The Art of hemp
A Brief History of Hemp
Throughout history, hemp has been used extensively across the world for paper, fabrics and even medicines. Hemp was one of the first cultivated fiber plants. There is evidence of its cultivation over 10,000 years ago, making it one of the first farmed products. It was made into rope which was then used to imprint designs on pottery among other things.
Hemp was one of the first fibers ever used to make cloth, it has been used as medicine, to make bowstrings and for food. It has also been used to make paper and we know that people such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson wrote on hemp paper. Rugs have been manufactured of hemp some of which have designs woven into them.
Hemp use peaked in the 18th century when it became cheaper to manufacture cloth out of cotton and make paper from wood pulp. Today we are rediscovering the many uses of hemp and the benefits of growing and utilizing hemp not just for CBD based products but in a variety of arts and sciences. If are using or considering utilizing Hemp as a feedstock in the manufacture of paper, fabric, or another consumable and think we can help you please contact us.
What is the Art of Hemp?
When we use the term “The art of hemp” we are referring to the “soft” or “consumable” products that can be made from Hemp, this includes industrial fabrics, cooking and food oils, seed flour, carpets, paper, consumer textiles, handbags, totes, rope etc.
Our imagination and ingenuity are the main limiting factors in terms of utilizing hemp. In terms of cost for some products including paper hemp is more expensive to process however it is more environmentally sustainable since as crop it has a much smaller carbon footprint that many traditional feedstocks to manufacturing. Some interesting facts:
- Hemp requires 50% less water than cotton to grow and process. Item #1
- A hemp crop will produce 200-250% more fiber than cotton in the same area of land. In addition hemp will grow on marginal land.
- Cotton accounts for over only 2.6% of the world's cultivated land, but uses 16% of the worlds insecticide use, more than any other major crop. Hemp requires no pesticides or insecticides in order to grow.
- Hemp is an insulator in cold weather, breathable in warm weather and a hemp shirt is said to last a lifetime due to the strength of the plant fibers with which it is woven.
