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High thread count Egyptian cotton bedsheets, your favorite comfy pants or lightweight shirt, cotton is one of the most beloved materials and for good reason. Cotton is a breathable fabric, it's also a comfortable, sustainable, and low-maintenance material that can be good for the planet, the skin, and the communities that create it. Cotton is actually one of the oldest crops in the world and has been loved and used for centuries.
From India to America, cotton comes from the cotton plant and is used not only in clothing, but to create currency, paper, rope, and even biofuel. But the world of cotton goes deeper than the casual cotton yarn we are used to, there are actually lots of different kinds of cotton fabrics out there. We take a look at all the different types of cotton and consider what you can expect from your cotton choices.
What is Cotton, Technically?
Cotton comes from cotton plants. This shrubby little plant creates creamy fluffy balls of fibers that gather around the cotton seed. The fibers need to be separated from the plant before they are cleaned, spun, and then woven into a fabric that we call cotton.
Cotton accounts for half the fibers worn around the world as cotton fiber is also used to create other fabrics and textiles too. Growing cotton is a long and highly involved experience with many moving parts. It plays a major role in our history and even to this day, we adore cotton as its a breathable, high quality, and highly durable material that is even quite an absorbent fabric.
How Does Cotton Impact the Environment?
While cotton is considered to be one of the more sustainable and earth friendly options for eco friendly fashion choices, it doesn't come without impact. Conventional cotton can have a negative impact on the environment. Here are some of the ways that raw cotton growing and harvesting can affect the earth beneath your feet.
Chemicals - As one of the most popular crops in the world, cotton uses 6% of the worlds pesticides, which is more than any other crop.
Water Usage - Cotton is a thirsty crop and takes a lot of water to grow. It can take over 2500 liters of water to make a single cotton t-shirt.
Land impact - As cotton growing takes up a lot of land, it can disrupt habitats and the extensive water usage can lead to the soil becoming overly waters which can make the land unusable for growth in the future.
Can Organic Solve the Problem?
So, cotton does come with an environmental cost but there are ways you can make your fashion choices earth friendlier. The answer is organic cotton.
Organic cotton is crafted using eco-friendly methods that don't involve pesticides, fertilizers, or any harmful chemicals that can seep into the land, the sea, and the air. It also takes 71% less water to grow and more than 60% less energy meaning that it cuts down on your carbon footprint.
Companies that have been certified as cultivators of organic cotton also have to work sustainably with their communities and offer fair wages to their workers.
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- While not all of our products are made of organic cotton or other more sustainable fabrics, we opt for the most sustainable fabrics that we can source, including bamboo fabrics, modal cotton, linen and others. We're also carbon neutral, have our factories in the US, clean up the ocean and plant one tree with every purchase. We're working toward a completely sustainable and environmentally friendly business model and sourcing sustainable fabrics is one of our top priorities.
How Many Types Of Cotton Fabric Are There
There are around fifty types of different cotton fabrics out there. We know, this may come as a surprise, especially for those who have been thinking they just need to pick between pure cotton or cotton blend. Over 75% of the worlds clothing products contain some kind of cotton - no matter how small. Yep, cotton comes in many flavors and we have an overview of some of the most popular threads that come from cotton to help you understand all the ways that cotton shows up in your wardrobe.
- Prima / Egyptian Cotton - Often used in classy bedding thanks to its high quality, this extra-long-staple cotton has plenty of strands and is often used in those expensive luxury cotton items like soft fabric sweaters, clothing, t-shirts, evening wear, and anything that calls for the best cotton fabric possible.
- Muslin - An ancient plain weave fabric that is delicate and un-dyed and also super breathable, muslin is a pure and natural cotton product. This kind of lightweight plain weave fabric is often used to create clothing, but also is widely used in baby care products, cooking, medicine, and more.
- Flannel - Like brushed cotton, this soft combed cotton is often used to create cozy items such as casual shirts and cold weather bedding. It is a warm versatile fabric that is machine washable, durable, and hard-wearing which is why it's such a popular choice.
- Cotton Corduroy - Ribbed fabric with a heavier weight that brings comfort and warmth, corduroy is often used in clothing and as upholstery fabric as it's hard-wearing without looking dull.
