Hemp as an Alternative
Hemp & Company - We manufacture our own clothes using hemp and organic cotton blends and we manufacture in Vancouver, Canada.
Hemp and Company is proud to carry Nomads and Efforts brands clothing. They are responsible companies who have generously provided information about their manufacturing processes in the spirit of full disclosure and transparency. We feel we have benefited from this information and we would like to pass it onto you, our valued and loyal customer.
Manufacturing Information - Efforts
by Robert Greenwald, Efforts Industries Inc.
"While most of our woven clothing production is done locally in Toronto, our knit production is out of China. The partners at Efforts Industries Inc. have personally been, on two separate occasions, to view the facility on behalf of clientele with concerns similar to yours. It is privately owned and employs close to 200 skilled local residents.
We are impressed with the working conditions(better than most in Toronto and Montreal) and the employees' attitude, so much so that we have applied with the Fair Trade Committee for a fair trade certificate. At this time, however, they would require $15,000 to send a team over from Madrid. We are also paying a fair wage for the manufacture of our goods, which is the best way to help.
Some food for thought: The majority of all the Made in Canada clothing that people are seeking requires two main ingredients-fabric and labour.. Just about any Made in Canada clothing that contains any cotton uses cotton from a cotton producing country such as China, India, Korea, or Pakistan. Almost all sewing in Canada is done by people born anywhere in the world except Canada. Running away from a third world nation to try to improve their standard of living will, in no way, solve our concerns for fair trade. The answer is to pay them more- to pay them a fair and decent wage for their effort no matter what country they live in.
The biggest problem, in general, lies with our North American consumer who under no circumstances wants to pay these people a decent dollar for their finished goods. There is very little future in the domestic clothing industry in Canada , yet we still produce in Toronto, Canada and, as long as we have a domestic labour pool, we will continue to produce domestically our woven goods of hemp such as various styles of drrawstring pants, shorts, skirts, Capri pants, etc."
Manufacturing Information - Nomads Hemp Wear
"We have been getting some important concerns from our friends and our customers since we moved our sewing production to China. We are very pleased to realize
just how much our clientele is conscious and caring. We took your concerns seriously and underwent a trip to the factory that is producing our products. Here you will find some information and pictures on how our products are made."
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About Hemp Manufacturing - General
Hemp grows well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. The production of cotton, on the other hand, consumes almost half of the agricultural chemicals used on American crops. Hemp bast fibres are one of the longest natural soft fibres. They are longer, stronger, more absorbent, more mildew-resistant, and more insulative than cotton. This means that hemp will keep you warmer in winter and cooler in summer than cotton. Hemp is more effective at blocking the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. The nature of hemp fibres makes them more absorbent to dyes, which coupled with hemp's ability to better screen out ultraviolet rays, means that hemp material is less prone to fading than cotton fabrics are. Like cotton, hemp can be made into a variety of fabrics, including high quality linen. When blended with materials such as cotton, linen, and silk, hemp provides a sturdier, longer lasting product, while maintaining quality and softness.
Hemp is environmentally friendly in many ways. It can displace the use of cotton, which requires massive amounts of chemicals harmful to people and the environment. The production of cotton consumes 50% of the pesticides sprayed in the entire world. Hemp has a deep root system that helps to prevent soil erosion, removes toxins, provides a disease break, and aerates the soil to the benefit of future crops. Because hemp is rich in cellulose, research is being conducted into the use of hemp for the production of biodegradable plastic products. Plant based cellophane, recycled plastic mixed with hemp for injection-molded products, and resins made from hemp oil could one day be manufactured. BMW in an effort to make cars more recyclable, is using hemp materials in their 5 and 7 series automobiles. Hemp is a high yield fibre crop, producing more biomass per acre than most other crops. As a result, the hydrocarbons in hemp could be used as a renewable, low polluting alternative to fossil fuels. Hemp could be processed into fuel pellets, liquid fuels, and gas, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and nuclear power.
As a replacement for wood products, hemp offers many more environmentally friendly benefits. Hemp yields three to eight tons of fibre per acre, which is four times the yield of the average forest. Unlike wood, hemp is low in lignin, which means that hemp can be pulped using fewer chemicals. Washington State University produced hemp fibreboard that was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fibreboard. Hemp's natural creamy colour eliminates the need for chlorine bleach, which prevents the dumping of extremely toxic dioxin into streams. Instead, hemp can be bleached using gentler hydrogen peroxide. Hemp paper is of the highest quality, resists decomposition, and does not yellow as it ages when an acid-free process is used. It is for these reasons that hemp paper is used in Europe for bibles. A sample of hemp paper has been found that is more than 1500 years old. Hemp paper can be recycled many more times than wood-based paper. Many construction products now made out of wood could be made from hemp. Beams, studs, posts, oriented strand board, and medium density fibreboard made from hemp would be stronger and lighter because of hemp's long fibres. The replacement of wood fibre by hemp-based products can save forests for wildlife habitat, watersheds, recreational areas, oxygen production, and carbon removal, which reduces global warming.
A vast array of products can be made from hemp seeds. They have exceptional nutritional value and are second only to soybeans as a source of complete vegetable protein. However, they are longer lasting and more digestible than soybeans. Hemp seeds contain all eight essential amino acids in the correct proportions required by humans, including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a rare nutrient found in mother's milk. They are also high in dietary fibre and vitamin B. Hemp seed oil is the richest source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (the "good" fat). Whole seeds can be baked for snack food, or ground into flour. The hulls (outer shell) are an excellent source of fibre, or can be used as animal feed or mulch. Hulled hemp seeds are made into protein bars, protein powder, granolas, sauces, and dips. They can be processed into milk, cheese, ice cream, margarine, birdseed, and pet foods. Hempseed oil unrefined is light green in colour, and has a nutty, grassy taste. It can be used in dressings, dips, and spreads. It can also replace, or be blended with olive, walnut, and safflower oils for cooking. When refined, hempseed oil is colourless with most of the flavour and nutrients removed. Its antimicrobial properties make it useful for cosmetics and body care products such as shampoos and hair conditioners, lip balms, lotions, massage oils, salves, soaps, and detergents. After the hemp seed has been crushed for oil, the remaining seed cake is an excellent nutritional supplement and can be used for making beer.