Marmara Hemp’s Platinum C2C ‘a significant achievement’
30/04/2024
Version 4.0 sets stricter standards for safer, circular and equitable products, driving innovation and business leadership.
It takes into account the practices of the company throughout the value chain, integrating a holistic approach to address all impacts on people and the planet (greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, management of human rights risks, etc.)
Marmara works with three farming cooperatives, in western, central and eastern France. This guarantees volumes and uniformity, Marmara Hemp CEO Denis Druon told sportstextiles.com. It uses special seeds and the hemp is cut earlier than normal, in August, for fibres destined for textiles – most of the French crop had been traditionally heading to non-wovens and seeds. This gives more time for the retting in the field, which helps the fibres separate more easily, using a combination of moisture and heat.
“September is a critical month,” said Mr Druon. “It can be very hot and also very rainy. Cutting at the beginning of September is too short, you can’t guarantee the volumes. Brands such as Levi’s, Inditex and Uniqlo need guarantees from us that we can supply the volumes.”
He said that a push by brands to use hemp fibres several years ago meant some had sourced from some Chinese farms that use chemicals to speed the process up, but that negates the sustainability credentials of a fibre that offers benefits over cotton in that it is substantially less thirsty, does not need pesticides and chemicals and acts to regenerate the soil.
“We use only mechanical processes,” says Mr Druon. “When we launched Marmara Hemp, all the big brands asked us for certifications, so we worked with the Levi’s team to build our five pillars of sustainability.”
In terms of cost, hemp fibre was cheaper than cotton two years ago when its prices spiked. “It can be slightly more to process as you have to slow the machines down , but only 10 to 20 cents per metre, which is nothing compared with the advantage the hemp brings,” he said.
“Marmara Hemp is now the only hemp fibre in the world with a C2C Certified Material Health Certificate, allowing the brand to enhance its image and reaffirm its commitment to sustainable textiles that are good for the health.”
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