Time to go organic: many cotton chemicals are toxic, warns report

As London Fashion Week opens its doors - I'm off to see Wildlife Works' new stuff this very afternoon - a new report says that $2 billion is spent annually on chemicals to spray normal, non-organic cotton.

Published by the Environmental Justice Foundation, the report adds that nearly half of those chemicals are classified as toxically harzardous by the World Health Foundation. The report's authors also note more than 99 per cent of the world's cotton is produced in the developing world, and that cotton alone accounts for 16 per cent of global insecticides, 'more than any other single crop.'

Katherine Hamnett, who's showing at this week's fashion show, reacted to the report by suggesting shoppers buy organic. 'By insisting on organic cotton and fair pay for garment workers and by paying 1% more for a t-shirt, you can change the world and make it a better and safer place.'

High street fashion chains have recently started dipping their toes into organic cotton: H&M is expanding its range for spring, while Topshop will soon be adding its organic cotton People Tree for Topshop collection.