- Denim - A tightly woven cotton fabric that is usually dyed indigo and used to make work pants and jeans, denim needs no introduction and is a highly durable fabric.
- Gingham Cotton - A plain light to medium weight cotton fabric that is often used to create uniforms, the checkered pattern gives this kind of cotton away.
- Cotton Voile - A lightweight cotton fabric, voile is a sheer but crisp fabric that feels lush to the touch. Voile can also come as a linen cotton mix. It's often used to make cotton shirting, soft furnishings, dresses, scarves, and more.
- Cotton Poplin - Cotton poplin has a strong plain light to medium weight weave that gives it a smooth texture and silky feel. It's often used in sportswear, shirts, and dresses that call for a satin weave style.
- Cotton Jersey - The cotton jersey knit fabric is medium weight and is made with interlocking loops that help knitted fabrics to stretch out. It's often used in lightweight medium-weight jumpers, in underwear, and in sportswear as it has more flex than other cotton fabrics.
- Cotton Broadcloth - A closely woven fabric that has a rib effect, cotton broadcloth is hard-wearing which is one of the reasons it's often chosen for sleepwear and durable daywear too.
- Cotton Lawn - A sheer fabric that comes tightly woven and with a fine thread, cotton lawn is a lightweight cotton fiber that is often used to create warmer weather clothes like maxi dresses and sweet summer tops.
What Is The Most Common Type Of Cotton
Upland cotton is the most common kind of cotton fabric and offers the complete cotton experience at a cost effective price.
What Type Of Cotton Is The Highest Quality
Pima cotton is one of the highest quality kinds of cotton fabric. Pima offers long staple cotton fibers that is soft to the touch, strong, durable, and one of the most expensive cotton styles.
Types Of Cotton Plants And Their Environmental Impact
There are four different kinds of cotton that are grown on a commercial scale and used to create a whole range of cotton inspired fabrics. Whether you want super luxurious Pima cotton for your sheets or the plain weave cotton fabric of muslin, different kinds of cotton plants are responsible for different types of cotton.
Knowing which are the most sustainable kinds of cotton plants can also help you to make informed decisions when it comes to your cotton purchases.
Gossypium Barbadense
This is the plant responsible for creating Pima Cotton - one of the best kinds of cotton in the world. With long fibers, Pima cotton is super smooth and luxurious and is known for being resistant to wrinkling, piling, fraying, and fading. This kind of cotton is native to South America and as it's so incredibly soft and strong it's a popular choice for bedding and high-class apparel. The prima cotton plant is considered to be one of the more environmentally friendly kinds of cotton as it is grown organically and without chemicals to sustain that super soft high quality. It is also created in small batch quantities and as its top-of-the-game cotton, producers often look for higher-quality manufacturing processes.
Gossypium Hirsutum
This is the cotton plant that produces the most common kind of cotton in the world. Also known as upland cotton, it tends to have shorter fibers and is used commonly in a wide range of products. Because of its purity, it is used in baby care and feminine hygiene products. Upland cotton is mainly grown in the USA.
This kind of cotton is likely to be the least environmentally friendly as it is grown, picked, and produced on such a large scale. The best bet you have at making sure your cotton choices are good for the planet is to make sure that you try and source organic cotton that doesn't use any fertilizers or chemicals which can seep into the soil, the water, and the air.
Gossypium Arboretum
Making up less than 2 percent of the worlds cotton, this kind of cotton is tree cotton that is commonly grown in India and Pakistan. This cotton is often used in cotton material that favors a plain weave. Muslin cotton or any kind of cotton weave with strength and durability, tree cotton is also used in medical supplies (such as gauze).
Gossypium Herbaceum
Known also by the name of levant cotton, this kind of cotton plant is native to southern parts of Africa and the Arabian peninsular. Levant cotton makes up less than 2 percent of the global cotton market but is usually spun into yarn that makes other kinds of fabrics too.
So whatever is in your wardrobe, cotton fabric is sure to show up in some way, shape, or form. From knit fabrics to linen fabric, stretchy fabric, or even a twill weave fabric - there's sure to be cotton in there. Knowing how our fashion choices impacts the planet can help us to make educated decisions about where we want to spend our dollars. If you have any thoughts on cotton and its impact, including which cotton fabrics you love and hate - share with our VIP Sozy Community.
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