Cotton is significantly more environmentally impactful than silk. (Cotton is less environmentally friendly than silk)The drawbacks of cotton are:
- the amount of land required to supply the worlds needs which reduces the land for food farming
- cotton requires large amounts of irrigation water
- cotton requires continuous applications of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer
- cotton transformation into fabric is water intensive
- No part of the plant is edible
The environmental impacts of silk are minimal:
- the silkworm eats mulberry leaves which are hardy requiring little pesticide herbicides or water
- the silkworm itself is highly bred so it cannot survive or exist in nature
- the dead larva can be consumed as food (Beondegi - Korea)
