Get Your Cotton-picking Hands Off!

Passage 1

📖 READING PASSAGE 1: Get Your Cotton-picking Hands Off!

Section A
The textile & garment sector is a multi-billion dollar industry that spans every continent across the globe. It relies heavily on the production of cotton, which constitutes 10% of the world's agriculture. The side effects of the production process are tragic for many of the over 100 million farmers that are employed in this industry. The environmental impact is also catastrophic. In search of higher profit margins, the fashion industry often turns a blind eye to the damage done. In order to boost the economy or line the pockets of greedy politicians, governments try to sweep the issue under the rug. To bring an end to this unscrupulous behaviour, it is time for consumers to voice their opinions and demand that fashion houses act ethically and that their local officials take action.

Section B
One of the most disturbing and serious problems is the use of pesticides—organic cotton farming is still far from popular. Shockingly, 25% of world pesticides are used for cotton cultivation, making growing the plant the most dangerous of all agricultural jobs. Deaths due to accidental poisoning are modestly estimated at 20,000 people annually, with over 1 million people suffering long-term acute poisonings every year. However, reports from activist group PAN (Pesticide Action Network) suggest the real figures are actually much higher, possibly accounting for over 1 million deaths and 3 million acute poisonings.

Section C
There are many tragic stories related to pesticides. A case in point is an African farmer who knew he was handling poisonous chemicals in the field. Upon arriving back home one evening, he took off his clothes, which were covered in toxins, and placed them on the roof of his house so they would be far out of the reach of his four young children. That night, however, it rained and the poison was rinsed off the clothes and washed down the drain into the family water tank which was used for drinking, cooking and washing. Within minutes of consuming some of the contaminated water, the kids had extreme headaches and convulsions. Within 20 hours all 4 children had passed away despite being taken for urgent medical treatment.

Section D
Over 200,000 suicides per year can be directly attributed to debt caused by pesticides. In many developing countries, cotton farmers must use a broker to be able to sell the cotton that they grow in their farms. However, these brokers enter contracts with farmers stipulating that they must purchase pesticides through them.

Section E
When farmers are unable to afford the pesticides, brokers provide credit schemes in which farmers must repay loans within one year at an interest rate of 10% or face tragic consequences. If a crop fails due to a lack of rain, many farmers opt for suicide as an alternative to the financial repercussions. Others head to metropolitan areas in search of jobs and all too often end up contracting AIDS, which they then bring back to the countryside when they periodically return home.

Section F
Ethical treatment of workers has also hit rock bottom in Uzbekistan due to its totalitarian government, which threatens its citizens with beatings and land seizures if they cannot accept the appalling work conditions. Unfortunately, children as young as seven are subject to inhumane treatment. During the harvest season in the months of autumn, the government shuts down all schools and forces hundreds of thousands of students to pick cotton. Not surprisingly, these school children or other farmers do not see the fruits of their labour. Corrupt government officials of Uzbekistan embezzle billions of dollars from the one million tonnes of cotton fibre the country produces for the international market.

Section G
Katharine Hamnett, a politically controversial British fashion designer, has recently proven that using organically grown cotton can be cost effective for designers, stylish for consumers and can provide a higher standard of living for farmers. Since pesticides are not used, growing organic cotton can reduce growers' expenses by up to 40%. In addition, organic cotton can fetch up to a 20% premium on the market as compared to ordinary cotton due to its higher quality. Considering these factors, growers can see up to a 50% increase in revenue by making the switch to organic cotton. Assuming that a farmer gets 20% more per garment, and his revenue represents 4-5% of the retail value of an article of clothing, that will only increase the cost of the garment by a mere 1%.

Section H
Are you willing to pay 1% more for an item of clothing from your favourite brand? The industry listens to consumers even if governments don't. Ask for stricter labelling so you can see the country in which the garment was manufactured. If the country has a poor labour rights record, boycott that particular brand. If the country is not producing organically, appeal to designers to change their ways or find a brand which exclusively uses organic cotton. The demand for organic food without chemicals and additives has already kicked off. There is no reason to suggest that the fashion industry cannot follow suit.