Focus on... cotton: the fiber of the past

- Not very environmentally friendly

- Harmful to men

- Dries slowly

- Lack of versatility

Cotton cultivation is the third most water-intensive crop. Globally, irrigation accounts for 55% of cotton-growing areas. For example, 10,600 liters of water are needed to produce just 1 kilogram of cotton. An example of this excessive water consumption is the Aral Sea, which dried up following the diversion of two powerful rivers that supplied it with water to irrigate cotton crops in Asia. In 1960, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world, covering 66,458 km². By 2000, this area had been halved due to cotton production, representing one of the most significant environmental disasters of the 20th century.

In addition, since cotton cultivation is mainly carried out in developing countries (75%), restrictions and standards regarding the use of chemicals to treat production are lower (compared to Europe). These are therefore used in large quantities to ensure mass production and pollute the soil, go down into the water table, contaminating the water used by residents and animals in the surrounding area. Finally, it should be noted that this use of pesticides is not a long-term solution since they are mainly used to prevent the appearance of insects harmful to the plant. However, these insects adapt over the years through genetic mutations to be able to resist these pesticides, which therefore become useless. We therefore find new ones, sometimes even more virulent for the environment and which are expected to provide the same long-term result as the previous ones.

As stated previously, cotton is bad for the environment, but not only that. These harmful effects have significant repercussions for human health. It is known that for one hectare of cotton, approximately 1 kg of pesticides is applied to combat insects and other "pests." It is known that approximately one in three Indian producers suffers from pesticide poisoning in a single season. Many textile factories discharge their wastewater into nearby rivers, thus polluting both surface and groundwater. The consequences are then very significant for humans; according to the WHO (World Health Organization), cotton cultivation and its use of pesticides are responsible for 22,000 deaths from poisoning each year.

In addition, chemicals are subject to evaporation due to the sun and therefore directly impact the atmosphere, causing the pesticides to be distributed in fog and rainwater, thus contaminating the surrounding areas, producing the following effects on the human body when exposed to them:

- Skin lesions, dark spots on the skin

- Cardiovascular diseases

- Destruction of the liver

- Reproductive function disorder

- Destruction of the liver

- Damage to the immune system

- Long-term generation of cancers

Finally, beyond the medical consequences, we can note the human exploitation linked to textile factories which make their employees (especially children) work in extreme sanitary conditions for paltry incomes.

This is one of its main problems, perhaps the most important, since this problem leads to all the other disadvantages that follow. Cotton is strongly discouraged as a base layer if you plan to do any activity that generates moisture. Whether it's because of your perspiration or the vagaries of the weather, a cotton T-shirt will quickly become a real burden for the wearer when it's wet.

But why should you avoid wearing a cotton T-shirt like the plague when you're going to be in a humid environment?

Well, because cotton tends to absorb moisture and especially retain it, from the moment moisture is present it remains in constant contact with the skin. We know that our body uses moisture in contact with the skin to cool down during warmer periods, but a waterlogged cotton T-shirt remains damp whether you are hot or cold and can therefore generate hypothermia situations, which can be very problematic when hiking, traveling or any other situation if you have not planned a second T-shirt.

Because of this moisture retention, cotton quickly becomes an extra, unnecessary weight that hikers in particular would be happy to do without. Add to that the abrasive and unpleasant feeling produced by water retention, and you get a heavy, irritating T-shirt that can cause blisters when it comes into contact with a hiking bag.

This also becomes problematic when you have to go on a trip for several days. Let's imagine that you are going for 7 days. If you only have cotton T-shirts, you will need to take 7 T-shirts, one for each day, or even more for the evening so that you can sleep dry.

In addition, a cotton T-shirt is rarely wearable for more than a day if you have sweated in it because of its moisture retention which encourages the development of bacteria and therefore the appearance of bad odors which will only go away when you have washed your T-shirt.

All these characteristics make cotton a poor ally during your travels, sports activities, and active moments in your life. And at SEAGALE, we say no to constraints for active men, so no to cotton!

As stated above, cotton is not a friend of wet everyday situations. This alone could be a reason for its non-versatility... But as if that weren't enough, cotton is also one of the lowest quality fibers you can find on the market in terms of elasticity, length, flammability and resistance to sunlight. The lack of elasticity will cause a lack of comfort and softness during ample movements, which tends to stretch your garment, causing friction and stress on your skin.

The length of a fiber is often very significant as to the quality of the latter and cotton has one of the shortest lengths, it can extend from only 1 to 5.5 cm compared to 25 to 120 cm for linen! The flammability of cotton is very high compared in particular to wool which only burns from 200 ° and which does not spread fire.

Finally, cotton has little resistance to the sun; it oxidizes and tends to yellow, unlike synthetic materials on which the sun has no effect, or even wool, which only loses strength and in very small proportions.

Cotton is undoubtedly the most widely used and present fabric in the textile industry today. It has many interesting properties for those who use it; due to its industrial production, its production cost is very attractive, and its "all-purpose" nature gives it a prominent place in the inventory of every store.

However, it has many drawbacks that prevent it from offering a high-quality product with unique properties and an incomparable feel, which is part of our project to offer products that make your life easier and respect the environment.

These are all reasons why you will not find any cotton in SEAGALE products, but rather unique, innovative materials that are part of the sustainable development of the textile company.