FAQ

“Agriculture contributes to increased warming—farming and deforestation account for a quarter of global greenhouse emissions—but is affected by it, too, as more severe and more unpredictable weather poses a threat to food safety and production.

When it comes to impacting climate change, not all farming practices are created equal.

By contrast, in nearly 40 years of comparing the effects of conventional vs. organic agriculture side by side, our Farming Systems Trial has found that organic systems use 45% less energy, release 40% fewer carbon emissions, improve the health and quantity of soil over time, and actually have the potential to produce yields up to 40% higher in times of drought than conventional systems.

What’s even more promising is the power of healthy soils and plants to sequester carbon, a problematic greenhouse gas—literally pulling it out of the atmosphere and putting it back underground where it belongs.” (Rodale Institute, 2025)

For more information visit:

https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/issues-and-priorities/carbon-sequestration/

Workplace Conditions

Our factory partners participate in social audits designed to ensure safe and healthy workplace conditions while creating a framework for continuous improvement.  Several audit systems are in place depending on the factory:

SMETA Sedex’s social auditing methodology which is designed to enable us to assess, understand, and improve working conditions in our supply chain. 

https://www.sedex.com/our-services/smeta-audit/

BSCI, short for amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative, provides a recognized methodology for identifying and remediating risks in global supply chains.  

https://www.amfori.org/en/solutions/social/amfori-bsci

WRAP, short for Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production, is the only independent global organization of its kind, advances safe, lawful, humane, and ethical practices in production facilities, benefiting workers, manufacturers, buyers, and consumers through socially responsible supply chains worldwide.

https://wrapcompliance.org/en/

Product

Material standards are designed to substantiate and verify sustainability claims from raw material to final product.

Our goods are certified under Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Textile Standard (OCS-Blended) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) depending on the product.

To learn more:

https://global-standard.org/

https://textileexchange.org/standards/

We love screen printers!  The ones we know are artists, renegades and visionaries.  No suits and ties (or the female equivalent where applicable) for them---ever.  So it’s not surprising that we have had plenty discussions with our artist friends about things such as what makes the best “blank canvas”, the craziest thing they ever screen printed or what temperature to use when screen printing a non-woven tote (answer: the lowest temperature possible).

We created the econscious line with screen-printers in mind.  We think of our tees as works of art waiting to happen.  And when our conversations invariably roll around to the question of the most “environmentally responsible” printing method…then things get interesting.    Our discussions gave rise to many different viewpoints, so we decided there was only one thing to do.  Get scientific. 

To help with the science we turned to our friends at Brown and Williams Environmental LLC and asked them to survey the existing ink technologies on the market.   Before you click the link---put your thinking cap on because this is some dense material.

To read about their findings click here.

Our choices impact the health of this place we call home. Organic farming practices:

• Keep millions of pounds of chemicals out of the environment
• Create healthier working conditions for farmers and agricultural workers
• Do not depend on chemical pesticides (poisons), synthetic fertilizers, or genetically engineered ingredients
• Reduce global warming.  Organic farms pull CO2 out of the atmosphere as much as three times the rate of conventional farming practices and releases less CO2 into the atmosphere because it does not rely on chemical fertilizers and herbicides (Rodale Institute, 2008)
• Promote bio-diversity.  Insect and bird life has been found to be as much as 50% greater on organic farms than conventional farms (UK Soil Association, 2000)
• Demonstrates your commitment to social and  environmental responsibility

 For more information email info@econscious.net

Certification is done by independent, third party certifiers accredited to the standards being certified against (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008). 

Submit application to accredited independent 3rd party certifier 

• Develop Farm Plan for Ecosystem Management
• Develop an Internal Control System, includes record keeping
• Annual Inspections by certifier
• Transition period of 2-3 years depending on standard

(Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008)

The major differences are in the following categories: seeds, weed control, soil, water, and harvest practice. Organic agricultural practices prohibit the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds (GMO seeds).

1. Soil Fertility

• Conventional: Relies heavily on synthetic fertilizers to boost plant growth quickly.
• Organic: Uses compost, manure, green manure, and crop rotation to naturally enrich soil.

2. Pest and Weed Control

• Conventional: Employs synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides.
• Organic: Uses biological pest control, natural predators, neem oil, crop rotation, and manual weeding.

3. Seeds and GMOs

• Conventional: Often genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are used for higher yields or pest resistance.
• Organic: GMOs are strictly prohibited; seeds must be organic or untreated.

4. Environmental Impact

• Conventional: Can lead to soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss due to chemical runoff.
• Organic: Prioritizes environmental sustainability, improving soil structure and promoting biodiversity.

5. Inputs and Additives

• Conventional: Uses synthetic growth regulators, antibiotics (in livestock), and chemical feed additives.
• Organic: Only allows natural or approved substances; antibiotics are highly restricted.

6. Certification and Traceability

• Conventional: Not subject to strict certification regarding sustainability.
• Organic: Requires third-party certification and strict traceability to ensure organic standards are met.

Cotton accounts for approximately 4% of global pesticide use and about 10–11% of global insecticide use, according to the most recent and authoritative data from the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). Earlier and often-cited claims that cotton uses 16–25% of the world’s pesticides are outdated and not supported by current research.

To summarize:

• Pesticides (all types): Cotton uses about 3.9–4.7% of global agricultural pesticides.
• Insecticides: Cotton uses about 10–11% of global agricultural insecticides.
• Cultivated land: Cotton is grown on just 2.3–2.4% of the world’s arable land.

While cotton’s share of insecticide use is notably higher than its share of total cropland, its overall pesticide use is lower than for several other major crops, such as soybeans, corn, and wheat.

