SPECIAL REPORT Special Fiber Series: Hemp

HEMP: HISTORIC FIBER REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL

Use Of Hemp In Yarns And Fabrics Continues To Grow As Debate Ensues Over
Legalizing U.S. Cultivation Of This Versatile Fiber

By Elaine Gross, New York Correspondent

Hemp is a great deal more than just an alternative textile fiber. It is one
of the few plants whose byproducts can either be eaten, sat on, written on,
worn, slathered on your body, painted on a wall or squirted into a machine.
It is also the subject of a worldwide controversy that involves such
disparate factions as farmers, government enforcement agencies,
environmentalists, supporters of legalized drugs and manufacturers of
textile, food and paper products.

Historians say that hemp has been used in textiles since the 28th century
B.C., so there is no question about its viability or desirability for that
end use. The controversy, which is particularly acute in the U.S., stems
from the fact that the hemp plant, whose horticultural name is “Cannabis
sativa” comes in several varieties, one of which is the source of
marijuana. The dispute is about whether or not the fiber plant, should be,
or can successfully be, grown at the some time that the hallucinogenic
plant is legally banned.

This heated embroilment has not prevented hemp yarns and textiles from
gaining a relatively small but growing place in the U.S. apparel and home
textiles market. During the past year and a half or so, the industry and
consumers have become increasingly aware of hemp thanks to the efforts of a
number of importers and promoters, most notably Hemp Textiles International
(HTI), and ecologically conscious manufacturer and importer of Cantiva hemp
fiber, based in Bellingham, Washington.

Although not yet a serious rival to any other natural fiber, Department of
Commerce import statistics confirm a recent surge of interest. From 1995 to
1996, imports of hemp fiber (tow and waste) into the U.S. increased 415.8
percent by quantity, imports of yarns increased 57.7 percent and woven
fabric imports increased 31 percent. In quantity, 52,870 kilos of hemp
fiber were imported in 1996, as were 5,871 kilos of hemp yarn and 132,230
kilos of woven hemp fabric.

China was the chief supplier of fiber with the Philippines in second place
and showing the largest import growth, going from 16 kilos in 1995 to
almost 18,000 kilos in 1997. Turkey was the chief supplier of hemp yarns,
followed by Rumania. For woven hemp fabrics, China provided the greatest
quantity, followed by El Salvador, Hungary and Romania. A total of 423,239
square meters of hemp fabric were imported into the U.S. in 1996, and as of
June, 1997, the yeartodate imports are 225,674 square meters.

In recent years there has been a general increase in the imports of
alternative bast fibers, which includes jute, raffia and other vegetable
fibers, says Maria Corey, an economist with the Department of Commerce. By
comparison with flax imports, hemp is not so very far behind and is
increasing in areas where flax is declining. In 1996, 81,182 kilos of flax
fiber (tow and waste) were imported into the U.S., an increase of 22.8
percent from 1995. During that same period, 734 kilos of flax yarns were
imported, a decrease of 39.1 percent, as were 6,465 kilos of woven flax
fabrics, also showing a decrease of 2.3 percent.

“During the last year, hemp sales have grown steadily,” reports David
Gould, president of HTI. “Business hasn’t taken the huge ‘J’ curve that we
had been anticipating, but there will be a critical mass once the right
players get involved.”

With big names such a Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Adidas
already dabbling in hemp products, the momentum is building. Klein was
quoted in a New York Times article saying, “I believe that hemp is going to
be the fiber of choice in both the home furnishings and fashion
industries.” In that same article, Ralph Lauren confessed to being a
longterm hemp user, saying that he had quietly included hemp fabrics in
his collections since fall 1984.

Adidas sells more than 150,000 pairs per season of its Gazelle Natural
field shoe, made in Taiwan with Chinese hemp upper and bottoms made from
trims recycled from other shoes. Spring 1998 will be the fourth season for
the hemp footwear, which retails for $55. It was developed as a result of
consumer requests for natural and recycled materials.

