Why hemp and Tencel can hold a candle to organic clothing

Hemp and Tencel clothing passes every sustainability test while offering wonderful comfort and wearability.

Made of an earth-friendly hemp and Tencel blend, the Princess Top minimizes your environmental footprint.

Clothing production and textile processing appear on every top-10 lists of the most polluting industries. For that reason, I applaud consumers who go out of their way and spend more to purchase organic clothes. Doing so helps protect our environment and improve the health of our soils. And most organic clothing manufacturers use low-impact dyes, which are substantially better for you and for the environment than conventional dyes. I have blogged about the benefits of low-impact dyes—the type used by Sympatico—here.

Similarly to the fibers used in organic clothing, hemp and Tencel are grown without the use of synthetic chemicals and pesticides. Although at this time there is no organic certification for hemp grown for textiles, it's an easy crop to grow without them. As more and more hemp is grown in the USA, organic certification programs will become more common. (Canada has certification but grows its hemp mostly for seed, oil and food.) Hemp has distinct advantages over conventionally grown natural fibers such as cotton. Hemp is antimicrobial and exceedingly durable. Hemp clothing helps wick perspiration from your skin and requires less laundering. 

The fiber in Tencel clothing possesses a unique cellular structure that allows moisture to escape while allowing your body to breathe, even in the muggiest climates. Yet when the weather grows cooler, Tencel clothing can be layered to keep you snug. This kind of adaptability makes Sympatico’s hemp and Tencel women’s tops, skirts, and pants a favorite for travel wear. It resists wrinkles when rolled up in your luggage—just unroll your hemp and Tencel clothing on arrival to let any wrinkles acquired in travel relax. A quick spritz with water and/or a steamy bathroom can usually release heavier wrinkling.

In the case of Tencel, the fiber is produced in a closed-loop system that recaptures virtually all processing chemicals. Water quality is restored through an algae-based purification process. Thanks to its soft and supple finish, when blended with hemp, Tencel clothing have a beautiful drape that’s wrinkle resistant and makes for easy care.

Unlike conventional textile processing which uses chlorine for washing (called scrubbing), hemp fabrics and blends are scrubbed with peroxide bleach, which decomposes into harmless water and oxygen. 

Sympatico’s hemp/Tencel fabric blend is made in an earth-friendly manner from field to factory to you. You can learn more about Sympatico’s sustainable fabric here.