Fiber Guide: Hemp

October 13, 2021

As part of the CFDA’s extensive Sustainability Initiatives Resource Hub launched in January 2019, the CFDA operated an A-Z directory called the Materials Index. The Index was designed as an informational tool, focused on fiber knowledge.

The Materials Index listings migrated in to the CFDA.com Materials Hub and split traditional fibers from new-age innovative fibers/materials.

This series of resource guides are dedicated to ensuring designers have extensive knowledge on traditional fibers.

HEMP

Overview

Hemp is a natural plant fiber. It is a bast fiber, which means it comes from the stem of a plant (like linen, which hemp is often likened to, in addition to ramie, jute, flax, and bamboo).

In terms of sustainability, hemp is often considered a preferred fiber with less harmful environmental impact. Organic hemp is one of the most sustainable fibers you can use according to multiple sources, including the Textile Exchange and The Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibers (which gives non-organic hemp a “C” rating, while organic hemp gets an “A” – the best possible rating). It has many sustainability benefits, but harmful impacts can come from chemical retting, bleaching, and other processes so it is important to really vet your supplier.

Hemp has played a large and important role in human history, rivaling flax as the chief textile fiber of vegetable origin until the middle of the 19th century. It is assumed that humans have used hemp as long as they have used flax, with remains of hemp cloth dating back to the 5th millennium BC in China.

“We first introduced styles made using hemp with our Spring 2018 Ready to Wear collection. Considered to be one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics, hemp is naturally resistant to pests, requires relatively little water, and grows quickly. Hemp is a “sister plant,” meaning it replenishes the soil for the crops around it and is ideal for crop rotation. Hemp feels like a new linen, softening with each wash and wear.” – Mara Hoffman

“Like linen, hemp moves easily with the body, is breathable and easy to wear across different seasons. Hemp wrinkles less and can start pretty stiff, but softens quickly with each wash and wear. It’s one of the most environmentally friendly fibers because it’s naturally resistant to pests and requires almost no water to grow. It’s also a sister plant, meaning it replenishes the soil for the plants around it.” – Mara Hoffman

According to Vote Hemp, approximately 30 countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America currently permit farmers to grow hemp. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations data, Europe is the world’s single largest hemp producing market, followed by China, South Korea and Russia (though data excludes some countries – most notably Canada, a major hemp producing and exporting country). In terms of hemp for textile use, China currently the world’s leading producer of both textile-grade hemp fiber and of hemp yarn and textiles, according to Common Objective.

Hemp is unique among other crops in that every part of the plant has utility and potential market value. In addition to being used for fabric, hemp oil and seeds go into food and beauty products. Hemp can be used for building products, paints, inks, paper, composite boards, clutch pads, plastics, fuels, bio-diesel, and Eco-solid fuel. In fact anything that can be made from a hydrocarbon (fossil fuel) can be made from a carbohydrate, but strong lobbies still manage to keep the growth of this useful crop banned.

If hemp is such great fiber, why isn’t it more common? Well, it’s complicated and political. But a few reasons include:

Hemp is from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa, as marijuana. Industrial hemp contains a mere 0.3 percent of THC, the substance responsible for the buzz when smoking weed (the cannabis present at a reggae fest, for instance, contains as much as 20 percent). Nonetheless, production in the United States is restricted due to hemp’s association with marijuana, and the U.S. market is largely dependent on imports, both as finished hemp-containing products and as ingredients for use in further processing (mostly from Canada and China). Current industry estimates report U.S. hemp product sales at nearly $700 million annually.
Both hemp and cotton were labor intensive and costly when harvested and processed by hand. The cotton gin was patented in 1794 by Eli Whitney, long before George W. Schlichten patented the Decorticator in 1917, a machine to separate the fiber from the internal woody core of hemp stalks, reducing labor costs by over 90% and increasing fiber yield by 600%.
The Marihuana Tax Act applied in 1938 essentially ended hemp production in the United States, although a small hemp fiber industry continued in Wisconsin until 1958. Similarly in 1938 the cultivation of Cannabis became illegal in Canada under the Opium and Narcotics Act.
Our government treated industrial hemp like any other farm commodity until the early 20th century, when a 1937 law defined it as a narcotic drug, dramatically limiting its growth. This became even worse in 1970 when hemp became a schedule I controlled substance.
Congress included Section 7606 in the 2014 Farm Bill which authorized universities and state departments of agriculture to grow hemp, defined as cannabis with 0.3% THC or less, in states where it was legal. A number of states have established programs to allow hemp cultivation under license through the state department of agriculture. View the 2017 Vote Hemp Crop Reportto see the states which had hemp programs last year.
The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 is a proposed law to remove hemp (defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC) from Schedule I controlled substances and making it an ordinary agricultural commodity in the US.

