
The fashion industry has a significant environmental impact, with clothing production requiring large amounts of water, energy, and other resources. Cotton, a popular textile, is a thirsty crop, contributing to high water consumption in the fashion industry. The production of a single cotton t-shirt is estimated to require 2700 liters of water, which is enough drinking water for one person for 900 days. This highlights the importance of considering the water footprint of our clothing choices and exploring more sustainable options, such as hemp. Hemp clothing has gained interest due to its potential for lower water usage and environmental impact. However, the exact amount of water required to produce a hemp t-shirt may vary depending on various factors, and it is important to consider the overall lifecycle of the garment, including growth, manufacturing, and processing.
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Hemp vs cotton water usage
Hemp vs. Cotton: The Water War
Cotton is a thirsty crop. It requires a lot of water to grow and produce the fluffy fibres used in textiles. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), cotton accounts for 2.6% of the world's water use. The WWF also estimates that it takes 2700 litres of water to make just one cotton t-shirt. That's enough water for one person to drink for almost two and a half years.
The process of turning cotton into fabric and clothing also requires a lot of water. Dyeing, washing, and finishing fabric can use up to 200 litres of water per kilogram. And that's not including the water used for transportation, packaging, and retailing.
So, how does hemp compare?
Hemp is a sturdy, hardy plant that requires less water than cotton. It can grow with little irrigation, and it's prolific. Hemp plants are tall and thin, so they don't take up much room. In some instances, they don't even need pesticides or chemicals, unlike cotton, which is believed to be responsible for 25% of the world's pesticide use.
To produce 1kg of cotton, growers may need more than 20,000 litres of water. In contrast, 1kg of dry hemp can be made using just 300-500 litres of water, 30% of which can be used for fibre production.
When it comes to water usage, hemp is the clear winner. It requires significantly less water than cotton, and because it grows so prolifically, it doesn't need as much land to produce the same amount of textile material.
The Benefits of Hemp
Hemp has been used by humans for thousands of years and has a variety of applications. It is a highly versatile plant that can be grown for seed or fibre. The seeds yield milk, oil, and other food products, and are popular among vegans. The fibre is used for paper and clothing.
Hemp is also good for the environment. It requires less water and land than cotton, and organic hemp produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions than cotton.
The Drawbacks of Cotton
Cotton, on the other hand, is a water-intensive crop that contributes to habitat degradation and excessive water use. It also often requires the use of agrochemicals and pesticides, which can be detrimental to the environment.
Cotton is also often mixed with synthetic fibres and plastics, which contribute to microplastic pollution in the oceans and air.
Hemp is a more water-efficient crop than cotton and has a variety of environmental benefits. It requires less water, land, and pesticides, and has a lower impact on carbon dioxide emissions. While cotton is cheap, widely available, and comfortable, it comes at a cost to the environment.
By choosing hemp over cotton, we can reduce our water footprint and help protect this precious resource.
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Hemp t-shirt manufacturing process
The process of manufacturing a hemp t-shirt can be done organically or chemically, with the former being more environmentally friendly and the latter being faster and cheaper. Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide to the hemp t-shirt manufacturing process:
Cultivation
Sow the hemp seeds densely to produce tall, slender stems that contain a greater amount of fine fibres. The hemp plant grows wild and free, avoiding soil erosion with its deep roots. It also purifies the soil by absorbing toxic materials without affecting the harvested crop. Hemp is naturally repellent to pests and does not require pesticides.
Harvesting
Harvesting takes place after flowering but before seed set, as the fibres tend to become more coarse around the time of seed formation. Most plants used for hemp fabric are harvested with a special machine.
Retting
Retting is the method of separating the long fibres from the plant to spin into yarn. There are three retting methods: field, water, and mechanical. Field retting is the most natural method, allowing the crop to naturally dry, which takes about 14 to 21 days depending on the weather. Water retting produces a higher quality and more uniform fibre but contaminates the water source and requires wastewater treatment to avoid pollution. Mechanical retting uses a machine to separate the fibre from the hurd, a faster process that decays the glue sticking the fibre to the woody core of the hemp stalk.
Breaking and Scutching
The hemp stalks are then made into bales, and breakers or a hammer mill are used to separate the fibrous outer section of the plant, known as the bast fibres, from its woody core. The broken stems are then beaten in a process called scutching to further separate the desired fibres.
Hackling and Roving
The fibres are then hackled (combed) to remove any remaining woody particles and to align the fibres into a continuous sliver. This sliver is then twisted and drawn out to improve strength and is wound on spinning bobbins.
Spinning and Weaving
The hemp fibres are spun into a continuous yarn, which is then woven into the fabric used for clothing. To organically spin hemp, a specialized spinning machine is required as the available machines are designed for shorter fibres like cotton or wool. Chemically processed hemp fibres produce shorter strands that can be spun with readily available machines.
Cleaning and Softening
The hemp fabric can be stiff, so it undergoes a cleaning and softening process using hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine dioxide, reducing the use of toxic chemicals.
Dyeing
The final process is dyeing the product. For an organic hemp product, low-impact and fibre-reactive dyes made from natural components with no heavy metal content and water solubility are used.
Sewing
Finally, the fabric is sewn into a t-shirt. A typical hemp t-shirt may last two to three times longer than a cotton t-shirt.
