When we were first starting Anact, we wanted to focus on a clear sustainable and eco-friendly option for our customers where they didn’t have to sacrifice quality for sustainability. We spent years combing the sustainable textile supply chain looking for the most sustainable options before custom designing a hemp and organic cotton blend. Here are 3 quick reasons why hemp is a sustainable fabric:
- Hemp production doesn’t use harmful insecticides or pesticides - Hemp is one of the few plants that do not need any pesticides during the growing process because it grows like a weed and naturally repels insects. Oftentimes, people use pesticides to make sure their crops grow properly without bugs eating it up. Hemp naturally reduces pests, so there’s no need to ever use any chemical pesticides or other harmful substances to ensure that the plant grows. Also, hemp is really good for the soil that it grows in, since it returns 50-70% of the nutrients it takes from the soil. This is amazing since soil nutrient loss is a huge sustainability issue with crop growth. Hemp naturally gives back to the earth, which means it can be grown for long periods of time without the fear of the soil being destroyed in the long term. Want to learn more? A great film to learn more about the importance of the regenerative economy is Kiss the Ground.
- Hemp doesn’t use a lot of water to grow- Compared to other fabric plant options, hemp uses significantly less water than bamboo or other natural fiber options. We take water consumption super seriously here at Anact, and in fact, we’ve designed our hemp + organic cotton blend to save 526 days of water. We partnered with Greenstory, a third party sustainability data company, based out of Canada. Before we went into production, we ran a life cycle analysis (LCA) to measure the impact to ensure we were using the most sustainable option.
- Hemp doesn’t use a lot of land to cultivate for fabric production- Unlike other natural fibers, farmers don’t need to have acres and acres of land to produce hemp. This means that land can be used for other important crops, such as food. This also means that the plot of land dedicated to hemp production can yield double the fabric yield compared to other plants used for fabric.
If you’re looking for towels made from fibers that are sustainable for the long term, aren’t water guzzling and help promote soil health then hemp may be a great option.
Interested in checking out our Anact starter towel bundle? Click the link here.