Organic Cotton Facts

Organic baby clothes are made without pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified organisms, additives, irradiation or sewage sludge. The manufacturer of such a product can only make these claims in marketing and advertising materials if the product has obtained organic certification. While organic baby clothes are becoming a big part of the organic movement, the upward trend has been met with some skepticism. However, organic advocacy groups such as the Organic Consumers Association workto educate the marketplace about the labelling system behind certified organic products.

Benefits

Organic baby clothes are substituted for conventional baby care items in order to reduce the amount of chemical exposure for rapidly developing infants.

Some physicians recommend choosing organic foods for babies from conception until the age of three. During this period of time babies’ bodies and brains grow faster and they are more vulnerable to environmental toxins. The fact that babies are smaller means they absorb more pesticides per pound of body weight than adults. The bottom line is toxins stay in their systems longer and can have more impact than fully developed adults.

In addition to being free of pesticides and other additives, organic foods are believed to be more nutritional than their conventional counterparts. A 2007 European Union study confirmed that organic fruit and vegetables may have up to 40 percent more antioxidants than non-organically grown produce.

Disadvantages

Organic baby clothes are more expensive to produce and get certified. Therefore they are in most cases priced higher than conventional goods and are not as accessible to middle and lower income families. As a result, families that may believe there are health benefits to using organic baby products will not be able to afford them.

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) says that while prices have been declining, there are reasons the costs of certified organic products remain higher than conventional products. They include limited supply as compared to demand, greater labor and transportation costs per unit produced. The smaller number of units involved also means marketing and distribution costs have to be spread out over a smaller number of units. As demand for organic food and products increases, technological innovations and economies of scale should reduce costs of production, processing, distribution and marketing for organic produce.

Products

Many factors are causing the accelerated growth of the organic baby clothes market. These include: increased frequency of baby product recalls for lead and other contaminants, more scientific studies finding toxic ingredients in baby care products, increased media exposure for the green and organic movement, the acknowledgment of the benefits of organics by some medical practitioners, and increased information sharing of the benefits in online mediums.

Source: Wikipedia