Here at Seed & sprout we’re always looking for more eco-friendly alternatives and materials for our products. We’re so excited to have introduced GOTS Certified Hemp into our material family - one of the most environmentally friendly fibres you can use!
What is Hemp?
Hemp is a textile made from fibres of a crop in the cannabis sativa plant. It’s one of the most versatile and durable natural fibres available - and when it comes to sustainability, this material is considered a preferred fibre with a low environmental impact.[1]
Why We Love It
Where do we start!?
- Firstly, hemp can be grown in a variety of climates [1] and is very fast growing and only takes around 70-90 days to grow. [2] Hemp grows so quickly that competing weeds are suppressed and require very little (if any) pesticides and chemicals to grow. [3] Pretty amazing hey!
- Very little water is required to grow hemp and it can have a beneficial effect on soil by replenishing nutrients into the soil as it grows. It can also be planted again and again on the same land and has been used to heal soil between growing other crops.
- Hemp is a natural purifier and carbon negative crop. It acts as a carbon store by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil throughout its life. A hemp plant can breathe in 4x more carbon dioxide than trees! In fact, one acre of hemp can remove 10 tonnes of carbon from the air. [4]
- The fibre is also incredibly strong and durable. So wash after wash, hemp will stand the test of time. That’s one of the reasons we chose to use hemp for our tea towels and bread bags - some of the most used and washed items in a household! We wanted to make sure you’ll have these for years without them breaking or ripping.
- Hemp is also extremely smooth to touch & absorbent. There’s nothing worse than drying your dishes with a non-absorbent tea towel, we know.
- It’s also resistant to ultraviolet light, so you can hang it out on the line with confidence that it won’t fade or degrade in sunlight.
End of Life
Our Hemp products are designed to last and to be a staple in your kitchen that you can use for years! We believe in buying once, and buying well so you’ll never need to buy that item again. However, we know that there may come a day when you want to dispose of your hemp product. When that day comes you can compost your hemp item! That’s right, hemp will break down in your home compost and return to the earth. If you don’t have a home compost, we encourage you to send your hemp products to Upparel so they can be upcycled.
[1] https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/hemp
[2]https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/8701/hemp-fibre-for-high-quality-textile
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/hemp-fiber
[4] https://pebblemag.com/magazine/living/hemp-solve-climate-change
