The Sustainability of Hemp and Its Contribution to Fair Trade
| The popularity of hemp is due in no small part to its sustainability. It’s an environmental super-star that needs little in the way of irrigation, pesticides or chemical fertilizers and can grow as much as 14 feet in less than a year. Hemp also has the advantage of being able to produce a year-round crop. Hemp plants actually replenish the soil with vital nutrients, and if grown on an industrial scale, hemp can absorb carbon dioxide five times quicker than a forest of the same size. This makes hemp one of nature’s best friends when it comes to the protection of the environment whilst at the same time producing natural fibres which can effectively replace traditional fabrics such as cotton. As with all consumer products grown in third world countries, it is essential to make sure that hemp products have been produced under Fair Trade principles. Frequently, workers in these countries are underpaid and child labourers are exploited – working long hours in sweat shops for pitiful wages. Fair Trade ensures the workers are fully protected with minimum age and wage legislation and safe working conditions. These safeguards also extend to protecting the environment, something which comes naturally to hemp plants. With so much global agricultural land being swallowed up by a consumer-driven economy, hemp production is vital in the battle to maintain and preserve rural communities for future generations. We can play our part by ensuring we buy products made from plants such as hemp as often as we can. |
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