LUBBOCK - Hemp offers considerable potential as a sustainable natural fibre for the textiles industry - providing that care is given to the use of pesticides and fertilisers, according to a new Textile Exchange report.
Entitled ‘Growing Hemp for the Future, a Global Guide’, the report says that hemp offers benefits in terms of soil health, biodiversity, weed suppression and increasing yields for subsequent crops – all while being low-input.
However, while it is currently largely grown with the use of biological pesticides and fertilisers, care needs to be given as the hemp industry expands to ensure that remains the case if those benefits are not to be cancelled out.
