Why Hemp T-shirt Printing is the Future of Custom Apparel

Custom apparel, made to measure, on demand and for a reasonable price. This is where the future is headed and it’s happening now. With the pending legislation on marijuana, hemp is becoming a serious contender.

What is Hemp?

Hemp has been overlooked as a raw material. This plant takes center stage. Why?

Hemp has several advantages over cotton as a textile.

Environment

Compared to cotton, hemp has a relatively lower carbon footprint. Cotton, being one of the most widely used plant in the production of fabrics, has a poor environmental impact. The production of cotton creates a large amount of waste due to the amount of water required. Hemp requires much less water to produce the same quantity of fiber.

Growing

Cotton plants are not often grown individually. The plants are usually grown as a monoculture in large scale farms. This is due to the small surface size the crops take up, which makes it financially unviable to grow each plant individually. This means the crops are doused with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Over and above the use of pesticides, fertilizers can also cause several environmental issues.

One farming method is using large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, which accumulate in the soil and can cause pollution.

Hemp is a multiple species plant that can be grown solo or in clusters. This means it can be easily grown where the soil is already contaminated. With the growth of alternative energies, our dependency on fossil fuels has decreased. Hemp can be grown as a renewable source of energy. With the growing awareness of environmental issues, hemp will play a key role in our future.

Benefits

When we look beyond the environment, we realise that hemp produces fibers that are both stronger and softer than cotton.

The tensile strength of hemp fibers is 60-80% higher than those of cotton. To put this in perspective, if hemp fibers were used on a clothes’ manufacturing process, we would save the raw material used to make these clothes multiple times.

Hemp has a higher thermal regulation than cotton. Hemp can keep people warm or cool depending on the climate it is grown in. This means hemp fibers can be used in a wide array of different products.

Hemp can be grown organically and responsibly. If grown properly, hemp is able to thrive in a sustainable manner. A joint farming system is suggested where farmers can share the crops and profit from the collaborative effort.

Hemp has many advantages over cotton. It is worth mentioning at this point that the boom of the cannabis industry not only leads to more organic and sustainable growing methods but the demand for marijuana itself also leads to a demand for a sustainable and environmentally friendly source of the raw material used for manufacturing.

With the recent passing of the marijuana legalization in the state of California, the state is expected to become one of the world leaders when it comes to hemp cultivation.

The future is bright for hemp t-shirt printing. As more businesses begin to recognize the importance of hemp, the consumer benefits by becoming part of this new and exciting world.