When shopping for bath towels, we recommend choosing those made out of GOTS and/or Fair Trade certified organic cotton. If you can’t find organic cotton towels, choose those made out of OEKO-TEX and/or Fair Trade certified conventional cotton. Avoid microfiber towels if you can, since they are made out of materials derived from fossil fuels like polyester and nylon.

Materials

Cotton
Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber on the planet. Unfortunately, it is a water intensive crop that takes a significant toll on the soil and is associated with deforestation. Cotton is also particularly vulnerable to pests and other insects, which has led to a flourishing agrochemical industry around its cultivation. Almost 5% of global pesticide sales and 10% of global insecticides sales come from the cotton industry. Luckily, some cotton is grown in ways that can be kinder to our planet (see organic cotton below). In general, a plant-based material like cotton requires less energy to manufacture than a petroleum-based alternative like microfiber.

Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown without relying on the use of harmful chemicals, leaving the soil, air, and water with fewer contaminants. In an LCA looking at the differences between organic cotton and conventional cotton, the Textile Exchange found that organic cotton produces 46% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, creates 70% less acidification of land and water, the potential for soil erosion drops 26%, surface and groundwater use falls anywhere from 48% to 91%, and the demand for energy can drop by as much as 62%. While we think towels made with organic cotton are the best option, we recognize that they’re harder to come by. Less than 1% of all cotton produced is organic.

Bamboo
Bamboo is a fast-growing resource that stores four times more carbon dioxide and releases 35% more oxygen than the average tree. This means that bamboo is able to fight climate change more efficiently than most trees by removing greenhouse gas pollution from the atmosphere at a faster pace. Not bad! Unfortunately, not all bamboo production is as beneficial. Creating bamboo viscose involves a chemical-intensive manufacturing process through which workers are exposed to waste, including carbon disulfide, which is linked to neurological problems. Even though we prefer it in paper products, bamboo just doesn’t do it for us as much when it comes to towels.

Microfiber
Microfiber is a textile made from ultrafine (hence ‘micro’) synthetic yarns, namely polyester and nylon. Since each fiber is many times smaller than a human hair, it can get into every crack and crevice that cotton towels can’t reach. As a result, it’s become a popular textile for towels due to its high absorbency - microfiber can absorb 7-8 times its weight in liquid. While this is quite the feat, we have a couple of bones to pick with microfiber… First, it’s derived from fossil fuels. Extracting petroleum (which is needed to produce polyester) involves drilling and fracking, which have a host of negative environmental consequences (*cough*, oil spills, *cough*) that are not infrequent and can devastate already fragile wildlife populations. The environmental effects of drilling overwhelmingly impact people of color and low-income folks, who are more likely to live in communities near these sites.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the chemical treatments used by polyester manufacturers are toxic and known to cause neurological damage and even cancer at high levels of exposure, putting factory workers at risk. Plus, every time polyester gets washed, it sheds tiny pieces of plastic threads that enter our waterways and devastate marine ecosystems or even find their way into our bodies. The Plastic Soup Foundation estimates that up to 35% of plastic polluting in our oceans comes from microfibers shed by synthetic fabrics. We’ll pass!

Certifications

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
GOTS is the gold standard of textile certifications (which is why we like to pronounce it as GOAT-S). It requires that at least 70% of materials in the product are organic and that the product complies with multiple environmental and social criteria along its entire supply chain. If you opt for a towel made with cotton, definitely prioritize finding this label.

OEKO-TEX
The OEKO-TEX standard guarantees that every component of a product has been tested for potentially harmful substances such as pesticides, heavy metals, and formaldehyde, which predominantly impact people working at manufacturing facilities. This label means that the product is relatively harmless to human health, which is great for the people who make the towels AND the people who use them.

Fair Trade
The Fair Trade certification ​​works on the ground with suppliers to ensure that people making FTC products work in safe conditions, protect the environment, and earn additional money to empower their communities. This certification has intersectional impacts, including an emphasis on safe working conditions, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and Community Development Funds. If you want to rest easier knowing your towels aren’t causing undue harm in their supply chain, get ones that are Fair Trade Certified.

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