For more information:

https://www.pan-uk.org/cotton/

Through crop rotation, promotion of soil health, and through an absence of agriculture chemicals that effect the ability of wild life and insects around the farm to thrive (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).

For more info visit:

https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/why-organic/better-for-wildlife/

As of the 2020/21 agricultural year, the top producers of organic cotton globally were

1. India – 38% of global production
2. Turkey – 24%
3. China – 10%
4. Kyrgyzstan – 9%
5. Tanzania – 6%
6. Kazakhstan – 4%
7. Tajikistan – 4%
8. United States – 2% USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

These eight countries collectively accounted for approximately 97% of the world's organic cotton production during that period. India not only led in certified organic cotton output but also dominated the production of "in-conversion" cotton—cotton grown on land transitioning to organic certification—contributing 86% of the global total in this category.

While more recent data beyond the 2020/21 season is limited, India and Turkey have consistently maintained their positions as leading producers. The global organic cotton market is projected to grow significantly, with estimates suggesting it could reach USD 65.4 billion by 2033, up from USD 24.4 billion in 2024. (Textile Exchange, 2025)

Today there many of organizations working to educate people about the benefits of organic agricultural methods in an effort to promote the growth of organics globally.  Here are a few of the sites we recommend visiting to learn more:

Organic Exchange: www.organicexchange.org

Organic Farming Research Foundation: www.ofrf.org

Organic Trade Associate: www.ota.org

Pesticide Action Network: www.panna.org

Rodale Institute: www.rodaleinstitute.org

The Organic Center: www.organic-center.org

U.S. Organic Cotton Production: Recent Data

In 2023, the United States produced a total of 39,259 bales of organic cotton (including both Upland and American Pima varieties). This figure reflects a decrease of 3,624 bales from the previous year. The main production states are Texas (the clear leader), with additional acreage in Arizona, California, Georgia, and New Mexico.

Acreage and Share of Total Cotton Production

• In 2019, U.S. organic cotton production amounted to 23,720 bales harvested from almost 29,000 acres.
• Organic cotton represents a very small fraction of total U.S. cotton output-about 0.1% to 0.2% of all cotton grown in the country.
• The U.S. accounts for roughly 2–3% of global organic cotton production.

(Source: USDA, 2024)

Apparel: Mexico & India

Woven Headwear: Vietnam

Knits: Cambodia

Cotton Bags & Aprons:  India

Recycled Polyester Bags: China

Yes, in 2019  we joined forces with a factory located in the heart of Los Angeles, California that is well versed in the storied art of making a great tee. The introduction of the USA Made Organic Tee, style EC1007, helped us realize a long standing goal of bringing more manufacturing closer to home. We hope to add more styles in the future!

In addition, all our current production of our 100% organic tees are knit and dyed in the USA and then sewn in Mexico (styles: EC1000, EC1500, EC3000, EC3052, EC3500).

Factories we work with agree to ensure and actively engage in upholding the econscious Workplace Code of Conduct which addresses important social compliance standards designed to ensure a safe and hygienic workplace is provided. 

We’ve worked with most of our factories since our inception and have made regular visits to our production locations an essential part of the way we conduct our business. This allows us to assess workplace conditions first hand. We also employ independent third party agencies to conduct regular on-site inspections. 

These long standing relationships have allowed us to build partnerships based on trust and our shared goals. We believe if we thrive so will our partners and vice-versa.

• Textile waste occupies nearly five percent of all landfill space.
• One million tons of textiles will end up in landfills every year.
• 20 percent of industrial fresh water pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing.
• In 2009, the world used three trillion gallons of fresh water to produce 60 billion kilograms of fabric.
• It takes 700 gallons of fresh water to make one cotton T-shirt.
• One trillion kilowatt hours are used every year by the global textile industry, which equates to 10 percent of global carbon impact.

(Source: Global Report Market Report on Sustainable Textile, Textile Exchange 2010)

In the US, the standard is the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The EU standard is the EEC 2092/2091. The Japanese standard is JAS. India and Australia also have organic standards (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).

The term organic describes a method of farming without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation or genetic engineering, and are certified by an accredited independent organization. It is a system of farming that strives for a balance with nature, using methods and materials that are of low impact to the environment (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008). 

Organic farming is not a new trend. In fact, organic farming represents a return to the practices employed prior to the mass industrialization of farming.   The primary methods that distinguish organic farming are:

Soil: Organic farmers maintain the health of their soil by using manure or compost and other organic material instead of synthetic fertilizers. Biological fertilizers like compost, release nutrients slowly, build up organic soil matter, increase the capacity of soil to retain moisture and reduce leaching of nitrates into groundwater. Up to 40 percent of synthetic fertilizers used on conventional farms end up in ground and surface waters, eventually polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Beneficial insects: Some organic farmers introduce beneficial insects such as ladybugs, soldier beetles, green lacewings, big-eyed bugs and beneficial nematodes that eat harmful insects.

Crop rotation: Organic farmers often do not grow the same crop on the same field year after year. Crop rotation naturally replenishes the soil because as different plants contribute varying nutrients to the soil.  Disrupting the habitats of insect pests and weeds helps control them.

Buffers: Organic farmers designate the edges of their land as buffer zones.  This means the land is managed in accord with organic practices, but the crops grown on them aren’t sold as organic because some plants in the buffer may have been exposed to genetically engineered crops or chemicals used in conventional agriculture but barred for organic farms.

Cover Crops: Cover crops such as clover, rye, and wheat are planted between growing seasons to help replenish the soil with nutrients and prevent soil erosion. They also help maintain populations of beneficial insects. Cover crops can control weeds by smothering and shading them and outcompeting them for nutrients

(Source: Organic Trade Association, 2016).