Cotton being sprayed, South Carolina © Plexus/CVT We think of
cotton as a natural, pure product. However, cotton cultivation
can have a dramatic impact on the environment. Cotton plants are
regularly sprayed with pesticides to limit insect damage.
Herbicides are also used to control weeds. When the cotton is
ready to be harvested, it is often sprayed with defoliant to
remove the leaves to make mechanical picking more efficient. If
cotton is grown in dry climates, the crop will need extra water.
One extreme example is in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where the
over-reliance on cotton as a crop has led to the shrinking of
the Aral Sea. This has had a major impact on human health in the
surrounding areas, because the drinking water has been
contaminated by salt, fertilisers and pesticides. These
environmental concerns have led to a growing consumer interest
in organic cotton. Much of the cotton grown in the world today
is Genetically Modified (GM). This means the structure of the
plant has been altered by adding or