Cotton is one of the most comfortable fabrics available.  Its washability, softness and absorbency all make it a perfect choice for cloth diapers. The United States produces more than 14 million acres or about 22,000 square miles of cotton in southern states from sea to sea. And it’s not just recently that cotton’s beneficial properties were noticed. References to cotton and even shreds of cotton cloth have been found that date back as much as seven thousand years.

Cotton does not grow trouble-free, though, being susceptible to a host of diseases, insects and weeds, each of which can completely obliterate a field of the crop if not controlled carefully. In order to keep pricing competitive and attractive, today’s large commercial cotton farms use a combination controls including cultivation, herbicides, disease-resistant strains of cotton and pesticides.  Additionally, cotton has “nutritional” requirements that call for regular fertilizing. While the result is affordable cotton, there is a price to be paid environmentally.  For this reason, we at Blue Penguin are gradually introducing organic cotton into our products.

Organic Cotton farmers are seeking to change from a chemically-dependent mode of farming to using methods that are more “biologically sound.” Composted manures and cover crops replace synthetic fertilizers; innovative weeding strategies are used instead of herbicides; beneficial insects and trap crops control insect pests; and alternatives to toxic defoliants prepare plants for harvest.  By eliminating toxic chemicals and instead concentrating on natural methods of weed, disease and insect control, organically growth cotton has far less impact on the environment.  For an excellent, simple and clear exhibit about the benefits of organically grown cotton, please visit http://www.simplelife.com/organiccotton/index.html.

As you might easily guess, organically grown cotton is far more expensive than conventionally grown cotton. At Blue Penguin our primary goal is to help parents avoid the use of disposable diapers.  A very close secondary concern is using the fabrics that create the least impact on our environment.  In order to reach both goals, Blue Penguin carries diapers made from conventionally grown cotton in order to provide competitively priced diapers.  We also make a point of seeking out alternative fabrics that while more expensive, are less taxing on our fragile planet: organically grown cotton, hemp, bamboo.

While we will use a minimal amount of synthetic fabrics in some of our products (for example our diaper covers and diaper pail liners), we continually are looking for natural fabric alternatives that perform as well and are competitively priced.  We also will not put synthetic fabric next to your baby’s skin.