“Hemp has been one of the most significant crops for mankind up until this last century. It is astonishing to see how the widespread use of hemp has been deteriorated to such an extent that people barely recognize it as anything but a plant that ‘gets you high’.” – From MIT’s journal The Thistle

Fun facts:

Hemp was grown extensively in colonial America by numerous farmers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag from hemp.
The original Levi Strauss were supposedly made from hemp canvas.
Historian Martin Booth estimated the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 donned 10,000 acres of cultivated hemp. The emerging prominence of the English navy was the chief reason English farmers and later their American cousins were required to devote a share of their acreage to hemp. The Virginia Assembly in 1632 ordered “that every planter as soone as he may, provide seede of flaxe and hempe and sowe the same.”
In 1941 Henry Ford built a car with a plastic made from hemp and wheat straw.

Sustainability Considerations

Hemp growing and cultivation has minimal environmental impacts – and can even be beneficial

Hemp is a renewable fiber that grows extremely quickly and heartily in a variety of climates
Hemp does not require the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers to grow. In fact, it grows so quickly it is know to smother weeds. Nonetheless, pesticides and fertilizers are occasionally used and should be avoided.
There is currently no GMO hemp.
Hemp requires little water and usually no extra irrigation is required.
Hemp has can have a beneficial effect on soil by replenishing vital nutrients. In some areas, it is being grown on land to extract such pollutants as zinc and mercury from the soil. Its root system minimizes soil erosion. It can be planted repeatedly on the same land, and is often used as a “rotation crop” to heal the soil between growing other crops.
Hemp produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax on the same land, and has the highest yield per acre of any natural fiber.
Suggestions: Ideally, use certified organic hemp. If that isn’t possible, work together with your suppliers to ensure no harmful pesticides or fertilizers are used.

Retting can have harmful environmental impacts.

Retting refers to the process in which the natural fibers are separated from the stem of the hemp plant (similar to retting flax and bamboo linen).
Chemical retting is frequently used due to its speed and control over uniform fiber quality. Chemical retting utilizes harmful chemicals and can cause further damage in the disposal of wastewater (rich in chemicals and harmful biological waste) if not properly treated.
Water retting can use high large amounts of water and energy (to heat water), in addition to creating biological pollution. Even when retted in natural stagnant ponds or rivers biological pollution can be a problem.
Suggestions: Dew retting is preferred in terms of sustainability, which requires no additional inputs of energy, water, or chemicals and allows nutrients to return to the soil through natural decomposition. If chemical or water retting are used, work with your suppliers to eliminate harmful chemicals, use renewable energy, clean and recycle water, and eliminate waste (especially toxic waste!).

Processing of hemp can have harmful environmental impacts

Once the hemp fiber is extracted from the stem, processing it into yarn is largely mechanical with minimal environmental impact.
Additional processing of hemp can include flattening the yarns with pressure to enhance natural luster, wet spinning, and the use of other treatments like softeners, wrinkle-resistors, dyes, bleaching and other finishes. This can involve using large volumes of water, energy (for things like boiling or heating in particular), and harmful chemicals.
Suggestions: Avoid harmful chemicals and pollutants (refer to RSL or organic standards), and if you have to use them make sure they cause no harm to workers or the environment, and that they are responsibly disposed of. Where water is involved: 1) try to reduce the amount needed, 2) recycle, and 3) clean wastewater (to either make it useful to be filtered back into your processing or safe if it becomes waste). Use less and better energy.

Hemp Production is labor-intensive

Production of hemp fiber requires a lot of hand labor and should be closely monitored to ensure good, fair, and safe labor practices.
Water, air, and environmental pollution (both chemical and biological) can not only harm the health of workers and people in communities near production, but impact their livelihoods by destroying local industries.
Suggestions: Look for Fair Trade certified or transparent suppliers. Identify all people (aka stakeholders) impacted by the production of your product and make sure they are not harmed in the production of your product.

Potential impacts during customer use care

In terms of consumer care, hemp can be machine washed or dry cleaned. Because hemp can wrinkle easily, pressing is often required. That said, the amount of electricity used in a hemp garment’s lifetime is relatively low.
Suggestions: Design for machine or hand washing over dry cleaning. Can the design be beautiful without ironing? Be sure to educate your customers about best consumer care practices (wash less, in cold water, hang dry, etc.)

Hemp is biodegradable, unless bad stuff is added to it

Untreated hemp is completely biodegradable. Things like dye, toxic chemicals, blended fibers and trims can hinder biodegradability.
Suggestions: Design for optimal biodegradability. Be sure to educate your customers about how to dispose of the product, or even consider a company take-back program so you can re-use or properly dispose of the products you make.

