19Mar
Growing environmental concerns and increased consumer awareness is pushing many people to use sustainable and natural products in their everyday life.
This awareness has brought a great fondness for products specially made from natural fibers like hemp into the limelight.
Hemp is a plant that belongs to the cannabis family.
Initially indigenous to Asian countries the plant now grows in various parts of the world and is used to make a multitude of products ranging from cosmetics, food, apparel, backpacks, industrial goods and more.
The versatility of the plant and the ways in which it can be utilized has quickly made it an industry favorite. A natural, powerful and potent plant, the benefits of using hemp in products are ample!
1. It Is Non-Toxic & Anti – Bacterial
Pesticides and insecticides have lasting adverse effects on plants, these “ growing aids” can produce a harmful residue.
An example of such a pesticide is Aldicarp, a single drop of which when absorbed through the skin can kill an adult.
This chemical is used extensively in the production of cotton products. The producers of cotton use about 10% of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25% of the world's insecticides.
On the other hand, hemp is considered to be an easy plant to grow, often requiring little effort when farming.
Hemp producers do not need to douse the plant with pesticides to make it grow, hence when it is converted into fiber hemp carries very pesticides residue as opposed to cotton.
Hemp plants can also contain up to 85% cellulose levels, which makes the plant strong and malleable.
This attribute of hemp allows for it to transform into beautiful fibers without the use of extensive chemicals in the production phase.
Moreover, hemp products include five types of cannabinoids CBD, CBC, CBG, THC, and CBN which have properties that fight against bacterial activities such as microflora and E. coli making the fibers anti-allergic.
The use of hemp fibers is especially helpful for people who are allergies to synthetic fabrics like latex.
2. It Is Affordable
As mentioned, hemp grows fast and with minimal upkeep, it yields 250% more byproduct from the same acre of land when compared to cotton.
While producing hemp the use of essential resources such as time, energy and water are considerably less.
According to the Stockholm Environment Institute, 1 kg of dry hemp is produced with 300-500 liters of water, whereas 10,000 liters of water is needed to produce the same amount of cotton.
The high cellulose levels of hemp plants make for strong fibers, which needs little chemical treatment.
Prices of natural fibers usually rise due to the difficulties in the production process, but with hemp, this is not an issue.
3. It Is Sustainable.
Using Hemp means a step closer to a sustainable world. Hemp products such as apparel and accessories are 100% biodegradable.
This means that by choosing to wear these products you are significantly reducing your carbon footprint.
The bio-fiber in hemp products are environment-friendly as it easily recycles in compost and landfills.
Furthermore, many products can be derived from a single hemp plant such as oil, food, body care products, fibers, and even insulation pipes.
A fast-growing biodegradable resource with multiple uses makes hemp products one of the more sustainable products.
4. It Is Eco-Friendly
The synthetic fabrics sold in the market today are harmful to the environment.
These fabrics contain petroleum-based synthetic fibers, which often shed in the form of microplastics. Those microplastics can enter the water system and cause great difficulty when filtering because they are tiny. These microplastics usually seep into food and water and can take up to 600 years to decompose and has a lasting effect on the environment.
Hemp is all-natural and does not shred, making them an eco-friendly replacement. When a hemp plant is grown the roots of the plant runs deep, these roots protect the soil from erosion. The use of such products not only help in reducing the waste we produce but work towards reducing global warming as well.
4. It Is Durable
A common misconception about natural fibers is that they are high maintenance and delicate. Hemp debunks this with its powerful fibers. Packed with cellulose hemp fibers are 3 times more powerful than cotton fibers.
History is a witness to the strength of hemp as ropes and clothing made out of hemp were used in World War II.
The sturdiness of hemp fabrics makes it a stretch-resistant and a long-lasting product as well. While the porous nature of the fiber allows the fabric to pleasurable in both cool and warmer temperatures.
5. It Is Versatile & Fashionable
While versatile on its own, hemp mixes well with other fabric fibers such as linen, silk, cotton, synthetic as well.
Using hemp in products is easy as it blends well with any fabric to provide the desired aesthetics.
Due to this reason, hemp can be used for both casual and formal wear along with other kinds of items such as bags, accessories and more.
The porosity of hemp fabrics provides good color retention from dyes.
Vibrancy, flexibility, and style the properties of a hemp fabric allows it to be all.
6. It Is Easy To Care For
The nature of hemp fabrics makes for very easy upkeep.
The hemp products can be washed in both warm or cold water without the worry of shrinkage. The products also do not have a tendency to stretch out. It can withstand the high heat of ironing well, built is sturdy yet lightweight.
The fabrics made from hemp are practical and eco-friendly. As a low maintenance weed that is easy to grow, hemp has repeatedly proved itself as a worthy replacement for natural fibers like cotton.
It has proved to be the greener, energy-efficient substitute that is versatile and fashionable as well.
