Certified Organic

We only use organic cotton certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

This means the cotton we use is healthier for you, workers and the planet.

Healthy for you

Cotton is the world’s most heavily sprayed crop1. Choosing organic reduces your exposure to pesticides.

Healthy for workers

Organic provides a fair wage2, good working conditions and avoids chemicals that cause serious health problems.

The Facts

Pesticide use in conventional farming is linked to ill health such as infertility and birth defects in nearby communities. Farmers are often locked into expensive contracts with big corporations. Did you know 95% of the cotton seed market is owned by GMO giant Monsanto-Bayer3?

Organic guarantees farmers freedom of crop choice and the ability to save seeds.

Cotton production uses $2.6 billion worth of pesticides each year4, and accounts for 10% of global insecticide use5 – more than any other single crop. Studies have found detectable levels of dioxins and glyphosate in many brands of tampons6. Both are carcinogenic chemicals and have no place in tampons, not even in trace amounts.

Organic guarantees cotton grows without the use of hazardous pesticides, insecticides or herbicides.

Natracare tampons are independently tested to ensure they are free from harmful chemicals. What’s more, Natracare’s 100% cotton tampons have never been linked to any cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)7. In contrast, there have been reports of TSS cases associated with the use of tampons made of rayon or rayon-cotton blend8.

Women farmers and cotton pickers on organic farms gain their own income at a fair wage. Independent income is important for female farmers, and has hugely beneficial knock-on effects on the education and livelihoods of their children9 and, the whole community.

This is why we will only ever use certified organic cotton.

Take comfort in using certified 100% organic cotton tampons – they are some of the most intimate products you will ever use.

References

  1. Pesticide Action Network UK – Pesticide concerns in cotton.
  2. Fair Trade – Cotton Farmers.
  3. Soil Association – What are the benefits of organic certification?
  4. Organic Authority – Cotton: The World’s “Dirtiest” Crop.
  5. Pesticide Action Network UK – Pesticide concerns in cotton
  6. Journal of Women’s Health, 2005 pp 311-315 – Dioxin and Furan Levels Found in Tampons.
  7. Philip M. Tierno, Jr. and Bruce A. Hanna, Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology – Propensity of Tampons and Barrier Contraceptives to Amplify Staphylococcus aureus.
  8. National Center for Health Research – Tampon Safety.
  9. Soil Association – The benefits of organic cotton.

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