5 Reasons to love hemp
At Nusha, we are determined to redefine the fashion industry by utilizing hemp fabric. Hemp (alongside a selection of remarkable plants and fungi) can be instrumental in saving our planet. One of the most sustainable crops on the planet, hemp is incredibly undervalued. We want to raise awareness and appreciation for this extraordinary resource because the lack of gratitude towards nature has cost us greatly.
1. Sustainable agriculture: Hemp can be grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. It also requires less water than many other crops and can be grown in a variety of soil types. Hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth and can grow up to 20 feet tall in just four months.
“Cotton needs 5000 gallons of water to produce 2lbs of fabric, that’s just one T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Hemp only needs 10% of that water and half the land to produce the same 2lbs of fabric.”
2. Carbon sequestration: Industrious hemp is an eco-warrior of the plant kingdom, rapidly absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere while maturing. An impressive 22 tonnes of CO2 can be sequestered by a single hectare of hemp every single year.
“As hemp grows it breathes in four times the carbon dioxide than trees. ”
3. Soil regeneration: Hemp is incredibly effective in rehabilitating damaged soil, as its deep roots break up compacted soil, resulting in improved soil structure, increased water-retention capacity and healthier environment for beneficial bacteria, fungi and earthworms to thrive. Hemp also has the ability to uptake chemicals and metals in contaminated soil within one planting season.
“When hemp is harvested, the health of the soil is left in an even better condition than before it was planted which is not the case with other plants that deplete soil over time.”
4. Biodiversity: Hemp is a thriving habitat for wildlife, such as birds, insects, and small mammals. Hemp is a good source of nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators and has been found to make them more productive workers. Bees are naturally attracted to hemp flowers and can help to pollinate other crops in the surrounding area. Along with bees, hemp has been found to attract other beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings that can help control pest populations such as aphids.
“It takes 20 years and 4 acres to grow trees to make paper. Hemp only needs 3 months and 1 acre to grow the same amount of pulp for paper”
5. Versatility: Hemp is a remarkably versatile resource and is called “the plant of 50,000 uses”. Not only can hemp replace unsustainable resources used to make paper, textiles, medicine, building materials, food and biofuels but it does a better job. By substituting renewable hemp-based resources in place of non-renewables, we can not only dramatically lessen our environmental footprint but help draw back emissions.
So what happened to hemp? If it’s so great why aren’t we utilizing this incredible plant in every area of our economy? Hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years and it was once widely cultivated in the United States, but was banned in 1937 due to its association with marijuana thanks to a campaign coined “reefer madness” - a (successful) effort against hemp from the oil industry that saw hemp as a major threat to their industry. However, with the recent legalization of hemp at the federal level, it is once again becoming a popular crop in the US. The future is bright and it’s up to us to push hemp forward once again!