Are hemp towels better for the environment? You bet.
When we hear about the devastating effects of plastic pollution, single-use products like straws, cups, plastic shopping bags and packaging materials often come to mind. While these plastics do wreak havoc on our ecosystems — especially in our oceans — there’s another source of microplastic pollution you’re likely using every day: fabric.
Keep reading to learn how synthetic fabric impacts the environment and how switching to hemp towels, blankets and clothes can help fight climate change.
FiveADRIFT HempCORE™ beach towels are eco-friendly, lightweight and highly absorbent. Every towel purchased helps remove the equivalent of 75 plastic bottles from our oceans. Ready to browse? SHOP FiveADRIFT HERE
The Environmental Impact of Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and acrylic are all forms of plastic, and they make up roughly 60% of the materials used in clothing and fabric products worldwide. Synthetic fabrics containing plastic aren’t biodegradable. When we dispose of them, they’ll most likely end up in a landfill, where plastic contributes to issues like chemical leaching, soil degradation and pollution.
Synthetic materials often require the use of harsh chemicals during manufacturing, while fabrics made of polyester and nylon emit nitrous oxide, which is even worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.
What Are Plastic Microfibers?
Plastic does not break down, and it’s not biodegradable. Plastic items like utensils, cups and containers simply break into smaller and smaller pieces. Microplastic refers to tiny pieces of plastic that are less than 5 millimeters long. Most of the plastic in our oceans consists of microplastics.
Plastic microfibers — fibers less than 5 millimeters long — are a form of microplastic.
When we purchase and use synthetic towels, blankets and clothes, they tend to shed plastic with wear and especially when we wash them. As a result, plastic microfibers end up in our oceans, where they’re often mistaken for food and ingested by marine life — and ultimately, by us.
The Benefits of All-Natural Hemp Fabric
Hemp crops are one of the most sustainable fiber crops out there. Aside from providing an all-natural alternative to fabrics that contain plastic, hemp provides benefits along every step of the production journey.
These are just a few of the pros of using hemp in consumer products:
– Hemp crops are easy to grow, resilient and require much less water than fiber crop counterparts like cotton.
– Hemp is 100% biodegradable.
– As hemp is technically a weed, it requires little maintenance and produces reliable yields.
– Hemp fabrics soften with wear.
– Hemp crops do not require the use of harmful pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
– Every part of the hemp plant can be utilized, making it a zero-waste crop.
– Hemp plants have impressive, deep-penetrating root systems, which help prevent soil erosion.
– Hemp plants can capture and trap 10 tons of carbon dioxide per acre harvested.
Aside from the environmental benefits, which are good and plenty, hemp is incredibly versatile. Hemp can be used to produce textiles, clothing, shoes, rope, paper, insulation and much more.
Sustainable Lifestyle Choices
The news cycle on climate change can feel dystopian at times, but we can take action every single day. Sustainability matters — and so do our choices.
A growing number of consumers are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable products, while the demand for environmentally friendly alternatives is ever-growing. There is plenty we can do to reduce the environmental impact of our lifestyles, whether we start with simple choices or commit to achieving a zero-waste household.
Here are a few simple changes that can give the planet a hand:
– Use Less Plastic. From shifting to reusable grocery bags to opting for naked produce, using less plastic is easier than it sounds. Check out this primer on how to use less plastic at the grocery store here.
– Switch to Eco-Friendly Products. When it comes to common household items like cleaning products, linens, cooking utensils and personal care items, invest in sustainable home goods.
– Educate Yourself on Zero Waste. Once you start making small changes, you’ll see opportunities to make many areas of your life more sustainable. Even if your efforts aren’t perfect, taking the time to learn about a zero-waste lifestyle can inspire and inform you.
By making climate-forward lifestyle changes, we don’t just reduce the environmental impact of our own lives and households — we inspire our friends, family members and coworkers to do the same.
HempCORE™ from FiveADRIFT: Eco-Friendly Towels
Our mission at FiveADRIFT is to help create a sustainable, plastic-free future — and that starts with the materials we use in our products. Hemp is a sustainability superhero, which is exactly why it’s one of the core components in our eco-friendly beach towels.
FiveADRIFT towels are made from a unique blend of hemp with organic and traditional cotton called HempCORE™. Our all-natural towels are sustainable, environmentally friendly and easy on the eyes.
When you wash and use your FiveADRIFT beach towels, you can rest assured that you aren’t contributing to our severe — and environmentally devastating — plastic problem. In fact, you are actively helping us fight against it.
A full 100% of our profits goes to supporting ocean cleanup projects. Each FiveADRIFT towel purchased helps remove the equivalent of 75 plastic bottles from our oceans. Our entire organization is also committed to operating single-use plastic-free, carbon-negative and waste-free.
Natural Fiber Beach Towels
We love our planet, and we know you do, too. When you hit the beach this summer, we’d love it if you took a moment to appreciate the beauty, power and serenity of the ocean.
Our planet is precious. It’s up to us to protect it.
Join FiveADRIFT on our mission to remove 1 million pounds of plastic from the ocean in 2022 and to prevent more plastic from entering our environment.
Our natural fiber beach towels are eco-friendly, sustainable and ultra comfortable. 100% of the profits from your purchase goes toward ocean cleanup projects.
Are you ready to join the green revolution?
