100% Cotton? Not Quite What You Think.
“The label said so”. The law agreed. And yet, it is tricky. Like most things that sound straightforward, "100% cotton" has fine print - not the kind that's hidden, exactly. Just the kind nobody thinks to read
The loophole is legal
Textile labelling, like food labelling, permits a certain amount of... let's call it creative interpretation. Some manufacturers hold themselves to a higher standard. Others meet the minimum. Both can print "100% cotton" on the tag
Recycled potato chips: is that a thing?
Hopefully nobody is recycling chips to make new ones . However some companies do reconstitute potatoes. They mash large vats of the tuber and then extrude wedges and disks of chips. They look like chips but are not chipped out of a single spud
Some mills take post-industrial cotton waste — shredded yarn, offcuts, factory floor sweepings, and reconstitute it into new fibre. This can ALSO legally be labelled 100% cotton. What it doesn't tell you: recycled cotton fibers were shredded, are shorter and weaker, and the process often introduces up to 5% of polyester, jute, wool, felt and others, without triggering a labelling change. Recycled fabric is cheap in ever sense of the word, but on the label you get to see “100% cotton”. That is permitted, but permitted isn't enough
Same label. Different product.
Think of two bags of chips with the same ingredients but wildly different quality. One starts with a superior potato. The other doesn’t.
Cotton works the same way. Long-staple yarn, tightly twisted (or double-twisted), produces a fabric that's stronger, softer, and more durable. Medium-staple, untwisted cotton is still, technically, 100% cotton, but it just won't hold up as well, or feel the same over time
What to actually look for
The label is a starting point, not a guarantee. The real story is in the yarn: how it was grown, how it was spun, whether it was twisted for strength. Ask the manufacturer. Read the product description carefully. A brand that's proud of its sourcing will always tell you
We do
