Textile Exchange

This program is generously funded by Martin-Fabert Foundation.

Organic Cotton: Your Healthier Choice is an Organic Exchange (OE) outreach program with the goal of expanding the adoption of organic fibers in the health care community. Below you’ll find links and resources with information about organic cotton for health care professionals. Expanding Organic Fiber use in the Health Care Community The health care industry is a leading consumer of cotton products in the United States; cotton is used in bed sheets, scrubs, infant layette, personal care products, and more. More than 99% of the cotton used to make these products is conventionally grown, meaning that it was produced using toxic chemicals that are extremely damaging to the environment, to the health of the producers, and to neighboring communities. Organic cotton is a healthy and viable alternative that is cultivated using no toxic chemicals and organic management practices strengthen farming communities.

Organic Exchange’s health care outreach program is focused on educating the health care community about the negative environmental and human health effects caused by conventional cotton production, and enabling positive change by helping health care organizations incorporate organic fibers into their purchasing programs.

OE Resources
Organic Cotton: Your Healthier Choice (PDF) –An Organic Exchange primer on organic cotton, developed for the health care industry. This booklet can be downloaded and explains the issues of concern around conventional cotton and the benefits of organic cotton. It also lays out the case for adopting organic cotton.
Organic Cotton Resource Sourcing Directory (pdf) –A directory of companies currently offering organic cotton products for the health care industry. If you have products you would like added, request a listing here.
Organic Cotton: Your Healthier Choice (13mb/PDF) – An Organic Exchange educational poster for the health care industry, available for downloading.

Quick Links
Health Care without Harm - Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition to transform the health care sector worldwide so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment.
The Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) – A best practices guide for healthy and sustainable building design, construction, and operations for the healthcare industry. GGHC has included a draft proposal for an organic fiber credit in the public comment period.
Practice Greenhealth (MC2) - Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices.

More Information
For more information on this project, contact Heather Hocker,This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OE Health Care Program Manager.