Hemp Fiber:

A Sustainable Future For Apparel, Auto Parts & More

Something as simple as your t-shirt is not so simple after all. From the cotton, to the yarn, to the fabric, to the sewing and shipping, it takes dozens of steps, often in multiple far-away countries, before it gets to you. And even though the global apparel market tops $1.7 trillion dollars, the human and environmental costs are much higher. Awareness of the true costs of fashion are driving a movement toward sustainable clothing and regional supply chains that minimize environmental damage and pay workers fairly. Hemp — used for thousands of years to make clothing — is back, and has an important role to play in this new vision for the way our clothes are made.

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Past and Future: Hemp Textiles in PA

The history of hemp textiles in America begins in PA. In 1683 William Penn declared hemp a staple crop for the colony. With its abundant, fertile farmland, PA grew hemp for clothing, rope, sails and more for hundreds of years.

Today, entrepreneurs and researchers in Pennsylvania are using hemp to manufacture sustainable fabric for apparel, and non-woven materials ideal for carbon-neutral car parts and products such as biodegradable wet wipes.

PA is positioned to be a leader in sustainable materials development and manufacturing. Let’s make Pennsylvania a hub for hemp textile technology, environmentally friendly auto parts, household goods and much more.

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William Penn in front of hemp field composite image

Ready To Start Your PA Hemp Textiles Business?

A grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has made it possible for PAHIC to provide entrepreneurs with downloadable financial models and pitch deck templates to get your project investment-ready. Let’s get started!

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Investment and government support is critical to bringing commercial hemp fiber production back to Pennsylvania.

Industrials hemp grows tall and strong. The stalk is composed of long thin strands, called bast fibers, surrounding a woody core. These bast fibers are what was woven into some of the first known clothing on Earth, and what were used for millennia to make durable ropes and sails for ships at sea. These fibers have high tensile strength and present a valuable sustainable alternative to the polluting materials used in clothing, car parts, wet wipes, and feminine hygiene products today. Think of anything made from cotton, polyester, wood pulp or fiberglass and you’ll get an idea of what hemp is capable of. The equipment and knowhow needed to convert hemp into these products exists and is in use globally; Europe has been using hemp-based non-woven materials for auto carpeting and dash and door fills for decades. Let’s team up and make Pennsylvania the new American center for sustainable, biobased materials!