At the same time that fashion designers are jumping on to the ecological
trend, farmers are looking for alternative crops to replace tobacco and
other waning products, and environmentalists are supporting hemp’s
ecofriendly characteristics. As a result, there is a small but spirited
and very verbal group of hemp enthusiasts whose passion for the fiber is
becoming infectious. So much so that the ground swell of interest begun at
the grass roots is rising to environmentally concerned business. The
network of “hempsters,” as they call themselves, includes several national
and international industry associations, importers and distributors,
industry consultants, publishers and retailers. A number of interest groups
have been introducing bills into state legislatures with the intention of
legalizing hemp growing in this country.

Currently, it is legal to import hemp fibers and processed seeds into the
U.S., but it is illegal to grow the plant here. The U.S. is reportedly the
only member of the G7 alliance and the only industrialized nation that does
not permit the cultivation of hemp. Canada’s first commercial crop in 70
years will be ready for harvest in 1998, following recently passed
legislation legalizing its growth.

In the U.S., the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency does not distinguish
between the subspecies of Cannabis plants. The subspecies used for making
fiber, colloquially known as “industrial hemp,” reportedly contains too
little of the hallucinogenic substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), between
0.5 and 1%, to have an effect when smoked and, according to a number of
sources, would make one quite ill. The marijuana plant contains as much as
20% of THC.

Contradicting the DEA’s belief that the two plants are indistinguishable,
Steve DeAngelo, CEO of Ecolution, a manufacturer of hemp apparel, says that
“the growing method is different. In the field, the recreational plants are
spaced wide apart, while the hemp plants are close together. The hemp
stalks shoot straight up and there is no room for foliage to grow, which is
the part you smoke.”

Hemp is often referred to as an “ecological cousin” to linen (flax), since
both are bast fibers and have similar, but not precisely the same,
appearance, growth and processing requirements. Under the microscope and in
finished textile products, they may look very much alike. In reality, the
fineness and quality of the two fibers overlap depending upon growing
conditions, seed variety and how the crop is handled after harvesting.
Though the two fibers have more in common than not, there is no consensus
as to how closely their market potential may be allied.

“In the past, some flax marketers and producers were feeling threatened by
hemp, but this has faded,” says Gould. “HTI can foresee close alliances
between Cantiva (HTI’s name for hemp) and flax producers and users. From
our end, there is a natural instinct to learn from the successes of the
flax industry. They are very synergistic in a marriage in a yarn or fabric.
We expect to be closely linked as we go forward.”

“Over the centuries, not just since the contemporary ban on growing it,
hemp was never developed to make fine sheeting, like linen was,” points out
Pauline Delli Carpini, Director of Operations for North America for the
Europeennee du Lin et du Chanvre (hemp). Some years ago, hemp was dropped
from the organization, simply because there was no demand for it, says
Delli Carpini.

“It’s a niche market, but niche market in the U.S. are big,” says John
Howell, editor and publisher of Hemp Times, Published by The Hemp Company
of America. “Linen in the U.S. has 1% market share. Hemp has the potential
to be at least the equivalent.”

Interestingly most textiles and apparel manufacturers currently working
with hemp do not compare it to linen, but to cotton, where the performance,
environmental and price differences are quite dramatic. The pollution of
soil and water by the pesticides used in growing cotton has been a battle
ground fro environmentalists. Because hemp is naturally resistant to mold,
bacteria and pests, it is grown without pesticides, herbicides or
agricultural chemicals, except some fertilization, and is receiving the
full support of the green movement.

Another ecofriendly aspect to the fiber is that its dense growth makes it
a prime contributor to weed control and elimination. Hemp is a highyield
crop, maturing in 120 days average, and producing significantly more fiber
than flax or cotton in equivalent space. Flax grows once every six or seven
years on the same land, while hemp can be grown every two or three years.
Also, the entire plant can be used, from seed to foliage, for use in such
diverse products as building materials, paper and foods.

