Organic cotton vs. Hemp?

Question

My university environmental club wants to make t-shirts, & of course we want to support & use only sustainable, earth friendly materials. Which is better organic cotton or hemp for t-shirts, and what is the cost difference? Also does anyone know where we can purchase?

Answer 1

You can't go wrong with either organic cotton or hemp & organic cotton. Most, if not all, hemp tshirts are blended with some other fiber and most are blended with organic cotton or conventional cotton... some are blended with bamboo or rayon. A 100% organic cotton tshirt is going to be softer, and I belive, feel more comfortable. Hemp is a stronger, courser, heavier fiber, about 8 times stronger than cotton, so the shirt will last much longer and keep you much warmer in the winter. I always wear a hemp and cotton shirt as an undershirt in the winter. Hemp is also more breathable than cotton, but the weave has a lot to do with breathablity. Also hemp is more UV resistant than cotton. The hemp plant is better for the soil than organic cotton. Hemp roots are very deep and actually kill weeds, so it is often used as a rotation crop. The next year, after growing hemp, if the farmer plants wheat or soybeans, for example, the farmer won't have to use as many pesticides or herbicies because the weed roots have been killed by the hemp plant roots. Hemp is generally a little more expensive than organic but not much. Just about all hemp textiles are made in China and there is some concern about the transparancy of factory working conditions in China. Romania is the other major hemp textile market, but Romania clothing is a bit more expensive. Hemp from Romania is very soft and generally higher quality than hemp from China. This also goes for twine. Major organic cotton growing regions, such as India, Pakistan and Europe, for the most, part don't have labor issues. And these countries also tend to do a better job of recycling or disposing of dyes that are used in dying the tshirts. China has a reputation for not properly disposing of excess dyes in an ecological manner. A couple other considerations when comparing hemp vs. organic cotton tshirts is to look at are the size/cut of the tshirt and the weight. A 240 gram t-shirt is a nice heavy weight tshirt. I'm not sure about sizing, but often with clothing coming out of Europe or India, the cut is fairly small by American standards. Both fabric's tend to shrink about the same, about 2% to 3% so you want to make sure they have been pre-washed.

Here are some places to get hemp and organic cotton tshirts.

Hemp-Sisters.com
Enviro-Texiles.com
HempTraders.com
Ecolution.com
Efforts.ca
Hemptown.com

All the above companies make or contract out production. Ecolution makes all their clothing in Romania. They sell only wholesale, but they've either created or partnered with a couple retail sites... Rawganique.com and hemp.com. Effort and Hemptown are both from Canada, but I think they have warehouses in the US. Hemptown recently changes their name to HT Naturals I belive and are now doing some bamboo and soy clothing. They also have some really soft hemp and cotton tshirts in several colors. Enviro-Textiles, hemptraders and hemp-sisters are in the US. The only other thing to keep in mind is that organic textiles are not regulated the same way organic food is... it helps to see if the company you are buying from is a member of the organic trade exchange and if the organic cotton is certified. Even if it is certified, many certifications in China are questionable. Also, check out the above sites for other clothing items... hoodies, drawstring pants, shoes, hats, handbags, backpacks, wallets... maybe you don't buy all these different items, but it's good to spread the word and maybe members of your organization will buy them. Today you have have hemp jeans, hemp oxford shirts, hemp shorts, hemp hats, hemp curtains, hemp bedsheets, hemp rugs... you can probably replace every garment you own with either hemp or organic cotton. Thanks for asking this great question... Take Care, E-

Answer 2

Hemp Vs Cotton

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Organic cotton vs. Hemp?
My university environmental club wants to make t-shirts, & of course we want to support & use only sustainable, earth friendly materials. Which is better organic cotton or hemp for t-shirts, and what is the cost difference? Also does anyone know where we can purchase?

Answer 4

Before sheep were domesticated they would shed their wool every spring. As they walked through trees and bushed it would snag on branches and thorns and be pulled out in clumps. Domestic sheep live and graze in fields with nothing for the wool to catch on so it would remain on their bodies in a big tangle if it wasn't sheared. Also modern sheep have much more wool than their wild ancestors so shearing is a necessity with most breeds of sheep. I won't go so far as to say they would die but they would be very uncomfortable. I don't know why it makes you sick to see a sheep sheared. The sheep might be a little stressed when being held and sheared but he is not harmed and gets over the stress very quickly. Wool and hemp are very different fabrics. Hemp is comparable to cotton in terms of keeping you warm, not wicking moisture from the body and losing its insulation properties when wet. Hemp is stronger than cotton because of longer fibers. Its more eco friendly because cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop. Wool is better for times when you will be wet or sweating because it still keeps you warm when its wet. It will wick moisture from the body and it doesn't feel soggy when wet. Synthetics are not eco friendly because they are made from petroleum and are not biodegradable. Some polyester fabric is made from recycled bottles but it still won't break down when its worn out and thrown away. In some situations synthetic clothing offers performance that no natural fabric can match.

Answer 5

1