GOTS Certification - Organic Fabric and What it Means.

What is organic cotton fabric?

Organic cotton is grown without use of pesticides and fertilizers, and shipped without resins to finish the fabric. Fabrics use low impact dyes as well, dyes which bind to the fabric without the use of toxic, heavy metal mordants, and produce less waste water.  This creates less harm to the ground water and the environment at large, reducing threats to animals as well as those to the farmers and workers, and us, as consumers.

Cotton, in general, is a highly chemically treated crop. Cotton fabric generally undergoes both dyeing and finishing which can add to the chemical load. One of the reasons we (as quilters) are told to prewash fabrics is because of the chemicals that may be on them as sizing.

Unlike standard fabric producers, both Cloud9 and Monaluna produced modern organic fabrics, and meet the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) for ecological and social responsibility. GOTS certification follows the fabric from plant to finished product, to be sure that all farming and manufacturing processes are environmentally and socially responsible.

A few of the many GOTS guidelines: Supply chains are inspected to be sure that all steps are organic and social conscious. Dyes and other chemicals introduced to the fabric must be evaluated for low toxicity and biodegradability. No heavy metals or chlorine bleaches can be used on the fabric. Workers are paid fairly and working conditions are certified safe.  Sounds ideal, right?

And the results are beautiful too. We just got in two new collections from Cloud9.

Bark and Branch by Eloise Renouf:


Up, Up and Away by Heather Moore:

 Browse through our organic fabrics!