Where is the cotton in Planet Money T-shirts grown?
You can grow it in places that are close to the countries — Colombia, Indonesia, Bangladesh — where the Planet Money T-shirt was made. Yet most of the cotton in the Planet Money T-shirts was grown in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. exports more cotton than any country in the world.
What is Planet Money's T-shirt project?
Planet Money's T-Shirt Project Planet Money followed the making of a simple cotton t-shirt through the global economy. From Mississippi to Indonesia to Bangladesh to Colombia and back to the U.S. Listen to the stories here. Planet Money followed the making of a simple cotton t-shirt through the global economy.
How did they get the Planet Money T-shirts to Miami?
After the women's shirt was assembled in Colombia, they voyaged by container ship to Miami. The container, a big standardized box that moves easily from truck to ship to train, is the unsung hero of the global economy. The Hansa Kirkenes carried all 6,078 of the Planet Money women's T-shirts from Cartagena, Colombia, to Miami.
How many miles of yarn are in a Planet Money T-shirt?
There are 6 miles of yarn in a single Planet Money T-shirt. If any of that yarn is too thick or too thin, even by a little bit, the T-shirt could start falling apart after just a few washes. (Yarn, by the way, is what ordinary people call thread.
Where was the T-shirt that Planet Money Tracked made?
Our Planet Money team is out with a t-shirt, and it's tracking each step of how that t-shirt was made. Yesterday, we went to Indonesia, where the yarn was spun for the fabric of the t-shirt. Today, Bangladesh, where it was put together. Bangladesh makes a lot of the world's clothing.
Where was the cotton for the t-shirt grown?
Yet most of the cotton in the Planet Money T-shirts was grown in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. exports more cotton than any country in the world....Bowen Flowers, a Mississippi cotton farmer, shared some of the numbers behind his operation.People13Mechanics / technicians3Supervisors21 more row•Mar 18, 2015
Where does much of the cotton for Shanghai's T-shirts come from?
A T-Shirt's Travels They re-enter the U.S. market for sale and are eventually shipped to third world countries such as Tanzania for resale. Every year, millions of bales of U.S. cotton arrive at the port of Shanghai. The cotton is trucked to plants that knit it into cloth and sew the cloth into T-shirts.
Where was the T-shirt created?
T-shirts were first introduced in United States sometime around the time of the Spanish World War. They were given to members of the U.S. Navy to be worn as undergarment beneath their uniforms. Previously called a union suit, the first form of t-shirt was from New York.
Where does cotton come from?
Cotton comes from a plant Cotton fibers come from cotton plants. Specifically, they grow from the seed coat—the outer layer of the cotton plant's seeds. Before they can be turned into sheets or t-shirts, the cotton seeds must first be separated from the plant, and then the fibers from the seeds.
Where are most T-shirts manufactured?
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of ts-shirts (regardless of source materials) during 2020.China: US$6.3 billion (15.8% of total t-shirt exports)Bangladesh: $5.9 billion (14.7%)Germany: $2.35 billion (5.9%)Vietnam: $2.34 billion (5.9%)Turkey: $2.3 billion (5.8%)More items...•
Does organic cotton come from China?
While 90% of the organic cotton we use originates in India, we expanded our work on organic cotton to China. Working with C&A Foundation and conservation partner Rare, we created both supply and demand for organic cotton in a market that still needs to be developed.
WHO sources cotton from Xinjiang?
But China presents a gravely elevated risk. Xinjiang is not only the source of 85 percent of China's cotton, but synonymous with a form of repression that the U.S. government has officially termed genocide. As many as a million Uyghurs have been herded into detention camps, and deployed as forced labor.
Who produces the most cotton in the world?
IndiaCurrently, India is the world's leading producer of cotton, surpassing China recently. Although yields in India are well below the global average, cotton area in India dwarfs that of any other country, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world total.
Who invented the cotton T-shirt?