More Sustainable Options

Look for hemp that is:

Certified Organic – You can search the GOTS Public Database to find certified vendors.
Dew Retted – Which is better than water or chemical retting, but takes longer.
Naturally Colored – Removing linen’s natural color and adding artificial color can have harmful environmental impacts, so try to use linen in its natural form. If color must be altered, opt for natural dyes and non-chlorine bleaches such as hydrogen peroxide, ozone bleaching (using ozone gas), or enzymes.
Utilize sustainable design strategies

Hemp Fiber Qualities

Hemp is one of the strongest and most durable of all natural textile fibers.
You could say it gets better with age! The more hemp is used, the softer it gets.
Hemp is resistance to UV light, mold, and mildew.
Hemp is highly absorbent, making it easy to dye and a good canvas for natural dyes. Depending on the plant and processing techniques, hemp can naturally be creamy white, brown, grey, almost black, or green.
Like linen, hemp has excellent thermo-regulating properties, ideal for keeping cool in warm weather or warm in cool weather.
Hemp can be machine washed and dried. It wrinkles less than linen and requires less ironing.
Hemp is very similar to flax in appearance. Hemp fibers can be 3 to 15 feet long.
Hemp’s elastic recovery is very poor, it stretches less than any other natural fiber.
Hemp possesses anti-bacterial properties. (Hemp Traders shares legitimate, third party test results that prove this on their website.)
Hemp fibers can be very long – 3 to 15 feet!

How It’s Made

A great description of the process of making Hemp fiber can be found here or here.

Available Standards & Certifications

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) | A Textile Exchange standard, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognized as the world’s leading standard for textiles made from organic fibers. GOTS covers textile processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, exportation, importation and distribution. It does not cover the cultivation of the plant, which is covered by governmental organic standards like the USDA Organic. In order to label an article with GOTS, each site along the GOTS supply chain needs to be certified and the product itself needs to contain a minimum amount of 70% organic fiber material.

Organic Content Standard (OCS) | The Textile Exchange Organic Content Standard (OCS) relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material.

OCS 100 is used for only for product that contains 95% or more organic material.
OCS Blended is used for products that contain 5% minimum of organic material blended with conventional or synthetic raw materials.

Fair Wear Foundation Labour Standards | A Code of Labor Practices is made up from eight labour standards derived from ILO Conventions and the UN’s Declaration on Human Rights. This means the FWF Code of Labor Practices is based on internationally recognized standards which have been set through tripartite negotiation.

Organizations & Working Groups

Vote Hemp | Vote Hemp is a Washington, DC based grassroots nonprofit organization working since 2000 to bring back hemp farming in the U.S. They are dedicated to a free market for hemp products and to changes in state and federal law to allow American farmers to grow the crop once again. The Federal Farm Bill of 2014 was a huge win for their grass roots advocacy movement. They also conduct market research and publish reports.

Hemp Industries Association | The mission of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), a 501(c)(6) membership-based non-profit trade association, is to advance the hemp economy and educate the market for the benefit of their member businesses, the public, and the planet. Members of the HIA support ethical business practices, including accuracy in labeling, use of environmentally friendly technologies, sustainable and organic agriculture, high quality products and concern for human rights.

European Confederation of Flax and Hemp (CELC) | A European trade organization focused on all stages of production for linen & hemp. They act as a spokesperson for 10,000 European companies (including spinners, weavers, brands, and more) and oversees the fiber’s development from plant to finished product. Created in 1951, the CELC conducts market analyses for the purpose of promoting the hemp and linen industries.

European Industrial Hemp Association | EIHA was originally founded as an association of the members of the European hemp industry. Regular members include primary hemp processors in the EU. Associate members may be associations, research organizations and companies as well as individuals working in the area of hemp and other natural fibres. Founded in 2005, EIHA today has 27 regular and more than 130 associated members from 37 countries. EIHA was founded to give industry a voice at the European Commission in Brussels. It has rapidly become a respected industry association that provides effective lobbying and serves as an information bank. The annual EIHA conference has become an attractive opportunity for members and visitors to meet, learn about developments and exchange views with their colleagues.

The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) | The CHTA is a national organization that promotes Canadian hemp and hemp products globally. Established in 2003, the Alliance represents those involved in Canada’s hemp industry. Members include farmers, processors, manufacturers, researchers, entrepreneurs and marketers. The key functions of the Alliance are to disseminate information, promote the use of nutritional and industrial hemp and coordinate research.

Indian Industrial HEMP Association (IIHA) | The Indian Industrial HEMP Association (IIHA) is a non-profit national organization focused on promoting Indian hemp and hemp products globally. Established in 2011, the alliance represents those involved in India’s hemp industry, both nationally and globally. Its members include farmers, processors, manufacturers, researchers, entrepreneurs and marketers of hemp. The key functions of the alliance are to disseminate information, promote the use of nutritional and industrial hemp, and co-ordinate research. IIHA ensures the quality of hemp products sold in India or abroad by giving them an IIHA approved mark. It also controls the price of buying and selling raw material to maintain a stable market. IIHA collects hemp Industry data, technology and research.

Fiber Guide: Hemp

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