Cotton Explained: The Fabric We Trust, But Should Still Question

Cotton is one of the most familiar fabrics in our wardrobes. It is natural, breathable and widely trusted — but cotton is not one simple category.

In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at what sits behind cotton: conventional cotton farming, pesticides, fertilisers, GMO cotton, water use, organic cotton, Better Cotton, regenerative cotton, recycled cotton, Fairtrade cotton and Cotton made in Africa.

The episode asks a practical question: when a label says “cotton”, what does that actually tell us — and what does it leave out?

We cover:

• why cotton is so widely used
• why “natural” does not automatically mean low-impact or safe
• pesticides, fertilisers and cotton farming
• how GMO cotton changed pest-control systems in India, China and Burkina Faso
• why cotton’s water impact depends on geography, irrigation and local water stress
• what organic cotton changes — and what it does not
• the difference between organic, in-conversion, Better Cotton, regenerative, recycled, Fairtrade and Cotton made in Africa
• why cotton can still be dyed, bleached, finished and blended
• what certifications such as GOTS, OCS, OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 and Better Cotton actually mean
• how to read a cotton label more carefully

The aim is not to make cotton sound good or bad. It is to understand that cotton’s impact depends on how it is grown, processed, certified and blended.

Because the word “cotton” is only the beginning of the story.