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ONNO Textiles Moves Beyond Conventional Cotton

Jack Kanefield has been in the shirt business for a long time. For years he worked with factories doing contract manufacturing for big names like Reebok, Nike, Speedo—all using conventional cotton. At the time, he didn’t give the material type much thought.

Times have changed.

After he started reading about the harm that conventional cotton does, Kanefield ceased operations with his conventional cotton clothing company. He sold off pieces of it to fund a new business, ONNO Textiles, dedicated to offering organic and alternative fabric shirts.
At ONNO, conventional cotton isn’t even an option. Three exceptional materials—organic cotton, bamboo, and hemp—have replaced it. These materials have eco-friendly advantages: they use less water and require no pesticides.

ONNO shows its commitment to social responsibility in other ways, too. Carbon offsets have long been part of ONNO’s strategy. “We always knew we’d do carbon offsets,” said Kanefield. “We called around and spoke with various companies, but we were much more comfortable with a not-for-profit like Carbonfund.org. Otherwise, how would we know how much of our money actually goes into the offsets?”

Conventional cotton is grown with pesticides and insecticides, which end up in soil and water where they can find their way into the food chain, accumulating in the cells of living organisms, including people. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is grown on fields that have been chemical-free for at least three years. Farmers use composted manures and cover-crops to replace synthetic fertilizers. Innovative weeding strategies are used instead of herbicides. Beneficial insects and trap-crops are used to control pests. Nature’s frost and water inducement prepare plants for harvest, instead of using toxic defoliants.

Conventional cotton also requires a lot of irrigation, but organic cotton is usually rain-fed, so it uses a lot less water.

Bamboo and hemp are two other fabrics that ONNO offers. Bamboo, the fastest growing plant on the planet, can grow up to three feet in a day. Plus it’s naturally pest-resistant, so it doesn’t need pesticides or insecticides, and its water needs are very modest. Bamboo also generates more oxygen than trees. The bamboo pulp is ground up, and the fibers are spun into yarn. The resulting fabric is softer than cotton yet provides superior performance, wicking moisture, staying cool, and even shedding odors thanks to its naturally antimicrobial properties.

Industrial hemp grows like a weed because it is one. Like bamboo, it doesn’t need any help to thrive. It has no need for pesticides or insecticides, and it grows on rain water. It offers superior performance compared to cotton: hemp fibers are more durable, provide better UV protection, wick moisture, and are anti-microbial. (Industrial hemp differs from its illegal cousin, marijuana, in that it contains almost no THC, the substance responsible for intoxication).

Until the late 1930s, hemp was widely grown and was America’s fiber of choice. Hemp is technically superior to cotton for fabric, trees for paper, and corn for biofuel. The first draft of the U.S. constitution was written on hemp paper, and George Washington grew hemp on his land. How did America come to favor cotton and trees over hemp, when hemp is superior in so many ways? To find out what happened, click here.

Social audits are another tool ONNO uses to ensure its corporate social responsibility. A social audit examines things like payroll to determine that workers are being fairly compensated and factor conditions. “There are lots of advantages to working with good people, people you can trust,” says Kanfield. “Better product doesn’t cut corners. It pays off in the long-term to surround yourself with good people up and down the supply chain.”

For more on ONNO Textiles, visit www.onnotextiles.com.