HIA supports UN's natural fibres drive
The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is supporting the International Year of Natural Fibers (IYNF), a programme being run by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The public awareness campaign officially gets underway in Rome on January 22.
The IYNF launch is the beginning of a year-long series of global events that seek to support farmers and associated industries in raising awareness of the benefits of natural fibres over synthetic and petroleum-based textiles, which are not viewed as sustainable.
According to the FAO, the use of synthetic fibres has increased since the 1960s and natural fibres have lost a lot of their market share. The main objective of the IYNF is to raise the profile of these fibres and to emphasise their value to consumers while helping to sustain the incomes of the farmers.
According to the HIA, industrial hemp has been grown for thousands of years to make fibre for clothing, furniture, ropes and sails. Hemp can easily be grown organically as it does not require the use of harsh chemical herbicides, pesticides and defoliants as many other fibre crops do. While most hemp textiles today come from China, the crop continues to be grown for textiles in Eastern Europe.
The bark of the hemp stalk contains bast fibres, which are among earth's longest natural soft fibres and are rich in cellulose. The cellulose and hemi-cellulose contained in the inner woody core are called hurds. Hemp fibre is longer, stronger, more absorbent and more insulative than cotton fibre. Oilseed and fibre varieties of hemp are not psychoactive and cannot be grown as a drug-producing crop.
"The Hemp Industries Association is excited that the United Nations is recognising the importance of natural fibres to a sustainable future," says Eric Steenstra, HIA executive director. "Every day more and more consumers are choosing hemp-based textile products. We hope that 2009 will be a break-out year for hemp and other natural fibre textiles."
