Why 100% Cotton Socks Are Hard to Find: Costs, Alternatives, and Sustainability

Have you been trying to find some comfortable socks that really go that extra step to be 100% cotton-made? Then you’re definitely one of our browsers who have been disappointed to see such little availability of these desirable socks. More likely than not it’s left you feeling pretty defeated and ignored by the sock market, with good reason! We have all been frustrated about the scarcity of one of our favorite styles of socks. But know that there are some good reasons why we have less and less 100% cotton socks to choose from.

Cotton Costs Are High

To say as simply as possible, cotton is extremely difficult to come by recently. Because cotton is more difficult to find, it’s more expensive to use. Scarcity plays the ultimate factor in all levels of production, and cotton being in limited supply means we have to make do with what we have available. And inevitably consumers are not going to be as focused on the effort it takes to find cotton as much as they are to focus on finding the socks themselves.

The Introduction of Synthetic Fibers

Synthetic fibers are a culmination of man made textiles composed of materials like nylon, polyester, and acrylic. Synthetic fibers are more readily accessible and much easier to produce compared to trying to make cotton work. A big reason that synthetic fibers have seemed to skyrocket into the scene are their lightweight durability and moisture-wicking ability. This means the more that we wear them down, the less likely they are to be affected by the continued use, making them ideal long-term socks. The only issue of synthetic socks is that they do not give our feet as much breathability as cotton socks do, which can lead to getting issues like athlete’s foot if we’re not careful.

Performance Socks

The more that people have declared moving around and exercising the pinnacle of luxury, the more that people demand socks that can move around with them. Socks have become less about comfort and style for some and more about just how much you can wear them down before you have to get another pair out. It’s why we have built-in synthetic fibers in socks more and more, since they’re less likely to break down under constant use.

Sustainability of Cotton Versus Synthetic Fibers

Cotton may be eco-friendly, but that also means it requires a heavy amount of production to make it possible. Synthetic fibers do not require nearly the amount of leg work to produce, making them far more accessible. However, synthetic fibers create additional problems with carbon emissions and they are not biodegradable.

Businesses, in order to counteract both of these problems, have combined both cotton and synthetic fibers into socks. Creating the perfect percentage between affordable and comfortable has been the ultimate goal for sock production companies.

Market Demand Matters

Even with these previous factors, there is one more decision breaker with producing socks. This of course is the demand of consumers. Our priorities as businesses are always going to be to accommodate as many customers as we possibly can to maximize our profits. This means that public opinion’s shift from comfort to performance has steered production companies to try and capture that change in interest.

So Are 100% Cotton Socks Gone?

There hasn’t been a complete erasure in the market demand for cotton socks! There are still those of us who want to have that extra comfort in our footwear, and so we won’t be completely abandoned. We even have customizable printed cotton socks on our promotional site that you can purchase.