Ellie and Becca works to provide you with beautiful nursing clothes that are also sustainable. We believe in producing clothing that enriches your life and does not impede the lives of others during the process. We want to contribute to healing our world and protecting it for our children and your children.
{ Mariam in the Eleanor Nursing Dress }
Creating sustainable clothing begins with growing organic cotton.
The World Wildlife Fund reported that cotton is the most profitable and widely produced non-food crop and makes up half of the world’s textiles. Unfortunately, conventional cotton production is not sustainable for our environment due to water and chemical use.
There are many concerns surrounding cotton production:
- water consumption
- toxic pesticides and fertilizers
- soil erosion
- farming debts
- inhumane conditions for harvesters and textile factory workers
These concerns have led many to refer to cotton as a thirsty and dirty crop. Regrettably, it's not the spicy/romantic kind of thirsty or dirty people are referring to. Cotton takes a lot of water and is covered in toxic chemicals.
{ Mariam in the Ella Nursing Dress }
The Soil Association produced a comprehensive report detailing the environmental and human issues stemming from conventional cotton production. They found that cotton makes up 69% of all textile production’s water footprint and takes 20,000 liters of water to produce just one kilogram. That’s the equivalent of 5,283 US gallons or 4,399 imperial gallons.
The report found that organic cotton requires up to 91% less water than conventional cotton because of farming techniques such as rainwater harvesting and utilizing natural drought-resistant seeds. These farms are primarily rainfed as opposed to irrigated, which saves a substantial amount of water.
Organically farmed soils utilize locally-sourced fertilizers (think cow manure) instead of synthetic chemicals. Using natural fertilizers generate higher levels of soil organic matter (SOM). Soils with higher SOM levels store more water and yield higher crop production in times of drought.
Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides
Conventional cotton production uses harmful synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which have numerous repercussions for the environment and humans. Farmworkers are put at risk when they are directly exposed to these chemicals day in and day out. These chemicals combined with a lack of crop rotation also negatively impact the health of the soil making it prone to deterioration. This erosion leads to chemical runoff in the waterways affecting the local community and ecosystems.
If a farmer is producing organic cotton, they are only allowed to use a limited number of natural pesticides. However, these natural pesticides are only used if other traditional farming methods have not worked. These specific farming methods tend to produce a high yield of crops because they are passed down through farming families and communities along with knowledge of the land.
{ Mariam in the Ella Nursing Dress }
Benefits of Traditional and Local Farming Methods
Organic farmers work with nature by using traditional farming techniques, such as crop rotation, attracting helpful insects, rainwater harvesting, manual weeding, and strategic seed planting instead of pumping the land full of chemicals to generate crop yield. Since these farmers use natural seeds, they are not at risk of becoming indebted to companies that sell genetically modified seeds and chemicals.
The Soil Association reported that these farming techniques generate fewer greenhouse gases and build healthy soils which can pull carbon from the air and store it.
In addition to helping the environment, these healthy soils also produce food crops alongside cotton to feed the farmer’s family and others in the local community. Growing additional crops and using traditional and local techniques also protect the biodiversity of the land.
Protecting the Land that Takes Care of Us
Biodiversity refers to the different types of life on Earth, and it adds value to our lives in many ways through nature and animals and provides us with food, shelter, medicine, and fuels that we use in our daily lives. Ecosystems are included in the umbrella of biodiversity.
According to the American Museum of Natural History, ecosystems are responsible for “pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests,” all of which in turn help crops. They are also responsible for balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air that we breathe and are crucial to maintaining and improving biodiversity and the overall health of our Earth.
I don’t know about you, but I want to support practices that protect our Earth for years to come. We only get one planet. I know billionaires are currently flying into space, but it may be some time before the rest of us can live on another planet.
{ Mariam in the Estelle Nursing Dress }
Global Organic Textile Standards
In our mission to produce sustainable clothing, Ellie and Becca staff ensure that we only buy cotton that is organically farmed and manufactured at a textile factory that meets the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).
These standards protect workers’ rights, health, and ability to unionize, prohibit child labor, uphold environmental guidelines. GOTS certified factories are only allowed to use low-impact chemicals and must follow a treatment plan for waste disposal, water treatment, and energy consumption.
Factories that follow GOTS standards significantly reduce the amount of water pollution and greenhouse gas emission that typically comes from the manufacturing of conventional cotton. The lack of toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process also improves the quality of the materials in the long run and makes them better for your skin.
Our company cares about the health of our planet and our customers. We want to pass on a healthy planet to our children. One that has been well cared for by the previous generation. Mama, we want you to feel beautiful in our nursing dresses, and we want Mother Earth to remain beautiful for years to come.