where does cotton come from
Where does cotton come from – it’s actually grown on a plant! The cotton used in your clothing has to go through many steps to take that form but it is all natural fibres straight off the cotton plants to start with.
Where does cotton come from and grow?
Cotton actually comes from cotton plants! There are four main varieties each with their own slightly varied characteristics, but they all produce a similar natural fibre. Cotton grows in several parts of the world, however, India, China, and the United States tend to be very large producers. Many years ago collecting cotton and turning it into useable products was an incredibly labour intensive and tedious process. Thankfully, along with most industries we have evolved and created machines that can take a substantial part of the workload. This allows for more production to happen faster, and in theory means fewer bottom rung underpaid workers, more overall profit and subsequently better wages for all involved. Sadly, this is not always the case so it’s never a bad idea to look into the origin of your products! It is always beneficial to support ethically committed companies!
As with anything, there can be significant variation in the price of cotton. The stage at which it is sold (natural fibres –> yarn –> fabric) plays a big role in the cost. It is important to remember that product quality can vary, as can how ethically it was produced. Everyone will have different priorities in what they value for a particular product, and thus all types of cotton can be a great fit for the right situation, and potentially a weaker one for
…what can it be used for?
What a loaded question! Cotton has so many uses – you can find it in almost every room if you look around! Cotton fibres are quite often spun into fabrics that make up your part or all of your clothing, furniture covers, towels, and sometimes even area rugs and coffee filters among so many other things.
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Want to learn more?
Learn Genetics – What is cotton
