By Sander Tamm
Last updated: Feb 2, 2025
Pictured: Pants made from 54% hemp (Toad&Co)
What is organic hemp fabric?
Organic hemp fabric is a textile made from natural fibers derived from the stalks of hemp plants grown under organic standards. These ensure that hemp plants are cultivated without synthetic inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs while adhering to additional criteria aimed at improving the crop’s sustainability.
As hemp naturally thrives with minimal inputs, it is well-suited for pesticide-free organic farming. Stricter organic farming practices further enhance soil health, promote biodiversity, and prevent monoculture growth. This ensures the resulting fabric retains all of hemp's benefits while supporting more socially and environmentally responsible production methods.
In 2023, around 200 thousand tonnes of hemp fiber was produced globally. Data for certified organic hemp is unavailable, but assuming a similar 1% share as for organic linen, the organic hemp fiber production volume would be 2 thousand tonnes. If correct, this would mean that certified organic hemp is one of the rarest fibers in the world, or 45 times rarer than silk.
What is organic hemp fabric made of?
Organic hemp fabric is made from the bast fibers in the hemp plant’s stalks, grown using non-synthetic inputs with a low impact on the environment. The hemp fibers are separated through dew or water-retting, then cleaned, combed, spun into yarn, and woven into textiles. The by-product of this defibration process, the hurd, is used to make paint, fuel, oil, and construction material, reducing waste and enhancing organic hemp’s overall sustainability.
Sustainability certification and standards for organic hemp
The two key standards to search in organic hemp, like other organic fabrics, are:
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
- Organic Content Standard (OCS)
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
GOTS is the leading certification for organic hemp, ensuring strict adherence to its proprietary environmental and social sustainability criteria throughout the various processing stages of hemp fiber. Among other stages, it oversees sustainable retting, spinning, weaving, and finishing processes for hemp textiles. Retting, in particular, is associated with high environmental risk in bast fibers like hemp and flax (linen) and GOTS addresses this through strict wastewater requirements for organic hemp. For full confidence in the holistic sustainability of a hemp textile product, choose GOTS.
Organic Content Standard (OCS)
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) verifies the organic origin of hemp fibers through chain-of-custody tracking from hemp farm to final product. Unlike GOTS, it does not address additional environmental or social criteria to improve the sustainability of the final organic hemp product. Nor does it conduct farm-level evaluations, which is the responsibility of national farm-level organic regulations like the USA’s “National Organic Program”. Instead, OCS plays an important role by ensuring consumer confidence in the organic integrity of hemp products.
Is organic hemp sustainable?
Yes, organic hemp is one of the most sustainable materials, enhancing the benefits of regular hemp. Hemp generally requires little water, supports crop rotation, improves soil health, and reduces erosion. It is among the fastest-growing plants and great at absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis. Hemp also supports biodiversity and thrives with minimal inputs, making it ideal for pesticide-free organic farming. Organic hemp scores the highest possible “A” from the Made-By Benchmark, which evaluates fibers for key environmental impacts.
Organic hemp builds on hemp’s sustainability with additional social and environmental benefits. As hemp acreage expands hand in hand with its popularity, monoculture growth restrictions enforced by national organic standards will help mitigate mounting pest pressure and keep hemp from becoming an input-intensive, disease-prone crop. Organic regulations also include bans on forced and child labor, helping avoid hemp sourced from countries with exploitative labor practices, like North Korea, a key hemp-producing country.
Voluntary certifications and standards for organic hemp, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), further extend its sustainability. These are particularly important in addressing the impact of hemp fiber processing which, in hemp’s case, is associated with 12% higher CO2 emissions than fiber cultivation. Private standards are typically also the preferred choice for ensuring social sustainability, extending beyond the basic labor rules required by organic regulations. Thus, organic hemp is generally an environmentally responsible, socially ethical, and sustainable choice, especially if certified by voluntary standards like GOTS.