We've put together two separate FAQ sections: Organic FAQ (everything you want to know about the importance of going organic) and Website FAQ (customer service and technical help).

Organic FAQ

1.    What is organic?
2.    What are pesticides, artificial fertilisers and gmo?
3.    What's wrong with using pesticides, artificial fertilisers and gmo?
4.    Do farmers use pesticides to grow cotton?
5.    How do organic farmers grow crops and plants without these chemicals?
6.    How do I know if something is organic?
7.    What do organic certification organisations actually do?
8.    Who is Belle & Dean's organic cotton certified by?
9.    I eat organic but why should I wear it?
10.  Is organic softer?
11.  Are your dyes organic?
12.  Is organic cotton suitable for my newborn?
13.  Why does organic cost more?
14.  What is Fairtrade?
15.  Are Belle & Dean's products fairtrade?
16.  Do you mass produce?

1. What is organic?
The word 'organic' is used to describe fibres (like cotton) or food crops that are grown without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides or genetically modified organisms (gmo).

2. What are pesticides, artificial fertilisers and gmo?
Pests are found on all farms and pesticides are simply chemicals used to kill pests on farms. Insect (insecticides), mould and fungi (fungicides) and weed (herbicides) killers are different forms of pesticides and artificial fertilisers (also known as synthetic fertilisers) make plants and crops grow quickly.

A gmo (genetically modified organism) is a man-made organism created in a laboratory and altered from its natural state. It's also known as genetic engineering.

3. What's wrong with using pesticides, artificial fertilisers and gmo?
Pesticides and artificial fertilisers damage healthy soil (needed to grow natural plants and crops) which has a very delicate natural balance. They also cause air, water and food pollution and have been associated with health problems from asthma to cancer. Some highly toxic pesticides that have been officially banned are still being used in some developing countries.

GMOs are very bad for our environment and are not proven to be safe for our health - it's really like playing with nature and it's highly unpredictable. GM crops and plants are engineered to contain properties (genes) to fight of pests but nature has a way of fighting back by adapting. Some pests can build up immunity and even more chemicals are needed in the long run. For more info on gmo, please visit http://www.saynotogmos.org/.

4. Do farmers use pesticides to grow cotton?
Yes. Cotton is the most chemically-sprayed crop in the world. Over 25% of the world's insecticides and 12% of all pesticides are used to grow cotton (PAN UK).

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5. How do organic farmers grow crops and plants without these chemicals?
Organic farmers work with nature to control pests and grow healthy crops. They use crop rotation, which means that they vary what they grow on their farms. Most farmers work more than one field, so one year it could be cotton and cereal the next. This helps to keep the soil's vital minerals and nutrients very healthy.

To keep pests at bay, organic farmers encourage natural predators. Species of birds, bees and ladybirds are encouraged to move in and help keep pests under control naturally. By planting certain plants and flowers like chilli and marigold around the field edges, it helps attracting these birds, bees and ladybirds. Organic farms have 44 per cent more birds in fields and more than five times as many wild plants.

6. How do I know if something is organic?
Some clothing or food may well be labelled as organic, but the safest way to tell if something is genuinely organic is to make sure it's certified. International organic certification organisations make sure suppliers comply to very strict regulations and standard. Here are the main certifying bodies to look out for: SKAL (Control Union World Group), Soil Association (UK), USDA organic (USA), Ecocert International (Europe), JOCA (Japan), KRAV (Sweden), NASAA (Australia), BIO-GRO (New Zealand) and COCC (Canada).

7. What do organic certification organisations actually do?
Certification is a long process and often takes over 1 year for approval. Firstly, they have to wait for 2 years without using any chemicals on their farm to even be considered for certification. The farmer is required to meet strict criteria and standards such as being a specified distance from non-organic farms, pay an annual fee whilst meeting strict criteria and standards based on organic principles. Farmers are also required to undergo random inspection which frequently involves laboratory tests, to test for pesticide traces. All of this ensures that the certified product you buy really is organic.

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8. Who is Belle & Dean's organic cotton certified by?
SKAL (Netherland's) and USDA (USA) organic.

9. I eat organic, but why should I wear it?
Check out our 10 reasons to wear organic here.

10. Is organic softer?
Yes. Many people agree that organic cotton is much softer than conventional cotton. The best thing is to try it out for yourself. Do a blind test to compare conventional and organic cotton. Many people say that the "chemically" feeling is not there with organic clothing.

11. Are Belle & Dean's dyes organic?
We try hard to be as environmentally friendly as possible by not colour dyeing our clothing. Our clothes are natural - no dyes or heavy bleaches. Most clothing dyes, even those considered as less toxic, are still not really environmentally friendly.

12. Is organic cotton suitable for my newborn?
Yes. Organic cotton clothing is best for babies. A baby's skin is 5 times thinner than an adult's skin - this means that they can absorb chemicals much more easily. Being softer too, it's a great choice for delicate skin.
 
13. Why does organic cost more?
It's true that organic goods usuallly cost about 30% more to buy than conventional products. That's because organic farmers are driven by quality and ethics rather than speed and quantity. Crop yields are often slightly lower than on conventional farms, harvesting is usually done by hand, and crop rotation is practised in line with organic certification. As it is initially difficult (practically and economically) to switch to organic methods, there are far fewer organic farms than conventional  ones. It makes finding organic produce all the more difficult.

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14. What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is a UK organisation which certifies independent producers in the developing world, making sure they getter a better deal. This means that they get fair wages, decent working conditions and a fair price for their goods.

15. Are Belle & Dean's products Fairtrade?
Altough our products are not certified by Fairtrade itself, our producer provides ethical working conditions for her workers including decent wages and fair working hours. Our producer works from a small workshop in the region and follows green as well as ethical values. We like to work closely with our producer and we're proud to have a close relationship together.

The farm workers who grow our organic cotton also have a much better quality of life thanks to the health benefits of farming organically.

16. Do you mass produce?
No. We do very small runs compared to the industry standard. By doing small runs our products stay unique and special. It also allows us to keep an eye on the quality, and lets our workers lead a  normal life.