The Rising Star in Textiles That's Good for the Planet!

It’s hard to believe that the course fibre from the Cannabis Sativa L plant, an industrial fibre that’s been used for centuries to make ropes, sails, sacks, and other marine equipment, can now, with new processes, be crafted into blissfully soft bedding!

coarse hemp fabric >      >    soft and supple hemp sheets           

Implementing our own thorough processes for fibre selection and product development, we crafted our new hemp bed sheet collection, and we’re certain that those who want to sleep in luxuriously soft and supple sheets will love them as much as we do. 

undyed hemp bed sheets

You can really sleep with peace of mind appreciating the importance of hemp as a modern-day crop that gives back to the earth more than it takes!

One of the oldest fibres known to man, the growth, development, and appreciation of hemp fabric has undoubtedly been held back by its association with illegal substances like marijuana and other narcotics.   This link led to the banning of the Cannabis Sativa L plant as a crop in many parts of the world at different times during the twentieth century.  The advent and growth in synthetic fibres like polyester and acrylic, as the fashion industry transitioned, to turn around clothes from the catwalk to the high street in days rather than months, and our “throwaway”  culture took hold, enabling the dominance of cheap synthetic fibres at the expense of those grown naturally.    

It’s perhaps ironic that hemp fabric is now hailed as being the next big thing in the fashion industry, given the urban legend that Levi’s first jeans were made of hemp!   If that is a myth, it’s exciting to see this mega brand now using hemp in a line of clothing because it “grows quicker, uses less water, and leaves behind cleaner, healthier soils.”    Synthetic fibres have often been used and justified because of their strength, but hemp is both durable and long lasting and the more you wash it the softer and more supple it becomes. More good reasons we felt compelled to craft sheets from hemp fabric.

Carbon sink.

It's eco credentials seem undeniable. Described as “a carbon negative raw material” by the European Industrial Hemp Association, growing hemp as an industrial crop can help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, having the ability to absorb up to about 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare of hemp harvested. The more hemp we grow in the world, the more carbon can be sequestered from the air around us. In fact some research reports that it absorbs more CO2 per hectare than any other forest or commercial crop.

Cultivated with a positive impact on the land, it’s understood to benefit the soil and air where it’s grown.  It requires little water and due to its rapid growth, it quickly establishes a canopy, reducing water loss, soil erosion and discouraging weeds which means less chemical weedkillers are applied! The final yields per hectare are around double that of cotton and no part of the harvest is wasted. 

Fast growing and thick canopy of the Cannabis sativa plant.

 The thick canopy of the Cannabis sativa plant

 

The fast growing Cannabis sativa L plant establishes a thick canopy which helps to prevent weeds from growing.

The stalks, roots, leaves and seeds are all used for a wide range of products.  The outer layer is used to make hemp fabric and rope, the inner woodier layer is used for biofuel, building materials and insulation, paper and animal bedding, thanks to its natural porosity, absorbency and thermo regulating properties.

The leaves, flowers and seeds are a source of nutrition and used as ingredients for soaps and shampoos, body lotions, UV skin protectors, massage oils and pharmaceuticals, and for mulch, compost and animal bedding. 

 

One of the oldest medicinal plants used by humans, cannabis has been cultivated for over 10,000 years; first it was used as a herbal medicine, becoming an illicit drug and now once again it's used for medicinal purposes.

 

The seeds have an enormous range of uses and hold super food status!  Nutritionally rich, they are an important source of essential fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, and a whole range of vitamins and minerals. Delicious used raw, sprinkled over cereal, yoghurt, fruit, added to healthy smoothies, and sprinkled on salads.  The seeds can also be used to make a biofuel which one day could be a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

 A variety of nutritional foods are sourced from the hemp plant.

 A range of products made from the hemp plant

 

Hemp seeds are cold pressed to make hemp seed oil, which has a nutty flavour perfect for salads and as a drizzle over dips, pasta and roasted vegetables. 

 

 What’s more, at the end of life, products made from hemp are totally biodegradable, decompose and return to earth!

We know that hemp has been used to make fibre for thousands of years.   Remnants of hemp cloth were found by archaeologists in the land now known as Iraq. In those days it was of course a rough and course textile with none of the softness we feel in hemp today.

Thanks to recent legalisation permitting the growth of hemp at scale in many countries around the world,  the global industrial hemp market was estimated to be valued at about USD6.8billion in 2022 and is projected to grow to USD 18.1billion by 2027.  So we can all expect to see far more hemp bedding on the market in the decade ahead!

Products made from hemp are generally more ecofriendly, renewable and associated with less harmful methods of production. Paper for example made from hemp fibres requires less chemicals in the processing than paper made from wood pulp.

But it’s the remarkable natural characteristics of hemp fabric that make it such a wonderful material to sleep in. 

It’s strength, thermodynamic and hypoallergenic properties mean it’s durable, resists pilling, becomes softer and more supple every time you wash it and it doesn’t trigger allergies.  Super absorbent and breathable, it’s cool in summer wicking away your night time sweat keeping you feeling dry at night, but also warm in winter as the hemp fibres are naturally insulating. It’s a perfect fabric to sleep in all year round.

Then at the end of life, hemp sheets are 100% biodegradable and can be returned to the earth, without leaving toxic residues behind. 

Hemp in 3 colours

 

 

Our hemp sheets are available in stores and online in white and 2 neutral tones which work alone or complement one another.

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Coloured by nature.   The beautiful tone of our stone hemp is as nature intended.  It has not been bleached or dyed and like all things natural will Naturally coloured hemp

complement your colour palette.  Available in hemp sheets, quilt covers and hemp cushion covers to adorn your bedroom or lounge.

 

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