- Archeologists have uncovered remnants of hemp cloth in modern-day Iraq from 8,000 BCE, making hemp the oldest known plant cultivated for textiles.
- 80% of all fabrics were made from hemp until the cotton gin became popular in the 1800s.
- Hemp produces four times more paper per square acre than trees.
- Hemp can be planted in smaller spaces, grows in diverse climates, and matures quickly.
- Hemp has a fiber yield higher than any other agricultural crop, thereby requiring less land for equal yield:
- Fewer chemicals and pesticides are needed to produce hemp, and it only requires 1/20th of the water to grow and process than cotton does.
- Hemp plants can also help clean the atmosphere, absorbing four times the carbon dioxide a tree does.
- Hemp fiber is the longest and strongest of any plant fiber and can be woven into almost any kind of cloth. It is very durable. In fact, the first Levi’s blue jeans were made out of hemp for just this reason.
- In the United States, the cotton crop uses half of the total pesticides. (Yes, you heard right, one half of the pesticides used in the entire U.S. are used on cotton.)
- The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written on hemp paper, the first US flag was made out of hemp. Both Jefferson and Washington were hemp farmers.
- Hemp fiber is highly resistant to rotting, and its resistance to mildew, mold and salt water led to its premier use in marine fittings: the majority of all twine, rope, ship’s sails, rigging and nets up to the late 19th century were made from hemp. The word canvas itself is derived from cannabis.
- Any product made of hemp is fully biodegradable and easily recyclable.
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