The Renaissance of Naturally Colored Cotton
Pure white cotton was uncommon before the industrial revolution. Prior to this, cotton was milled and woven by hand. Much of this was colored short fibered cotton. One of the most important inventions during the industrial revolution was the cotton gin-- designed to quickly separate the fiber from the seeds. But, the cotton gin works best on long fibered white cotton. With the cotton gin, cotton became a better cash crop and large tracks of land were planted in long fiber white cotton. Shorter fibered colored cottons were essentially forgotten in the race to produce a more efficiently processed crop.
White long fibered cotton has its weaknesses. It is less resistant to disease, pests, and drought leading to the intense use of pesticides, herbicides, and water resources for its production. Some call the cotton crop one of the most heavily chemically supported of all our crops. It took an independent methodical woman to create a renaissance for colored cotton. By crossing long fibered cotton with colored short fiber Sally Fox was able to naturally engineer a strong colorful cotton which is both aesthetically and ecologically appealing. Along the way, she rediscovered shades of color our modern approach had all but eliminated from the cotton gene pool. Because of her, we now have pinks, greens, and browns without the negative effects of dye production. As an added benefit, these cottons are also more disease, pest, and drought resistant.
Now we can purchase pet products that are born with color, bypassing all the chemicals we want our pets to avoid. Look for the labels Fox Fiber and Colorgrown on colored cottons. While you are at it, choose white cottons which have been processed with Peroxides instead of bleaches and dioxins. Peroxides are safer for your pets and for the environment.
Additional Reading:
www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/color090804.cfm
www.e4s.org.uk/textilesonline/content/6library/report1/textile_fibres/cotton.htm