The invention of commercial knitting machines by the English inventor William Cotton in 1864 brought the T-Shirt to the masses. At this time, paid holidays and weekends were introduced, marking the need for comfortable clothing for workers to wear on their off days.
Who made the 1st T-shirt?
As slip-on garments without buttons, the earliest T-shirt dates back to sometime between the 1898 Spanish–American War and 1904, when the Cooper Underwear Company ran a magazine ad announcing a new product for bachelors.
Who made first T-shirt?
Marlon Brando and James Dean were the earliest proponents of t-shirts as outerwear to be flaunted proudly instead of innerwear to be hidden under other clothes, and that was a turning point in the history of t shirts.
Where is Planet Money's T-shirt made?
December 5, 2013 • NPR's Planet Money team is manufacturing its own T-shirt. After the women's shirt was assembled in Colombia, they voyaged by container ship to Miami. The container, a big standardized box that moves easily from truck to ship to train, is the unsung hero of the global economy.
How long did it take Bowen Flowers and his men to harvest a thousand acres of cotton?
It took Bowen Flowers and his men only two days to harvest a thousand acres of cotton. By sunset, this was just about the only cotton left to pick. Robert Smith/NPR hide caption
How many garment factories are there in Bangladesh?
There are more than 4,000 garment factories in Bangladesh. One way or another, most of them trace their lineage to Abdul Majid Chowdhury, Noorul Quader and the 128 Bangladeshis who traveled to Korea 30 years ago. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption
Is Planet Money making its own t-shirt?
December 2, 2013 • NPR's Planet Money team is manufacturing its own T-shirt. More than 25,000 of the shirts were sold online. And then the team set out to follow the process around the globe. All this week, we'll hear the step-by-step journey of the Planet Money T-shirt. In this installment, a search for the place where the cotton was grown. Find out more about cotton and the Planet Money T-Shirt project <a href="http://apps.npr.org/tshirt/#/cotton">here</a>.
When does the federal government pay cotton farmers?
Through the “counter-cyclical program,” the federal government pays cotton farmers when the average price of cotton falls below a certain level.
Why is cotton king?
Three Reasons U.S. Cotton Is King. You can grow cotton in places where land and labor are cheap. You can grow it in places that are close to the countries — Colombia, Indonesia, Bangladesh — where the Planet Money T-shirt was made. Yet most of the cotton in the Planet Money T-shirts was grown in the U.S.
What is strength in cotton?
Strength is a measure of how much force is required to tear the fibers; the units are grams per tex. To understand how this keeps American cotton on top, it helps to travel 10,000 miles to Indonesia, where our cotton was spun into yarn for the men’s T-shirt. (When we say “yarn,” think thread.
How many bales of cotton are tested?
Report Cards. Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests all 17 million bales of cotton harvested in the U.S. The farmers pay for the testing, and the USDA figures out exactly how fine, long, strong and bright white every batch of cotton is.
How many acres of cotton can a John Deere picker pick?
The newest John Deere picker needs just one guy to do what it took five guys to do a couple years ago. One driver can pick 100 acres of cotton a day — and he barely needs to touch the steering wheel.
What percentage of cotton is genetically modified?
Genetically modified crops are controversial, but not among U.S. cotton farmers: Roughly 90 percent of U.S. cotton comes from genetically modified seeds that were designed in labs to produce more cotton and resist pests. And when it’s time to harvest the cotton, U.S. farmers use, essentially, giant robots.
Where is the spinning plant in Indonesia?
NPR’s Robert Smith collected yarn samples at each stage of the spinning process during his visit to the Indorama spinning plant in Purwakarta, Indonesia .
About the Series
Behind all of our clothes is an entire world. The simplest shirt is touched by people and machines all over the planet, from highly paid researchers in seed laboratories to factory workers who earn a few dollars a day. Follow Planet Money, from National Public Radio, as they discover this massive, interconnected and largely hidden world.
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