NON-PSYCHOSOMATIC HEMP AS A SUSTAINABLE TEXTILE FIBER

How do you stay if I tell you that it has recently been proven that one of the most sustainable fabrics to make garments are those made with cannabis fiber? Yes, you are reading good!

The hemp fabric comes from the fibers of the low cannabinoid cannabis sativa stems that are planted closely together to minimize the number of branches and encourage the formation of central stems. Unlike most psychoactive cannabis strains, the stems of strains grown for fiber are characterized by being hollow and containing much higher amounts of fiber.

Hemp is a plant that doesn´t need much fertilizer and significantly reduces the use of pesticides compared to other crops. Therefore, it´s easier for textile companies to obtain the organic cultivation certificate using this material. Furthermore, growing hemp hardly needs water. Above all, if we compare it with cotton, which requires up to 50% more water. If we take into account the subsequent process for the manufacture of the fabric, hemp uses four times less water than cotton.

Hemp fiber is spun similarly to other natural fibers. The fibers are usually woven together to form long, continuous strands, which are usually sealed with wax or a similar agent to make the end result waterproof or last longer. To the touch it is similar to linen, although new fabrics are also made from its combination with others. In this way, soft fabrics such as silk or cotton are born, but much more resistant thanks to hemp.

Hemp fabric is durable, versatile and quick to grow, making it a great competitor to other natural plant fibers. Above all, it is a material of sustainable use:

• The most durable, among all vegetable fibers;

• Porous and breathable

• Absorbent and with antimicrobial properties.

As always, we are going to learn a little more about the history of this hemp fiber, as it has been cultivated around the world for thousands of years. In the first place, we go back to the origins, since this fabric was used to dress already in Mesopotamia. In the Middle Ages it was the main textile used in addition to food and to make paper or ship sails. For example, in the United Kingdom, hemp gained economic and social value when Henry VIII passed a law that obliged all landowners to grow hemp, since during this period, hemp was an important crop and until the 1920s 80% of the clothes were made with it.

Subsequently, because in much of the world the laws do not distinguish between marijuana rich in THC and hemp, the many benefits of this natural fiber are not being taken advantage of. In many countries, hemp is stigmatized as a drug, even though it hardly even contains THC. In 1961, the United Nations "blacklisted" hemp, resulting in a worldwide ban on growing the crop. It wasn't until 20 years later that scientists in France developed strains with a very low THC content, allowing the plant to be reused for food, fabric and building materials, etc. without legal complications. That scientific development was accompanied by strong lobbying in the European Parliament, ultimately resulting in new regulations allowing EU countries to grow industrial hemp with a maximum THC of 0.3%.

Fortunately, and thanks to the rise of sustainable fashion, many fashion firms are rediscovering hemp fabric. For example, Ralph Lauren has frequently used the hemp and silk charmeuse produced by EnviroTextiles in recent shows; or Hermès, which recently launched its classic scarf made with cashmere, silk and hemp fibers. Some retail companies such as H&M have also introduced dozens of clothing items made from hemp among their sustainable lines. We are not going to lose sight of this hemp fiber because from now on we are going to see it frequently on our labels.

#fabrics #hemp #sustainablefabrics #textiles