“Water quality can be significantly improved by planting hemp because it
doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides and has no toxic runoff from the
fields,” says Yitzac Goldstein, vicepresident of HTI. “Using more
sustainable and less chemically intensive methods will save farmers money.”

Simply put, as a cellulose rich plant, it is considered a core crop in the
model for sustainable agriculture.

The “cottonizing of hemp” is what Eric Steenstra of Ecolution, calls the
current interest for the fiber. “Hemp will be better and stronger when it
isn’t cottonized. But all the equipment out there is for cotton. To make
sense and be usable for the mainstream industry, it will have to be
workable on equipment made for cotton.”

Steenstra had a hemp twill fabric tested for tensile and tear strength at
Greenwood Mills, and compared the results with Greenwood’s 12oz cotton
denim. Hemp beat cotton every time. Overall, the 100% hemp fabric had 62%
greater tear strength and 102% greater tensile strength. In tensile
strength test, the hemp warp endured 266 lb of pressure while the cotton
only 204 lb, and the hemp filling endured 178 lb of pressure while the
cotton fill only 100. In the test for tear strength, the hemp warp tested
at 19.9 lb of pressure with the cotton at 12.7, and the hemp filling tested
a 22 lb with the cotton filling a 7.6.

Paragonia, the California manufacturer of outdoor apparel, also conducted
similar tests, with the results showing that hemp has eight times the
tensile strength and four times the durability of other natural fibers.

The high cost of the multistage processing of hemp, the limited quantities
available, and the fact that there is little processing of the fiber in
this country, is responsible for its high price, about 100% higher than
cotton, and about on par with linen when comparing similar qualities. But
Hemp Times’ Howell believes that the “green rate,” the premium that people
will pay for a product with an environmental story attached to it, is about
2530% above market price. HTI’s Cantiva fiber, which is controlled for
quality, notably the absence of wood residue, sells for about $1.67 per
pound, baled and ready for blending with cotton and other fibers. The price
fro finished fabrics range from $4 to $12 a meter for 60in. width,
depending upon the quality.

The Hemp Co. of America is a privately funded, venture capital company
which has developed five vehicles for marketing hemp: a bimonthly consumer
magazine, Hemp Times; a standalone mail order catalog called, Planet Hemp,
that is also bound inside the magazine; a cyberstore on the web; and a real
store, also called Planet Hemp, located in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.

Many hemp products are offered in natural colors because dyeing becomes an
issue in maintaining its all naturalness. For mass production, there are
only two choices using natural colors or low impact reactive dyes.
Ecolution, whose main products are hemp jeans and jackets for men and
women, has recently developed yarndyed hemp striped and plaid fabrics for
shirts using low impact reactive dyes. It has also recently begun knitting
with 100% hemp yarns.

Updating the processing of hemp fiber is the key to its future success, and
because it has not been grown locally for 60 years, there is much catching
up to do.

“In many ways, hemp is like Rip Van Winkle. It has been asleep for 60 years
in terms of technology and processing equipment,” explained John Roulac,
president of HEMPTEC, an industry consultant and author of several books
about hemp. “The challenge for hemp right now is, how do we make the fiber
work in the Western economic model where you need high speed production and
high quality.”

Roulac says that retail sales of hemp products in the U.S. are now in the
$50 million range, up from just a few million in 1993. He projects that
annual sales of hemp products will reach several hundred million dollars in
the early part of the 21st century and could shoot up to $510billion
within a decade, depending upon technology advancements.

Crescent Woolen Mills is optimistic about hemp’s future. The company spins
hemp yarns for carpets, sweaters and Tshirts. Kevin Webster, vice
president of marketing, says Crescent mixes black wool with the natural
hemp to create gray and brown shades with a heather effect.

