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The major t-shirt company, Hanesbrands Inc is pursuing additional testing of hemp-based fiber for mass production, reports reports GeenBiz.com. The company first partnered with Naturally Advanced Technologies (NAT) in November 2008 to conduct preliminary tests of hemp-based fiber in their t-shirt production. Preliminary tests involved determining whether NAT’s hemp-based fiber could be spun on conventional equipment.
When preliminary tests were successful, Hanebrand moved on to test a t-shirt that was 20% hemp, 80% cotton. Now, Hanesbrands has been sufficiently satisfied with the results that they have ordered another 10,000 pounds to conduct additional testing.
So far, Hanebrands test have shown that the NAT’s hemp-based fiber hold dye better and shrink less than conventional cotton blends. So even though NAT’s fiber is more expensive than conventional cotton, Hanesbrands may be able to recoup those costs in the manufacturing process.
Traditionally, hemp produces a stronger, but coarser and rougher fabric than cotton does. NAT’s hemp-based Crailar fabric, however, offers the “same warmth and feel of organic cotton, but with characteristics, such as tensile strength, that organic cotton simply can never achieve.”
The environmental benefits of such a fabric being displacing 20-50% of the cotton used in clothing production would be significant. While cotton takes up only 3% of arable land, it accounts for 26% of all pesticides used in farming, and producing one pound of cotton can also require up to 100 gallons of water.
Hemp crops, on the other hand, requires no pesticides and can often subsists of off normal rainfall in most climates. So by displacing cotton as a conventional fabric textile, hemp can both help conserve water and reduce the use of harmful chemicals that leach into our water table. Indeed, it’s promising to see a brand as large has Hanes testing the plant for its potential as a textile for mass production.