Hemp facts
 The Hemp plant, Cannabis Sativa L. is one of the oldest utilized plants
pre-history. Its early uses were paper, textile, dye, food and medicine. Modern technology has allowed us to improve the quality of these early uses
of Hemp into such manner of things as cosmetics, comfortable and durable
clothing, 21st century paper, biodegradable plastics, fuels and paints, just to
name a few. In fact, anything that is made from hydrocarbons (i.e. mineral
oil-based) can be made from carbohydrates (i.e. plant-derived raw materials).
The advantage carbohydrates have over hydrocarbons is that firstly, they are
generally non-toxic, biodegradable substances, whereas hydrocarbons do not
easily break down and have toxic effects such as soil damage and global warming.
Secondly, carbohydrate is a renewable resource, whereas hydrocarbon is not.
Hemp
is:
Modern technology can make hemp the most practical environmentally sensible
textile on the planet. It is natural, it grows rapidly, needs no pesticides,
herbicides or fungicides and modest quantities of water, is warm in winter, cool
and breathable in summer, it is organic and can be blended easily with other
textiles.
With the correct technology in place, it can serve a wide range of cloth
textures from strong and durable to soft and comfortable. Hemp's natural creamy
colour eliminates the need for chlorine bleach, which prevents the dumping of
toxin dioxin into streams. It is clean, both for the environment and the user.
The quality of the fibre obtained from the hemp plant is what
makes it outstanding against other natural fibre. Due to its length, (each fibre
is as long as the plant itself, up to five meters), it can be spun into very
durable material.
Hemp up to 8 times the tensile strength and 4 times the durability
of cotton.
Hemp can be extruded to make a soft silk-like fibre or used to make the
strongest ropes. It blends easily with other textiles to create both a very soft
& durable fabric that feels good when worn.
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Hemp fabric breathes wonderfully against the skin. Sleeping in hemp is as
comfortable as the finest of linens. Hemp was the major source of early American
linen.
Hemp takes dyes well, due to its superior absorbent properties. This
absorbent facet, along with its natural antiseptic character, makes it an ideal
material for towels, nappies, hospital linen and children’s clothing, and due to
the fact that little or no pesticides are needed to grow this rapidly renewable
crop, organic, poison free fabric is much more attainable with hemp.
If you would like to learn more about hemp, we invite you to read the following pages:
Australia today
Hemp is currently a legal commercial crop in Queensland and Tasmania
producing Hemp oil, paper, pet food, animal bedding and agricultural matting.
Successful licensed trial crops have been grown in New South Wales, Victoria
and Western Australia and it is likely that NSW will be the next state to grow
Hemp commercially.
An ideal source of industrial feedstock for building, fibre, biodegradable
plastics, fuel and food, it is mystifying, to say the least, in the face of the
difficulties water restricted farmers are facing, why there is so little support
from government for this plant.
There is ample international evidence that Hemp is a profitable
environmentally sustainable crop, with Canada being a good example, having
multiplied it’s cropping acreage six times over the last four years.
Hemp offers Australia a great agricultural opportunity for environmentally
sustainable economic development, which is still unrealized through lack of
government or private sector investment.
At Hemp Gallery, we work to see this opportunity realized.
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