WHY ORGANIC COTTON PILLOW COVERS

At The Woolshire we encase our wool in a tightly woven cotton pillow ticking that does not allow any wool to escape. The cotton is long-staple, certified organic, and grown by Texas family farms. It is the most quality cotton that is grown organically, which makes it more expensive to grow and cultivate. Nevertheless, our growers and weavers are dedicated to the craft of producing some of the finest cotton in the world.

What is organic cotton and how is different than conventionally grown cotton? If we aren’t consuming it, do we really need to be worried about choosing a fabric that is grown organically? Does it really make a difference to my health if my cotton pillow case is organic?


GENETIC ENGINEERING AND PESTICIDE USE

93% Of conventional cotton grown in the US is genetically engineered and contains an insecticide in the genetic makeup of the cotton plant. This insecticide cannot be washed out and thus is engrained in the cotton fabric. It was thought that by genetically engineering an insecticide into the cotton plant there would be less need for spraying pesticides, but this has proved to be false. More pesticides are being sprayed on cotton than ever before. Today cotton is the leading crop for pesticide use. Only taking up 2.5% of the earth's agricultural land, cotton accounts for 16% of all pesticide use. 

INTERNATIONALLY GROWN COTTON

"Organically grown cotton" is readily available through countries such as China and India, but unfortunately there is no regulation in the fabric industry to confirm the authenticity. There is also virtually no penalty in place for lying about the authenticity of organic cotton fabric. What has been found is that the vast majority of "organic cotton" from China and India is in fact not organic, usually genetically engineered, and contains a heavy amount of pesticides. Conventionally grown cotton also is found to contain formaldehyde, a carcinogen, to reduce wrinkles. 
 

WHY THE WOOLSHIRE COTTON IS BEST

We make our organic cotton pillow cases from un-dyed long-staple cotton, sourced from the USA, which is certified organic through the USDA as well as a third party certifier, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Our cotton is grown the way nature intended without the use of pesticides and free from genetic modification. It is free from formaldehyde or any chemical adulteration. It is also long-staple, meaning the cotton that we use for our pillow covers has been cultivated to perfection since the beginning of cotton growing in the United States. Sourcing organic cotton from the USA also supports Texas family farms that choose to continue to represent the 0.2% of organically grown cotton in the US.

At The Woolshire we do not compromise quality for the sake of cost. We believe that supporting local farms is at the core of who we are and we are dedicated to using these locally grown materials to the glory of God.