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Hemp t-shirt environmental impact
The environmental impact of a hemp t-shirt is significantly lower than that of a cotton t-shirt. Cotton is a thirsty crop, requiring approximately 2,700 litres of water to produce enough fibre for a single t-shirt. This is enough water for one person to drink for 900 days or almost two and a half years. In contrast, hemp is a much more water-efficient crop, using a fraction of the water required for cotton.
The water intensity of cotton is due to several factors. Firstly, cotton plants need a significant amount of water to maximise their yield. Each plant requires around 38 kilograms, or 10 gallons, of water. Secondly, cotton is often grown in crowded conditions, with between 40,000 and 45,000 plants per acre, which can lead to increased water consumption. Thirdly, the processing and manufacturing of cotton into fabric and clothing require additional water, especially the dyeing process, which can use up to 200 litres of water per kilogram of fabric.
Hemp, on the other hand, is a much more water-efficient crop. While the exact water requirements for hemp fibre production are not readily available, hemp is known for its water efficiency and ability to grow in diverse conditions. Hemp can grow in a variety of climates and soil types, and it has deep root systems that enable it to access water from deeper soil layers. This reduces the need for irrigation, making hemp a more water-resilient crop than cotton.
The environmental benefits of choosing a hemp t-shirt over a cotton one are significant. By reducing the water footprint, hemp helps preserve this precious resource, especially in water-scarce regions. Additionally, hemp production contributes less to water pollution, as it requires fewer pesticides, insecticides, and chemical fertilisers than cotton. This reduction in chemical inputs also benefits the environment and the health of ecosystems and communities downstream.
Furthermore, hemp has a lower carbon footprint than cotton. The processing of cotton into fabric and the subsequent washing, drying, and ironing of cotton clothing contribute to carbon emissions. Hemp, as a more durable and long-lasting fibre, can help reduce these emissions by extending the lifespan of the garment. By choosing a hemp t-shirt and wearing it for nine months longer than a cotton t-shirt, you can reduce your water and carbon footprint by 5-10%.
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Hemp t-shirt water pollution
Hemp is increasingly being recognised as a more sustainable alternative to cotton, which is a thirsty crop and has a large water footprint. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it takes 2,700 litres of water to produce enough cotton for a single t-shirt. This is enough water for one person to drink for 900 days or almost two and a half years.
Cotton is also a major contributor to pesticide, plastic and fertiliser pollution. The intensive farming of cotton involves the use of toxic chemicals such as chlorine bleaches, heavy-metal dyes and pesticides. These chemicals run off into the environment, degrading ecosystems and causing health problems for farmers.
Hemp, on the other hand, is an organic fabric that requires little to no pesticides. It also improves soil quality and consumes much less water than other conventional crops. The process of "retting", where microorganisms break down lignin and pectin to bind fibres together, is commonly carried out in the field, with the leaves and root remains increasing soil fertility.
The creation of clothing also has an impact on water pollution. The dyeing process, for example, involves the use of numerous chemicals that can pollute water sources and harm aquatic ecosystems. Sustainable alternatives, such as natural dyes and eco-friendly dyeing techniques, exist but are often overlooked due to cost considerations.
The transportation of clothing items also contributes to water pollution, as it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
By choosing hemp t-shirts over cotton ones, consumers can help to ease the threat of water and ecosystem deterioration. Hemp clothing is also of better quality and more durable than cotton clothing, further reducing its environmental impact.
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Hemp t-shirt fabric dyeing
Dyeing is one of the most polluting stages of the textile production process. The use of synthetic dyes, which are derived from petroleum-based raw materials, is common in the industry due to their wide variety of colours, fastness, and low cost. However, synthetic dyes consume large amounts of resources and energy during production. As a result, there is a growing interest in using natural dyes, which can be extracted from plants, animals, minerals, fungi, algae, microbes, and insects.
Natural dyes have several benefits, including being environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic. They also possess antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-allergic, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-UV properties. In addition, the market for natural dyes is estimated to grow by 11% from 2018 to 2024.
One challenge with natural dyes is that they typically have low fastness and require a mordant to permanently fix them to textile fibres. Mordants such as tannin and alum are necessary to make the dyeing process more sustainable and eco-friendly.
A study by Gabriela Mijas et al. (2022) assessed the possibility of dyeing a substrate composed of non-textile industrial hemp using natural dyes from common madder (*Rubia tinctorum* L.) and calendula (*Calendula officinalis*) with tannin and alum as mordants. The results showed that dyeing non-textile residual hemp substrate is possible, and that calendula is a good option for dyeing with tap water, tannin-alum set in a meta-mordanting process, and rinsing after 24 hours.
In addition to natural dyes, hemp fabric can also be dyed using synthetic dyes. Dharma Trading, a company that sells hemp T-shirts, has a range of dyes suitable for dyeing cotton, rayon, hemp, linen, bamboo, and Tencel fabrics. Their dyes come in various colours, including blue, green, yellow, red, and black.
When dyeing hemp fabric, it is important to consider the type of dye, the mordanting process, water hardness, and whether to rinse after dyeing. The appropriate techniques and processes will depend on the specific dye and fabric being used.
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Frequently asked questions
It takes around 2,700 litres of water to make a t-shirt, although this figure is based on cotton t-shirts. There is currently no data available on the amount of water used to make a hemp t-shirt.
A pair of leather shoes use 8,000 litres of water and a pair of jeans use 11,000 litres of water.
The majority of water is used in the growing of the cotton, with each plant needing around 10 gallons (38kg) of water. The dyeing process uses around 20-40 gallons of water per kilogram of fabric.
One load of washing uses 40 gallons of water.