat climate change. By eliminating the use of manufactured fertilizers and pesticides and reducing nitrogen inputs, organic cotton growing produces up to 94% less greenhouse gas emissions. By maintaining their health, organic practices turn soils into a carbon 'sink', removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

What can I do to show my support for Organic Cotton?

There are some really simple steps you can take to show your support for organic cotton: