Reuse and repurpose items instead of throwing them away

Reusing sits above recycling in the hierarchy of the three Rs — reduce, reuse, and recycle — because it doesn’t require any extra energy for reprocessing and because it cuts down on the need to buy new. The aim is to use items for as long as possible, for as many different uses as possible, or by as many people as possible, before they have to be recycled or disposed of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using current mainstream methods of cultivation, it takes almost a third of a pound (140 grams) of fertilizer and pesticides to produce enough cotton for a single t-shirt. That's almost the weight of the t-shirt itself! 

Additionally, seven the most common pesticides used on cotton are either suspected or confirmed carcinogens.

As the modern cotton industry has evolved, insects and weeds have become increasingly resistant to pesticides, meaning that more of these highly toxic chemicals need to be used.

In regard to water, at least 925 gallons (around 3,500 litres) are required to produce a single pound of cotton; and 60% of the water used to irrigate cotton is lost to evaporation and poor irrigation practices. The Aral Sea in Russia, which was one of the world's largest freshwater lakes, has practically dried up due to water being diverted for cotton irrigation.

Somewhere in the region of 79 million acres of land is currently utilized for the production of cotton globally. According to Wikipedia, Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop.

The environment has paid a huge price for our cotton demand.

GM cotton

One of the answers to the excessive pesticide issue was meant to be GM (genetically modified) cotton.
 
GM cotton containing Bt toxin has become widespread, but already there are indications of some pests adapting, such as the Diamondback moth.  Other issues include the problem that Bt Cotton is a patented species owned by a company and this means farmers become heavily reliant on the company - not only for the seed, but for compatible chemicals. In India, there has been a spate of  farmer suicides linked to the irresponsible promotion of GM cotton. Added to all this, there is also the risk of GM crops "infecting" non-GM cotton crops.

Organic cotton

In recent years, producers have banded together to create an organic, more sustainable cotton industry. Changes to common practices such as using manure to replace synthetic fertilizers, biological pest controls instead of pesticides and more efficient weeding strategies are being developed to help minimize the impact that cotton growing and product has on our planet. Crop rotation is also used to rest the land between plantings. Different crops are planted during the rotation period in order to restore fertility to the soil.

In order for a field to be certified as organic it needs to be pesticide and herbicide free for at least three years.