Organic fashion. Organic food. Organic travel. Organic lifestyle… there seems to be a glut of everything organic all around us. But how truly organic is it all?
Before we address that, let’s understand what does ‘organic’ mean. In terms of food or farming methods, it means any produce or production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals. So when you buy an ‘organic cotton or linen’ shirt or skirt or sari, the promise is that from soil and seed to shelf, throughout the entire lifecycle of the product —from the soil in which the seed to grow the cotton is sowed, to the seed and the processes used as the plant grows and finally culled, to the spinning of the yarn, weaving and dyeing, printing of the cloth, and making of the shirt, no planet-unfriendly chemical or process has been followed.
But, here comes the catch. Not everything that is promised to be organic is not really organic! Just one ‘organic’ step in the entire lifecycle of a product does not make it truly ‘organic’. A whole lot of greenwashing is done by many players in the market, so stay alert!
But how?
Step one in this direction would be to always read the dope given on the hangtag, or the label on the clothing that mentions all the information be it the type of fabric, or the place where it is manufactured, and other sundries which not many of us bother to even glance at. Question the retail sales personnel manning the counters — is it really organic, or what is the certification given that makes it organic?
Certification? Yes! There are very many standards the world over, but the GOTS certificate is among the most popular in India. Clothing certified by the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) under the Indian Standards for Organic Textiles (covering textiles of organic cotton and silk) is also gaining momentum. These are just same of the names you can ask for while shopping organic.
An ‘aware’ customer can be the key to push any industry towards sustainability. Here’s your chance to trigger the change you wish to see.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and more. So feel free to write back.
