Organic Cotton and Ethical Printing

FASHION · GLOBAL

Organic Cotton and Ethical Printing

What the certifications mean, printing methods, judging claims and care

Printed clothing is sold with a range of environmental and ethical claims, and a small number of them are actually checkable.

Certifications that mean something

GOTS covers organic fibre content plus environmental and social criteria through the whole supply chain, and is the strongest single mark. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 tests the finished product for harmful substances and says nothing about how it was farmed or who made it.

Fairtrade cotton addresses grower prices. Each mark answers a different question, so check which claim is being made.

Organic cotton

Grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, which reduces chemical load and typically gives lower yields. It uses water differently rather than uniformly less, and claims of dramatic water savings should be treated carefully.

Certified organic content is a stated percentage, so look for the figure.

Printing methods

Water-based and discharge inks feel softer and avoid PVC-based plastisol. Direct-to-garment printing uses water-based ink and less setup waste, which suits small runs.

Print on demand avoids unsold stock, which is a genuine environmental gain in a category built on overproduction.

Judging a claim

Ask where garments are made, whether the blanks are certified, and what the certification number is. Vague language about sustainability without a mark is not verifiable.

Care

Wash inside out and cool, never tumble dry, and do not iron over a print. Heat is what cracks printing.

Fit and sizing

Check the actual chest and length measurements rather than the letter, since blanks vary considerably between suppliers. Unisex sizing is usually a men's cut and fits differently across the chest and hip.

Check whether the fabric is pre-shrunk, since untreated cotton can lose a size on a hot wash.

Slogan clothing

Anything worn on a body makes a statement in every room the wearer enters. That is the point, and it is worth being certain about the wording before buying it as a gift.

Making it last

Wash inside out and cool, dry in shade and never tumble dry. Heat is what cracks prints, and a single hot cycle does more damage than a season of wearing.

Where the impact is

Wearing a garment twice as long halves its impact per wear, which outweighs almost every other consideration including the fibre. Buying less and keeping it longer is the whole of it.

Repair small holes and seams rather than replacing, and pass clothing on rather than binning it — textile banks take worn items for recycling.

Check the garment weight in grams, since thin fabric goes transparent and wears through.

The largest factor

Wearing a garment longer outweighs almost every other consideration.

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