Why Hemp?

Why Hemp?

History

 Did you know, Hemp is the oldest known fiber and has been used for thousands and thousands of years.  Did you know that first pair of jeans were made out of hemp?  Or the fact that George Washington was a hemp farmer?  Or the sails that brought everyone over from Europe were made from hemp? And finally, did you know that Betsy Ross made our United States flag using hemp?

Benefits

What makes hemp so great, it utilizes everything from the growing of the plant to the performance features of the plant.  It uses little to no water to grow and needs no pesticides.  Plus, it offers excellent ground cover or top canopy, while helping to prevent weeds from growing.  It has the capacity to revitalize previously decimated soil by extracting harmful metals and toxins.  Once hemp is processed into fiber, it gets even better.  Hemp has natural performance features that we do not currently see on the market.  It is durable, anti-static, anti-bacterial, biodegradable and much more.

Hemp wins!

In 1942, when the United Sates went to war with Japan, the US Department of Agriculture needed farmers to switch their crops to hemp due to the shortage of raw materials like rope for the war.  So, hemp is a fiber that has a rich national and global history.

Hemp fabric is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-microbial with anti-odor properties. Super comfortable, breathable and gets softer with every wash. Hemp is also eco-friendly and provides rich nutrients back to the soil.

Better Choice:

Hemp is a natural choice. Naturally durable, it partners well with cotton to make different fabric weights and construction, adding strength and durability when the two are blended. It’s also a much better option than polyester/cotton blends because of its biodegradability. Polyester and hemp share similar wicking properties. But a North Carolina State University study revealed polyester degrades least among cotton, rayon, and blended fabrics, often ending up as microplastics in our air and water.

Organic Cotton vs Hemp

Conventional cotton (aka chemical cotton) is one of the most destructive crops to cultivate. Pesticides seep into the ground and poison farmers and other workers each year. Our organic cotton does not use any harmful chemicals and is a much safer alternative for the planet, our farmers, and you. However, only the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which ensures that no harmful chemicals every touch the organic cotton during the manufacturing process.  Hemp needs no pesticides or fertilizers to grow and uses about half the water needed to grow conventional cotton. Both hemp and organic cotton are biodegradable.  Winner = Hemp, organic cotton is a close second

Bamboo vs Hemp

First, bamboo fiber doesn’t exist! If you test any of your “bamboo” clothing in a lab, the lab test will not say it is bamboo but rather say it is rayon. This is why the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires companies to state.  “Rayon from bamboo.”, which is in fact what the FTC requires.  In fact, bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. It does not require any pesticides or chemicals to grow and uses much less water than cotton and is totally biodegradable. This means, the farming process of bamboo is highly sustainable which is why bamboo clothing still remains part of the sustainable fashion niche. The comfort and softness of bamboo fabric are also unmatched. However, the sustainability of bamboo stops at cultivation. After bamboo is cut down it needs to be processed into a yarn to be knitted into a fabric. In order to do so it must go through a toxic chemical process which is called viscose. This is where it all goes downhill and super-fast for bamboo. The viscose process is extremely chemically infused and the end result as we mentioned isn’t a bamboo fabric but rather rayon. This viscose process strips bamboo of all of its sustainability.  Winner = Hemp.

Recycled Synthetics vs Hemp

Synthetic materials such as polyester or nylon are very common throughout the world, however they are man-made fibers deriving from oil. This would probably make synthetic materials the least sustainable material. Once created, they are here to stay forever. To lessen the damage synthetics do it is a very good idea to reuse them and create clothing from recycled polyester or recycled nylon, etc. This of course, lessens the damage synthetics due to our environment but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still made from oil and will never biodegrade. Winner = Hemp

Linen vs Hemp

If there was one material that comes close to the sustainability of hemp, that would be linen. Linen is a natural fiber which stems from the flax plant. Many times, linen can be mistaken for hemp as it has a lot of the same features and both come from the family of bast fibers. Linen comes with many of the sustainable benefits that hemp does and are very comparable. However, where they differentiate is in the agriculture arena. Hemp has a fiber yield that is sometimes double that of which linen can produce. Hemp is also better for the soil and is sometimes grown the year prior to a flax crop like linen to keep the land free of weeds and in good condition. Hemp can also be grown in any season and always be replenishing the soil.  Winner = Hemp