Originally Posted by
Branko D
...but knowing modern agriculture and it's enthusiastic use of fertiliser which ends up in water... i couldn't make a definite statement which is worse.
You should acquaint yourself with actual farmers, researchers, and regulators. Note that fertilizer that ends up in rivers doesn't do a farmer any good. Note also that on a per acre basis, homeowners and industry use FAR more fertilizers and pesticides than farmers do, because they don't have the same economic incentives to reduce the use of expensive chemicals.
Modern agriculture has made huge strides in breeding, chemistry, practices, and processing, and is vastly more environmentally friendly than synthetic textile production. As you note, our products also biodegrade, and we produce a new crop every year.