Cotton and other fibers are common construction materials for bags, T-shirts, and other everyday products today, and compressed tote bags can be very convenient for American consumers today. Compressed tote bags, unlike plastic bags, do not pollute the environment, and compressed tote bags made of cotton, nylon and other materials are also tougher than plastic bags and do no tear as easily. Such bags may also have insulation in them to keep c0old items like fruit or wine bottles inside cooler, and this can be a perk for those planning a picnic. What else can cotton and other materials make today aside from compressed tote bags?
Cotton and Fabric
In the United States and abroad, cotton is a staple material for making goods today. Cotton is grown in 85 different countries and exported by 55 of them, and the United States stands as the second biggest cotton producer and by far the biggest exporter of this material. The United States regularly ships anywhere from 40% to 60% of its yield around the world, and this cotton often goes toward T-shirt production. In fact, the industry for T-shirts has grown recently, increasing 24.2% from 2009 to the year 2014, and it may grow well into the future. Americans love such garments; an estimat3ed 95% of all Americans own a T-shirt, and nine out of 10 Americans own at least one decorative T-shirt that they keep for sentimental reasons. Cotton production worldwide is 29 million tons per year, which equates to 29 T-shirts for every single person on the planet. And among Americans, men tend to invest in T-shirts more often, with 70% of them owning 10 or more such shirts and about 54% of women doing the same. Finally, garments have proven themselves a major American export; an examination of 2012 sales by product category showed that wearables, such as T-shirts, golf shirts, caps and jackets, are the biggest sellers and make up 28.9% of the total product sales for that nation.
Cotton has proven itself very useful for T-shirts and similar garments, as well as compresses tote bags and more. What are some the advantages of this material, aside from its competitive price since it is produced so generously? For one thing, cotton breathes well and is comfortable to wear, and better yet, cotton T-shirts are easily customizable to consumers everywhere. Many shirts have designs on them but other are blank shirts with only their color dye, but owners can change that. T shirt printing services are available for those interested in custom patterns or visuals on their garments, and promotional T-shirts are commonly used by retailers and companies for special events. What is more, customers can use heat presses to apply new logos and decals onto T-shirts, jeans, and even hats. Heat presses use two hot plates and pressure to fuse a logo or decal onto a piece of clothing permanently, a quick and simple process that anyone can try out. An interested customer may arrive at a shop with their blank shirt or hat to customize and get guidance on how to use a heat press, such as adjusting the settings to make sure that the garment is not damaged. Once the settings are correct, the user can place the garment and decal inside the two plates and close them, then activate the press. The logo or decal will be fused onto the garment, and the process is complete.
Cotton is also useful for everyday work such as bags. They have an advantage over both paper and plastic bags in terms of strength, and will not tear nearly as easily. Cotton bags also do not pollute, since they can be used many times without wearing out or needing to be thrown away like plastic and paper bags are. This makes collapsible tote bags, for example, great for grocery shopping even for heavy or pointed items, and these bags can be used to carry anything else in everyday life, too. Many grocery stores may offer these bags for customers as part of a “go green” initiative, and such bags, if used by enough people every year, can eliminate many millions, if not billions, of paper bags from landfills and the environment over the years, which is definitely “going green.”