The big deal about organic cotton fabric: 4 questions with Harmony Susalla of Harmony Art

October 19, 1:15 PMMinneapolis Homemade Living ExaminerJen Madsen

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Harmony Art Founder Harmony Susalla and some of her organic cotton fabrics.

Photo courtesy of Harmony Art

Harmony Art is a modern day pioneer. One of the first and still one of the foremost companies offering a green solution for sewing and crafting, Harmony Art was founded by husband and wife team David “Sus” and Harmony Susalla in 1998. In 2005, they began focusing exclusively on organic cotton fabrics.

I came to know the company this past spring, when considering a wide width fabric supplier for my on-line fabric business. At the time the organic label on Harmony Art’s products was secondary to their other benefits- namely charming prints and wide web width. Like many, I’m skeptical of environmentally-friendly claims, jaded by their loose application to mainstream consumer products.
Since then I’ve grown to be incredibly impressed with the responsibility Harmony Art takes for its entire supply chain. And after reading Harmony Susalla’s answers to the following 4 questions, I think you will be too.

Why exactly is organic cotton better than conventionally produced cotton fabric? Are there any drawbacks?
Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. It accounts for 3% of farmland but consumes approximately 25% of all insecticides. Some of the most deadly chemicals are sprayed on cotton. One of the most common chemicals sprayed on cotton in the US is aldicarb. According to the The Deadly Chemicals in Cotton report published by the Environmental Justice Foundation, “A single drop of the pesticide, aldicarb, absorbed through the skin can kill an adult. ... In 2003 almost 1 million kilos were applied to cotton grown in the USA." Its use in the US has led to the contamination of groundwater in 16 states. This powerful nerve agent is more widely applied on cotton than any other insecticide in the US. A Cornell study found that only .1% of pesticides actually end up on the pests they are designed to target! The rest ends up in the air, soil, water, and the plant itself. Organic agriculture not only avoids toxins from being sprayed on our planet, but it also combats global warming by taking co2 out of the atmosphere and putting it back in the soil. Organic cotton farming is a part of the solution to a healthier planet.

Sadly, there is little cotton currently being produced organically. It takes a farmer 3 years of having their fields chemical free before they can sell their crop as "organic".

So many other fabric designers stick to working with the big players in textile printing. What made you decide to strike out on your own and handle the entire production process for your fabrics?
Well, when I decided I wanted to focus my textile design on organic cotton, there were no "big players" offering organic printed fabrics by the yard. There were a few larger textile companies offering organic fabrics in beautiful shades of oatmeal and granola but not in colorful prints. So, in able to do what I envisioned, I had to do it myself. Sometimes you have to "be the change" you wish to see.

I notice that unlike other “green” fabric sellers Harmony Art does not offer products with bamboo fiber. Why is that?
Unfortunately the processing to which bamboo is subject in the transition from plant to fiber is considered by many to be toxic. Because of this, we have made the conscious decision to stick with what we feel is a more environmentally friendly fiber, organic cotton. According to the Federal Trade Commission all chemically processed bamboo is supposed to be labeled as "rayon from bamboo" since the chemical processing makes the finished product a rayon fiber. We hope that a better/cleaner process is discovered soon . . . until then we will be sticking to organic cotton.

Many of your fabrics are printed in India. Why did you make that choice as opposed to producing in the United States with a smaller carbon footprint?
We would LOVE to source and manufacture all of our fabrics here in the US. However, this is not possible at this point in time for several reasons. The organic long staple cotton needed for fine fabrics such as sateen are not grown in large enough quantities here in the US. Most of the US organic cotton is short staple or Upland cotton.

India cotton farmers are committing suicide at alarming rates, one every 8 hours. The farmers are forces into constant debt by chemical and genetically modified seed companies. 54% of all pesticides sprayed in India is put on cotton! The more they spray, the more depleted the soil, the more they have to spray. It is a vicious cycle of debt that grows worst each year. We believe this is not a sustainable system and our organic cotton orders helps push the balance in a new direction. Organic agriculture offers hope. We feel good that the international business/production that we are involved in supports positive change for the people it impacts directly and indirectly.

The fact that our cotton farms and processing is 3rd party certified makes the decision to import from India one we can feel good about. The Global Organic Textile Standard certification which we adhere to also addresses fair trade issues so that we can rest assured that the people and the planet are being treated with respect.

All that said, we do offer a couple of 100% made in the USA flannels (that don't need the long staple cotton) and we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Homemade Living Examiner articles featuring Harmony Art fabrics:
Duvet Cover
French Memo Board