“If hemp can be spun fine enough, it can compete against cotton fairly
successfully,” Webster believes. “It could even be a competitor to linen.
But I’ve heard of people having problems spinning on certain openend
systems.”

Yarn Mavens is new to the hemp business and has just started developing
products with Stonecutter Mills. They are currently offering: 5050
cottonhemp blend in coarse counts, from Ne 6 to 14, with either regular or
organic cotton; 5050 Tencelhemp blends in the same finer counts
containing less hemp.

Beyond the problems of technology, hemp has an obvious image problem, not
least of which is its hardtobreak association with the potsmoking,
hippie culture of the 1970s. These days, every cause must have its
celebrity proponent in order to be heard, and actor Woody Harrelson has
volunteered to play this role for hemp.

A lifelong environmental activist, Harrelson has proven to be a very
visible and effective spokesperson. He even went to the extreme of being
jailed in Kentucky, purposely staging a planting of several hemp seeds in
support of farmers lobbying for legalization. In more Hollywood style,
Harrelson was seen at both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards events
wearing custommade Giorgio Armani hemp tuxedos accessorized with hemp shoes.

Many observers expect hemp growing to be legal in the U.S. within five
years, following pressure from American farmers. Even with only Canada’s
involvement, the repercussions for hemp are expected to be significant,
with increased fiber availability leading to lower prices. But
manufacturers insist that hemp should not rest on its ecological laurels
alone to become a factor in the fashion market.

HEMP HAS LONG HISTORY AS TEXTILE FIBER

Well before cotton was king, dating back to ancient China, hemp and flax
were the primary apparel textile fibers. In 4500 B.C., the Chinese made
fish nets from it. Throughout the centuries, hemp’s natural resistance to
rot and mildew made it especially suited to nautical end uses, such as
ropes and sails. Hemp growth was encouraged in the early American colonies,
and was even grown on the plantations of such patriotic gentleman farmers
as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Colonial taxes were often paid
in hemp bales and soldiers uniforms were made of hemp cloth. Along with the
pioneers, hemp growth moved throughout the U.S., with first Kentucky, and
later, Missouri, becoming the centers for hemp production. Much of this
hemp was used for making bags for cotton baling and ropes. When jute and
iron bands replaced hemp for these end uses, its agriculture greatly
suffered. In 1872, when tariffs were lifted on the importation of tropical
fibers, domestic hemp production faltered once again, despite many
government programs to encourage its growth. These programs continued until
1933, by which time hemp had become a negligible crop compared to cotton.
The beginning of the end of hemp growth in the U.S. was the Marijuana Act
of 1937. Its intent was to prohibit the use of marijuana but created so
much red tape that it made the production of industrial hemp virtually
impossible. Japan’s invasion of the Philippines during WWII cut off
America’s supply of hemp from that country, and partially fostered
President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Hemp for Victory” program, which encouraged
farmers to resume growing hemp for military use. The publication of Jack
Herer’s book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, in 1990, a history of hemp, was
the pivotal point at which contemporary hemp reawareness began.

HEMP VS LINEN: CLOSE COUSINS

Linen and hemp share many properties, both being bast fibers, but there are
some important differences.

SIMILARITIES: Both are cellulosic fibers, exhibit high luster, withstand
high temperatures, highly moisture absorbent, easily damaged by strong
acids, high resistance to alkalis, difficult to bleach, highly resistant to
moths and other insects. Both use their seeds for oils, cosmetics and food
products.

DIFFERENCES: Their natural colorations are slightly different, flax
described as yellowishbuff to gray, and hemp as yellowishgray to dark
brown. Flax fiber grows from 6 to 40 in. with the best averaging 20in. and
not less than 12. Hemp fiber is somewhat longer, growing from 4 to 16 ft.
in length. Hemp is even less elastic than linen, but it is up to eight
times stronger according to some tests. (Information excerpted from: Modern
Textiles, 2nd Edition by Dorothy Siegert Lyle).