Cotton that is grown commercially uses huge amount of pesticides, herbicides and toxic chemicals, designed to kill pests, insects, weeds, fungus and any other kind of living organism. This cotton is normally grown on poorly managed soils, which would be almost sterile without large amounts of synthetic fertilizers. Cotton has more insecticides sprayed on, compared to other major crop, which leads to many problems associated with this production method. These problems include a reduction in biodiversity and damage to wildlife and ecosystems, depletion of natural resources such as soil and water, as well as serious contamination of water. One of the most visible ecological disasters on the planet is the Aral Sea area in central Asia, which was caused almost entirely by cotton production and is a stark reminder of cotton’s environmental impacts.

As well as the negative impact on the environment, other impacts include poisoning of farmers on small-scale cotton farms in developing countries. The level of training needed to avoid such hazards is seldom attainable in such farms. The required protective equipment is almost never used in such regions, due to lack of availability, price and because it is inappropriate in hot tropical climates.