Hemp Clothing Facts: 8 Benefits of Hemp Textiles & Clothing for People and the Planet
Hemp in it's raw form or as textiles/clothing is not a new phenomena. In fact, a bit of hemp fabric is quite literally the oldest relic in human history. This is an incredible testament to hemp's durability, resilience, and undying nature. That fact also highlights how hemp has always been a part of human civilization and more importantly, strengthens the argume
nt that hemp continue to be.
Hemp clothing is often touted for it's sustainability which it deserves to be. However, not only is hemp better for the Planet it is also much better for People when compared to other fabrics. Learn more about why you should wear hemp below.
Hemp textiles and clothing are anti-microbial.
Textiles and clothing made from hemp have been shown to be naturally resistant to bacteria and able to kill strains of staph on its surface.
Hemp textiles and clothing are UV protectant.
Tests have shown that hemp textiles and clothing have a UPF rating of 50+. Tests also show that hemp textiles and clothing turned out to be 99.9 percent effective in blocking UVA and UVB rays!
Hemp textiles and clothing are longer lasting.
Hemp fibers are some of the strongest natural fibers out there. The tensile strength of hemp is 6-10X that of steel. When mixed with other fibers or by itself, garments made from hemp will be much more durable than the rest.
Hemp textiles and clothing wear in not out.
Unlike other clothing in your closet, hemp wears in not out. This means that your garments will get softer and even more comfy with each wash! Hemp also doesn't fade as easily as other products and maintains its robust structural integrity.
As mentioned earlier, growing hemp has far reaching benefits for the Planet in addition to its benefits for People.
Hemp textiles and clothing save water.
Hemp requires 4x less water to grow than cotton and produces 2x the fiber yield per acre of arable land.
Hemp loves absorbing CO2.
Industrial hemp has been scientifically proven to absorb more CO2 per hectare than any forest or commercial crop. In addition, the CO2 is permanently bonded within the fiber that is used for anything from textiles, to paper and as a building material.
Hemp restores and improves the soil where it is grown.
Hemp has a deep root system which improves soil structure and provides much needed nutrients to the soil. Additionally, hemp can be used to accumulate, absorb, and store contaminates from the soil such as cadmium, lead and PFAS. In fact, hemp was planted at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in order to help clean up the heavy metals from the soil.
Hemp requires little to no pesticides or herbicides to grow.
Unlike cotton which is responsible for 1/3 of the world's pesticide usage, hemp requires no pesticides or herbicides to grow. This makes it much more friendly on the environment as there are no chemicals leeching into waterways but also skin-friendly as there are no chemicals seeping into your skin.
We hope you enjoyed learning these facts about hemp textiles and clothing. Please leave a comment with your favorite fact and stay tuned for more blog posts!
Sources:
https://www.labroots.com/trending/technology/11763/hemp-fabric-kills-staph-bacteria
https://blogs.uww.edu/industrialhemp/2019/10/14/hemp-fiber/
https://hempfoundation.net/is-hemp-really-stronger-than-steel-how/
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=ae6e9b56-1d34-4ed3-9851-2b3bf0b6eb4f
https://www.ncagr.gov/SWC/professional_development/documents/NCDAAandTHemppresentation_Bhowmik.pdf